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This
book deals with the last hundred years but majors on the
author's personal experience of the 1950's and 1960's
in which he recreates the optimistic social atmosphere
of teenagers enjoying the popular culture of the day.
You will also gain insights into the gritty, unpretentious,
honest character of Heanor folk.
It
is a graphic, colourful and emotional journey from the
depths of despair to the heights of happiness. Along the
way, Narvel Annable honours the memory of teachers, headmasters
and headmistresses who have shaped the lives of countless
Heanorians. Disquiet is expressed, as discredited modern
teaching methods are contrasted to the successful tried
and trusted methods of past years.
Forty-five
photographs and fifteen documents will rekindle memories.
The work is supported by a foreword from His Honour Judge
Keith Matthewman QC and contains first-hand accounts from
many contributors, including the one-time local lad, The
Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke QC, MP, the former Chancellor
of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997. 205 pages.
"I
was enthralled. A cracking collection of tales."
John Holmes, BBC Radio Derby
On
an iron cold grey day in December 1963, I was trying to
hitch a lift southbound on Telegraph Road, Dearborn, Michigan
USA. Eventually a large white Chevrolet Impala smoothly
floated to my side. The driver took an interest in the
English teenager with his thick Derbyshire accent. This
man told me that he was a doctor. I was impressed. Some
time later I found out that this was not true. His real
profession was that of a teacher at the local High School.
Here
is a paradox. Yes, I was impressed to meet a respected
doctor. A prestigious job with a high salary. But if he
had told me the simple truth of being a teacher, he would
have gained even more esteem and kudos from the young
passenger who dreamed of one day becoming a schoolmaster.
A
fascination of teachers and education led me to enter
the profession. Even now after retirement, that same drive
has caused me to go back through my own schooldays analysing
and examining the experiences and relationships of 40
years back. Education today is the subject of much heated
political debate and it is to be hoped that this book
will generate some local interest in Heanor.
This
is a sequel to my first book - Miss Calder's Children
- A Social History of Belper, Biography and Critique on
Modern Education, ISBN 0 9530419 0 5. 'Heanor' will follow
a similar format to 'Calder', in that some of the critique
will be duplicated where appropriate; most chapters tracing
the experiences of myself and contemporaries, and the
early chapters going back to previous decades as much
as living memory will allow. Like the first, this book
reflects a desire to recapture a world I once knew and
loved, with values which now sometimes seem long lost.
We of a certain age have seen a half century of change,
not all of which is for the better. The decline of respect
for adults and authority is set out and documented in
these pages.
For
the most part, the following is a history of two schools
-
Mundy Street Church of England Boys School (1891 to 1958)
and Loscoe Road School, which eventually became William
Howitt Secondary Modern (1915 to 1960).
My
personal experience of these two schools is just a five
year span, but from the boyish age of ten years up to
the adolescent manly achievement of fifteen years is a
huge leap. It seemed like a great age of time, encompassing
a journey from the depths of despair to the heights of
blissful happiness. Most of the period from September
1958 to July 1960 were the best days of my life, completely
unequalled since. These extreme emotions were generated
by the violent contrasts of the two very different schools
and the sensitivities of childhood.
To
me, Mundy Street Boys School was claustrophobic, hateful,
cruel, ugly, dark and despairing; whilst William Howitt
Secondary Modern School was open, sunny, kind, loving,
leafy green and hopeful. In the Howitt days I jumped out
of bed in the morning, eager to taste life and cycle to
school. At Mundy Street Boys School it was as Shakespeare
said in "As You Like It" -
".....the whining school boy....creeping like snail,
unwillingly to school."
Every day at Mundy Street was very much a case of the
'Monday morning' blues.
In
exploring these two schools I will frequently refer to
a third, the large comprehensive where I taught history
for the last part of my career (1978 to 1995) at the sharp
edge of the chalk face. Contrasting the standards, practices,
atmosphere and perspectives of both pupil and teacher
in the 1950's and 1990's, on both sides of the Atlantic,
should make for interesting reading. As a teacher I carried
within myself the idealised models of best practice in
the form of - Miss Florence Calder, Mr Peter Crofts, Mr
Leonard Smith, Miss Mary McLening, Mr Maurice Brentnall,
Mrs Doris Cook and Mrs Maud Buxcey. This book will express
a deep sense of disquiet in examining the ever creeping
poison of progressive child-centred practice which has
undermined the high standards of these excellent teachers.
The
story of my comprehensive school is typical of many since
the 1960's. The name and town will not be disclosed since
this is not a criticism of a school, but rather a 'school
of thought'. After seventeen years of service, I have
respect and affection for some of my conscientious ex-colleagues
and would not wish to hurt them with the expression of
sharp philosophical differences.
The
Howitt days are remembered with affection by most of its
pupils as will be amply demonstrated here in the following
pages, and by the annual reunions kindly organised by
Brian Brailsford. It was a magical time of youthful hope
and happiness reflected by constant cheer and laughter.
The school gates will not limit the depth of this book.
I hope to recreate the optimistic social atmosphere of
teenagers taking their leisure, enjoying the popular culture
of the day, and for the record, to explore the gritty,
unpretentious, honest character of Heanor folk.
The
scope of this work will also attempt to include a wider
history of the two Heanor schools well before my time,
and also after, up to the present day. I am grateful to
a number of elderly Heanorians who have given evidence,
and shared their anecdotes and experiences to be preserved
in the following pages. It has been important to talk
to them before it is too late and thus gives this work
the authenticity of primary evidence.
Articles
in the local press together with a BBC Radio Derby interview
have produced a reasonable response from former pupils
who came forward with a mixture of memories of life in
Heanor, in and out of school. I apologise to those people
(of which there must be many) who have been unable to
furnish information, because they could not be contacted
personally and were never reached by the media or word
of mouth.
The
following has been verified as far as time and money will
allow, but the story of Heanor Schooldays, inevitably
will remain incomplete. Even now after publication, I
invite readers to contact me with further information
or clarifications they may wish to offer, and could be
useful in a second edition. I shall be pleased to hear
from you.
Contributors
to this work have expressed a wide variety of views about
the social apartheid created by the 11+ Exam, and this
has given me an opportunity to look at the Heanor Grammar
School which has its own proud and interesting history.
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