Bright. Geek. Quiet. Reasonably good at sports but everyone including me assumed not until I was leaving when I discovered cross country running & that I could hit a rounders ball a long old way.
Same as now really, except I discovered mountain biking having hitherto assumed I was too much of a scaredy cat for such things :O)

In top-set with absolutely no effort on my behalf, even won some national maths award that I rushed because I really wasn't bothered with doing it, made the guy considered the school genius look dumb.

Spent a lot of time perfecting the art of keeping a chair on 2 legs. There was always trouble around me, but teachers could never pin it on me.

Often out of PE due to bike injuries. Thrown out of RE for challenging discussion.

Mostly remembered by students as the one with a leg of scaffold after nearly snapping my leg off bailing from a bike jump. Known by the teachers as the clever kid that won't work and that they just can't catch in the act of causing trouble. They had high academic hopes for me, I just wanted to do manual work in the outdoors, so much more rewarding.

Mid 80s. Flat top with a mullet back. bmxer. Spent most lessons scraping mud off my trousers with a ruler.

trail_rat – Member

Mr grim arbroath high – denis arnott mtbing biology teacher . Keith ritchie was the lad that said id be a failure…..

Mr grant the bball coach

WOW! Very small world. Yeah, right on all three counts, except I'd forgotten about "bazza" Ritchie and never really spoke to him. Mr Grant is now retired I think and last I heard from my Dad, Dennis is running a landscaping business in his retirement.

It was Mr Grant that encouraged me to get back into running at school. I think he spotted my lanky potential 😆

I left in 2001.

Annoying gobby pr1ck mainly. Above average academically, voted head boy however stunned the school by simply leaving before my highers because, i dunno, i was bored i think. Sat my highers anyway (had a job at that point) – all A's. Careers teacher told me i would be a failure. Went to Uni, discovered MTB in 1990, bought first bike (an explosif) rode everywhere. Lots of outdoors stuff, did well at Uni (1st), became a ski instructor PT (i was in aberdeen). During all that discovered beer and pot but the latter in moderation, and girls but didn;t really know what to do with them. Left uni got a job, did that for 18 months then in a repeat of history left to travel the world, got to NZ and never came back ! Amen.

I hated school, was bullied a bit but something changed and I was left alone because I was sporty and also battered the school hard nut when he just p1ssed me off once too often. And i was a skinny wee weed but have a slight radge tendency. Still have 3 really tight mates from school. Also caught up with my old english teacher last June when i was bumped into him on the street in Edinburgh, had a few pints and a good yack. He was the one that really encouraged me to do WTF i wanted irrespective of what everyone said and he was dead right.

Totally uninterested in school, much more interested in motorbikes, air rifles, females, Led Zeppelin & Jethro Tull (in no particular order)
Am now 53 & haven't changed much.

Once said in my school report "sometimes Jason sits and thinks, sometimes Jason just sits"
Still do tha……

CaptainFlashheart – Member
…I would have been a "jock"….

I can think of something that rhymes with that. 🙂

A tomboy, clever but never applied myself – too busy day dreaming and chatting. Popular, but too much of a tomboy for the boys to fancy me. I girlified at the end of 6th Form and when I went to uni.

Weird combination.

Went to school in the next town over (Catholic school) so was always "the posh kid". Very bright, to the point where I was top in everything without really trying – hence was "the swot" even though I did very little actual swotting.

At the same time – athletics champion and more or less respected as "not to be messed with" after squaring up to a few who tried it on (played rugby outside of school so was pretty used to looking after myself).

Generally spent a lot of time trying to be accepted and not realising that I actually kind of was. Major teenage paranoia. Chilled out a bit by 6th year (by which time I already had my place at Uni in the bag). Fell in love with any girl who looked my way!

Only by going to a good school did I get my Common Entrance grades else I'd have been on the education slag heap for sure.
Sat back for 2yrs and found I'd slipped almost off the bottom of the class register.
Being a border in N Yorkshire saw me playing and exploring more than working. A levels, in hindsight were not a good idea.

It wasn't until the Army that things really pieced togeather and I found I was rather good at quite a few things especially if I put in 110% effort – that or my other inmates in 1983 at Sandhurst were all rubbish! 💡

Quietish, reasonably academic, athletic, but average at ball sports. I was accepted by all cliques, but never a true member of any of them. I was the anonymous kid (suited me). Did my own thing with my own small circle – which mostly included Badminton at county level, Archery at national level, and roleplaying in the days before computer games were any good. Rubbish with girls and still rubbish now. Fortunately my wife made the first move at Uni.

