Best teacher

[DownFanatic]

Ray McConville of St Pats Downpatrick or formerly of the de la salle. By far the best teacher I ever had as well as winning the all ireland with down in 1968. Never wanted to get on the wrong side of him though, one scary f**ker, anyone who was ever taught by him will know what I'm talkin about!

Ray was the man. Had him in the Red High for a few years as my history teacher. A disciplinarian of the highest order.

Strange enough, in all my years of having him he never once talked about the GAA nevermind his 1968 triumph.

Other standout teachers from my era there were George 'Pleasure Palace' Cooper, John 'Physco' Murray and Dekky Flynn.

Physco was a free spirit. He was an English teacher who never cared for the constraints of the curriculum. He used to photocopy works upon works from obscure poets and writers. He would give lads in the class the chance to read them out then we would all analyse them and at the end he would tell us the meanings and the lessons that the poet/writer was trying to convey. He would relate these to modern life and after every class you came away with a different perspective on things.

One of his best methods was utilised when the class was working through Macbeth. He give us all different parts to play and he told us to read the parts in whatever style of voice we felt appropriate.

After a month of Duncan morphing in to a young West Belfast hood and Banquo sounding like a cross between Boy George and Jade Goody, Macbeth started to grow on us.

To this very day I could ream the sequence of Macbeth off to you because of my memory of the different ways in which we as a class interpreted the characters... Now that was teaching...

Pleasure palace??? sounds very wrong

He was a PE teacher who invented a 2 hour set of circuits that literally cut the shite out of you. Even the fittest of lads struggled to complete it.

There was a points system with it as well and if you were fat you would be looking to score something like 200, if you were an inbetweener 600 would have been respectful while 1000+ would have earned you jock status.

[muppet]

I'm gonna mention a great Gaa man who hasn't had the best summer.

Liam Sammon's PE classes were outstanding. We played everything from Olympic handball to Ice Hockey (without the skates) and I forget what else. This was the 1980s in the west when there were few facilities

Then there was the football training which give many a spoofer like me a career (for a while at least) when we might not otherwise have bothered selectors anywhere.

Many other good teachers in that school and my primary school but I'll leave it at that.

[Rois]

Where's Fear, Doogie, Norf, even Doohicky maybe, none of you have any good teachers?   

[ziggysego]

They're tearing my old High School down in a few weeks. Sad

is that st joseph's plumbridge? or the one in strabane

St. Joseph's Plumbridge, great wee school.

[Doogie Browser]

Where's Fear, Doogie, Norf, even Doohicky maybe, none of you have any good teachers?   

Ha ha, I had a great form teacher in 5th year, a sage old man (he seemed old then ), in fairness I think I drove him mad!  That school sadly gone now did have many great teachers and I was and still am proud of the schooling I received there.

[The Watcher Pat]

Favourite teacher...... Seamie Hefferon ~ St.Michael's, Lurgan.  He was great craic and a brilliant manager as well.

He was alright...How that man managed to get me a GCSE in French is beyond me.

He was always good to the lads who played football.

[lroberts680]

Ray taught me two years ago for history and for 3 years i failed history then i go A's left right and centre. I cant believe he never talked about his gaa sucesses and even when the school is in a final he never does inspirational speeches or he has never coached a team in his school career. I'm telling ya, you wouldnt wanna go into the dressing room at half time after palyin shite with ray as the gaffer. Great Man and Teacher.

[saffron sam2]

We should get some of O'Neill's or SS2s mob on!

I would bet money most of that mob would have great difficulty turning a PC on.

[Norf Tyrone]

Where's Fear, Doogie, Norf, even Doohicky maybe, none of you have any good teachers?   

Ha ha, I had a great form teacher in 5th year, a sage old man (he seemed old then ), in fairness I think I drove him mad!  That school sadly gone now did have many great teachers and I was and still am proud of the schooling I received there.

Ha ha. Never got what Rois was talking about until DB 'ha ha'ed'! Never taught me Rois believe it or not.

St Colman's was a much better school than it ever got the credit for. Some cracking teachers, who sadly never got the respect that they deserved.

[No1]

George 'Pleasure Palace' Cooper

DF, this is the Best Teacher thread not Clown of the Year.

George wouldn't be fit to lace Pat O'Hare's boots. 

I'll give ya John Murray though, the temper tantrums were always hilarious!

