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My time at Churcher’s Jean Millard (1987 - 2020)
It is Thursday, December 17th 2020. My last day had started and I am with the Headmaster to bid farewell. On his desk sits an iconic, shiny Churcher’s College mug along with its accompanying sharp pencil. The traditional, highly coveted and essential piece of departing kit. I knew my time was up! At the end of that school day, I would drive out through the College gates after 33 years of teaching, but not before the Science Faculty had treated me to a wonderful lunch. In these historic COVID times, we kept our 2 metre distance in one of the large labs. The table was decorated with conical flasks encasing beautiful fairy lights. The scene was set and it was an emotional and special occasion. Speeches were made and goodbyes shared. I first drove in through those gates, way back in September 1987. Rick Astley was No. 1 in the pop charts and mobile phones and the Internet were pure fantasy. I moved from having taught in a large state school to what was, at the time, a smaller boys’ independent school with a mixture of boarding and day pupils. I joined but three fulltime female staff and together
we had to tolerate (respectfully) the traditions of the Masters’ Common Room. It was a somewhat dingy, ‘fuggy’ room with burgeoning pigeon-holes, dark musty curtains draping the full length of the walls and a long wooden table bearing full ashtrays. The masters donned chalk-covered academic gowns and I was in awe. I won’t mention the state of the toilets! How times have changed… for the better, I hasten to add… Staff briefing was held every morning at 8.25am. All of us gathered in the Common Room, paper notepads at the ready. Tutors jotted down relevant notices, called out in a haphazard and random order. I remember a time, somewhat early in my initiation, a senior member of staff proclaiming: “Masters! Note this for your boys.” My pen was poised ready to write furiously. To my horror a female colleague placed her firm hand on mine, beckoning me to halt! She caught the eye of the announcer, and there was silence. She perked up with: “Should this be noted by the female members of staff, too?”. The ‘vintage’ member of staff puffed up and spoke: “Hmm… Masters and MISTRESSES (he boomed) note this…”I just wanted the ground to open up. I surely was not to be called a MISTRESS!
My first and foremost passion was inspiring pupils in the subject of Biology, fulfilling the dream my own biology teacher inspired me to follow all those years ago. I soon became Head of Lifeskills, as it was called back then, and designed a brand-new curriculum to be delivered by form tutors. The user-friendly books and activities I devised were the start of something new and the college was well on the path to becoming a fully co-educational day school. I coached and umpired boys’ hockey and have many fond memories of the tours. The Guernsey jaunts were a particular highlight, and I’ll never forget taking an U15 squad to Leicester and meals of endless curries! I was even allowed to participate in the annual Masters vs Boys hockey match. Our boots were polished by a first-year pupil ready for the onslaught, Monty Python style! The residential biology field trips to Juniper Hall were held every summer. Driving along the narrow lanes had its moments. I have to admit a low point was when I pranged a minibus, fortunately hired, into another minibus, unfortunately College owned, and then proceeded to scrape the wing mirror along its entire length! Which idiot parked it there, anyway?