Bullied by a nasty bugger from the year above until I threw him down the stairs and took his best hit on the chin without reacting. Grew to be fast and strong and became a kick boxer and martial artist. On reflection this made me the guy not to mess with in my year, but my lack of ego meant I didn't actually spot it until I was alot older.

Wasn't really trouble to my teachers, but when I was, my alarming honesty seems to have reduced the penalties of non-compliance to a few words and little more.

Described as being very "quiet and sensitive" on my reports, bit of a swot, got on better with the teachers than I did with most of my classmates. Did well in most subjects, enjoyed English and art the most. Absolutely loathed sport – our school was very competitive, so would focus on the people in the school teams during PE, everyone else was treated like an irritant.

I was a bit of a loner after most of the girls in my year decided you were only cool if you'd lost your virginity by the age of 14 to your 25 – 30 year old boyfriend, and got hammered in carparks on cider. Thought that was pretty tragic so declined to join in, preferred to listen to metal, wear a ridiculously oversize denim jacket with patches sown on, and play on my Amiga. I think 'Nerdy Metaller' would probably be the most apt description.

Ti29er – Member

especially if I put in 110% effort – that or my other inmates in 1983 at Sandhurst were all rubbish!

You were clearly not much good at maths 😉

Mrs Toast – I'd have fancied you 🙂

age of 14 to your 25 – 30 year old boyfriend

😯

A perv, always in detention and into Heavy metal bands.

Thankfully only one of the above now 🙂

Actually I was the hardest in the school and had the choice of all the fair maidens…

One of my statements is completely untrue….

Clubber, at my school we had 5 girls in my year get pregnant between the ages of 13 and 16. Three had abortions (at 13 and 14), the other two kept their kids (one 14, one 15 year old – the sight of pregnant girls in school uniform is pretty terrifying). Most were accidents, but the one got pregnant deliberately at 15 to stop her 26 year old boyfriend from leaving her. :/

I think only one of them had a boyfriend of the same age, 14. He told her they didn't need to use contraception because he was sterile. He also told her that if she didn't have an abortion he'd dump her, which he did anyway a couple of days after the procedure.

My school rocked! 😆

Yeah, must take note and make sure I move nearby so my son can go there…

but the one got pregnant deliberately at 15 to stop her 26 year old boyfriend from leaving her

Even now when I occasionally go past a school I see older lads sat outside in faux-banger-fast cars waiting for their younger girlfriend to come out.

Must crack aloud joke next time. After all, some of them are bloody paedophiles.

My wife (now 34) was a schoolgirl when I met her (she was just 18, I was 27).

:-O

Mrs Toast has prompted a fond memory of a couple of girls in my year. When they were 13-14 they used to walk along the local dual-carriageway thumbing lifts to pick up blokes. Then shag em.
Vile huh!? Imagine having a daughter like that. Lynda, one of them was called. What a skank.

DezB – not as vile as the blokes that shagged them. 😡

Mrs Toast has prompted a fond memory of a couple of girls in my year. When they were 13-14 they used to walk along the local dual-carriageway thumbing lifts to pick up blokes. Then shag em.
Vile huh!? Imagine having a daughter like that. Lynda, one of them was called. What a skank.

Rita, Sue and Bob Too…

DezB – not as vile as the blokes that shagged them
True indeed.

Only just got out of college, as in last exam was yesterday. University will start in October, if mentioned exams went as planned.

Not going to lie, I'm a genius. Don't do much work, never revise, get A*, A, occasional B. Maths is the best. Languages is my one weakness though, got a D in french at GCSE. Had 97% late record in secondary school, managed to improve on that in college a bit though.

Plenty of time for it all to go wrong mate 😉

Yeah but that's because A levels are easy nowadays. And if you're not getting straight As you're not a genius irrespective of how little work you do/did.

😉

I was disruptive, always in trouble. Didn't like being told what to do and still don't. Popular, trendy, whatever you want to call it, was in the top sets and could do my work when I really had to but very rarely bothered to do anything because I wasn't interested in it. All my reports said 'could do better.' As soon as I left school I did.

Kev

I can't believe how much of a strong theme there is on this thread!