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Where's Fear, Doogie, Norf, even Doohicky maybe, none of you have any good teachers?   

Surely did Rois, though never had the direct (teaching) pleasure in St Colmans, though my Gaelic footballing 'skills' were brought on immensely, how I never made the County I'll never know (though being a half-decent club footballer might have been a start)  .

As Norf says, St Colmans had a decent quota of quality teachers, and Timmy Sinnott would've been this particular ex-pupil's favourite. He had the knack of making it stick, however much you thought it wasn't penetrating.

[the wildebeest man]

I had three wonderful primary school teachers at St.Columba's Kilrea.  Mrs. Rainey (RIP) was just brilliant for P1to P3.  I can still remember my first day at school making U.F.O. models from plasticine.  James Kielt's gran (RIP) taught me in P6.  She put alot of emphasis on maths.  I overstepped the mark with her one day though when after giving someone a slap, I piped up saying "capital punishment" was banned in schools in Scotland.  I got a clip for my efforts.  My aunt, a nun, taught me in P5 and P7.  She too, was brilliant. Firm but fair.

At St Pat's Maghera, Mrs Conville  and Mrs G Convery for French, Mr Maguire (Mentalman) for Maths, Mrs Dolan (I was in love I think) for German, Fr Crilly for Irish, Mr Doherty and Mr Murphy for English, Mr Collins for Art, Mrs O'Hagan for RE and the irreplacable Patrick Kawumba from Kenya for Biology were the standouts.

Paddy Kawumba (also RIP) was Ugandan, a refugee from Idi Amin's regime. And he taught Physics, not Biology. Too much time in the sun and in your forties it seems.

Mrs Convery and Dolan both excellent teachers, although the incompetence of their departmental colleagues (Walker and Scroggy (RIP)) enhanced their abilities. Mr Maguire couldn't hold a candle to either Joe McGurk or Martina Campbell.

Top three I had were Deirdre Bradley, Vera McGuckin (RIP) and Colm O'Kane (Basil). Honourable mention also to Mickey 'Fish' Kelly.

Far too many teachers of that era thought their role in life was to terrorise and brutalise the youth of south Derry.

Far too many also with (RIP) after name, including Mr Small.

[fingerbob]

Ray McConville of St Pats Downpatrick or formerly of the de la salle. By far the best teacher I ever had as well as winning the all ireland with down in 1968. Never wanted to get on the wrong side of him though, one scary f**ker, anyone who was ever taught by him will know what I'm talkin about!

Ray was the man. Had him in the Red High for a few years as my history teacher. A disciplinarian of the highest order.

Strange enough, in all my years of having him he never once talked about the GAA nevermind his 1968 triumph.

Other standout teachers from my era there were George 'Pleasure Palace' Cooper, John 'Physco' Murray and Dekky Flynn.

Yeah never heard him talk about gaa at all till a few years ago at an assembly. It was around a time when we hadalot of success in the younger football teams in the school and there was alot of expectation for mclarnon and maybe even macrory again, and anyway Ray was up talkin and got onto the subject and reminisced a bit about the only time red high got to the macrory final when he was on the team in 1966 only to be beaten by st columbs. Talked about how dissapointed he was and if only the school could return to that level and win this time.

Think this was his last year though, he stood in as Principal for a while there after dermy left and was replaced by a fella Sloan from Knock, but think hes retired now.

[Norf Tyrone]

Where's Fear, Doogie, Norf, even Doohicky maybe, none of you have any good teachers?   

Surely did Rois, though never had the direct (teaching) pleasure in St Colmans, though my Gaelic footballing 'skills' were brought on immensely, how I never made the County I'll never know (though being a half-decent club footballer might have been a start)  .

As Norf says, St Colmans had a decent quota of quality teachers, and Timmy Sinnott would've been this particular ex-pupil's favourite. He had the knack of making it stick, however much you thought it wasn't penetrating.

Geez FOSB you musta took the winda out of Timmy's sails, as he definately was not in the top bracket in my day!

[ziggysego]

They're tearing my old High School down in a few weeks. Sad

is that st joseph's plumbridge? or the one in strabane

St. Joseph's Plumbridge, great wee school.

ah the oul boy went there as well, its in some state at the minute

Who would that be then? Saw it on Tuesday for the first time. Desperate shape.