A School Reunion...with a Difference!

It's a funny old world - but at times, a very pleasant one.

Yesterday, I had the good fortune to be able to meet up with my Ysgol Dyffryn Taf 6th Form Class Teacher Pauline Brind, who I haven't seen in that whole 11 year gap since A-Level results day back in August 2000. We met up for a cup of tea and a snack in Cardigan's Pendre Art and caught up on old times!

Catching up with my 6th Form Teacher
Pauline Brind 11 years after leaving school!

She wasn't only my form tutor for the entirety of those Years 12 and 13, but she also taught one half of my A-Level Business Studies course alongside Mrs Atkins having previously taught me Business Studies for my GSCEs. I only got a 'D' for my A-Level Business Studies in the end but my 'BB' scores in English and History more than made up for it for me and helped me get the 18 required points for a place in Aberystwyth University. I vividly recall my relief though at that Business Studies result as I had been worrying that I may only get an E. This I can clearly recall was in contrast to the disappointed expression of Pauline Brind-Davies (as we knew her at the time) who said she expected a C from me! She said to me yesterday that remembering back, she thought I'd have an A! I was never that clever!

The teacher/pupil relationship is a special one and it lasts. I find it very difficult to call a teacher by his or her first name because in school, they were either 'Sir' or 'Miss' or Mr or Mrs Bloggs - never to be called by their christian name! But I helped Ms Brind with some casework recently which is how we got back in touch so with personalised e-mails going back and forth, it felt more natural now to just call her Pauline (plus, I've never really been the formal type!).

It was a lovely 90 minutes of catching up on school life - remembering the characters be it the excitable students or the mischievious teachers! In particular, Pauline reminded me of our unique farewell to our Head of 6th Form, Mr Jarvis before we all left that summer in 2000. I'd forgotten about it but then how could I?! Had a Dyffryn Taf Head of 6th Form up until then, ever had as a farewell present in the final gathering in the Drama room, a police clad strip-o-gram? I can't recall who it was amongst us that had orchestrated it but in all fairness, he saw the funny side!

A lovely gift - the 2000 School Photo and Box which
Pauline Brind gave me yesterday.

Pauline had brought with her, the all-school photograph taken early that 2000 which brought back memories of old faces. It was only the second all school photograph that we'd had in the 7 years that I was in Dyffryn Taf and whilst I have the 1994 picture here with me, though I'm sure I paid for that 2000 version, I never recall ever receiving it. But Pauline offered hers to me and it was a lovely gesture. It came in a lovely box with a Dyffryn Taf embossed logo on the front.

It was great to catch up and we've decided to not leave it so long next time!

Pauline said that she reads this blog so when you read this Pauline, when we meet up next time, bring that map of Thailand with you and we'll compare notes!