Had 97% late record in secondary school, managed to improve on that in college a bit though.

Sounds like me ontop of approx 10% actual attendance to lectures at Uni. I was even threatened with official action as the course required a certain level of attendance. Still passed with a 2.1.

Funnily with work I am very anal about punctuality.

A smartarse but not a troublemaker. Good at English, art and other fuzzy subjects, struggled to comprehend anything with numbers in it. Loved football and played it obsessively on most breaks, despite having two left feet and being completely pish at it – a guaranteed "last pick" when teams were being decided.

Covered in a biblical plague of boils, plooks and flaky skin from about second year until the day that I left. Absolutely paralysed with shyness around girls, despite developing painful, years-long, all-consuming crushes on a succession of unfortunate stalk-ees, which I was powerless to do anything about until 5th-6th year, when I started, like, talking to them and everything.

Affected what was meant to be a Morrissey-inspired, rockabilly, quiffy look which was going OK until that fecker Rick Astley appeared on Top of the Pops with a vague physical resemblance and the same hairdo and landed me a new nickname.

Best days of your life? Me arse!

Me? I badly wanted to be popular but never got close, which is why I think I get a big kick out of helping people nowadays. I was bullied a lot, but the only 2 times someone started on my physically I knocked them down hard. Tried for days to avoid it though, and I hated that, but knock someone flat and the rest leave you alone. I only really had a couple of male friends at school, but found it easier to talk to the girls who didn't judge me, or pressure me to fit in. To a point, I still prefer female company.

Work wise, I could have had better results than I did (8 O-Levels, couple of 'A' grades) but I found being average easier and would rather go fishing than work. I never wanted to go to Uni (Which disappointed my parents, but the more I herd about it, the more I knew it wasn't for me, and I've never regretted it for a single second) but was disappionted when my parents moved and I had to start my A-Levels at another school. Within 2 weeks there I gave up trying becasue I hated the place, the people and couldn't do the subjects I wanted, and I left after a year. That was a waste of a year of my life. Spent 4 weeks unemployed and been in work ever since. I've not seen anyone I went to school with for over 20 years, although I am in very occasional contact with one or two. I moved out at 19, went to work in London, and never went home. Moved around for a few years with work then thought 'Enough is enough' and just stopped where I landed. Which happened to be Farnborough.

I've not seen anyone I went to school with for over 20 years

Same here 🙂

oh the irony of realman's user name!

Not going to lie, I'm a genius.

You have an IQ of over 150? Impressive.

Or have you just discovered Nietzsche?

Scienceofficer – finally, someone gets it. Don't tell anyone though. 😉

Done a couple of IQ tests actually, usually score around 150. 148 in the last one. Dunno how accurate things like that are, as they are usually quite logic based, which is where I'm best at. Is IQ all about logic?

But mostly I'm just going off what I know about myself and what people who know me say.. But don't worry, I'll never be an Euler or a Fermat, I'm too easily distracted by stuff like STW 😀

IQ tests test how good you are at IQ tests (I'd like it if they really did prove intelligence having done one myself and done alright 😉 )

Here's a warning for you then Realman.

Unless you're really, really motivated by money (and status), don't get sucked into the world of the professions just because they tell you it's necessary to be bright to do the job. it helps, but you don't need to be. And if you are bright, it only shows how boring they are.

Yes, I am cyncial.

Here's a warning for you then Realman.

Unless you're really, really motivated by money (and status), don't get sucked into the world of the professions just because they tell you it's necessary to be bright to do the job. it helps, but you don't need to be. And if you are bright, it only shows how boring they are.

Yes, I am cyncial.

I'm off to university to do a 4 year degree in Maths. I'm doing this degree cause I like Maths, the getting a degree part is just a bonus really. After that, if I still feel the same, I plan to bum around enjoying being young(ish) and fit(ish). Do plenty of riding, racing, and generally wearing a suit as little as possible. I would be happy with a small place, and a part time job in a bike shop, if it means I can ride and do the other things I want to do.

When I'm old/injured/unfit/boring maybe I will put a suit on and maybe become a maths teacher. Nice thing about a Maths degree, it doesn't really have an expiration date. I can see where you're coming from, and thanks for the advice. I really don't want to end up being someone who works 70% of the time their awake so they can ride their bike and do whatever else they really want to do for the rest of the time.