Back to school

[Lissa]

My girlfriend and I went to an old boys and girls BBQ at our old school this afternoon. Neither of us had been back since the years we left so it was really weird being there. But it was brilliant too - we chatted to two lovely teachers who used to scare the heck out of us, we saw the classrooms where we'd learned, lived and loved as confused teenagers, snuck into the assembly hall and up onto the stage for an impromptu assembly, had a tour round the many new buildings and just had the best time ever. And we found a school photo with us both on, just 12 people apart and we never knew each other. Even the food was good.

Have you ever been back to your old school? Do you want to? Ever met any scary teachers? Were they still scary?

[Awesome Wells]

I went back to my last school (which I attended between the ages of 14 and 18) a couple of times straight after leaving ... but it's now fifteen, Levellers-sized years since I set foot in the old place. I doubt any of my teachers are still working there. One of my ex-housemates is, however. I occasionally imagine some sort of reunion taking place there - similar to the barbecue you attended - but I doubt such a thing will ever happen. I'm in touch, to varying degrees, with the vast majority of my old friends from school anyway, so it would only be to see the buildings and the like ... which may well have changed beyond recognition anyway. It's a nostalgic little pipe-dream, to be honest, as schools only really "belong" to the current generation being educated therein; nobody else.

[Darren]

No, I've never been back and I never want to.

[duncan]

My secondary school has been turned into flats so I cant go back. My junior school is still there though and I would like to go there and see it again.

One day I shall come back, yes one day...........

[Paul Clement]

I've been back round my old school a couple of times when my nephew was attending there, but that was about ten to fifteen years ago (I left 21 years ago), and at that stage there were a few teachers still there from my time, including the one who said I would never amount to anything (not sure if he was right or wrong to be honest). By the time my nephew had left, I think there was only one teacher left from my time. Until I moved to the Isle of Wight last year, I used to go past my old school quite often, but there was never any type of reunion. I'm in touch with a handful of my old school friends on facebook, but sadly lost touch with a few others who I was at school with at both primary and secondary. I've tried finding some of them on facebook, but there are some that have some very common names, so I end up wading though hundreds of people and not finding the right person.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Hmmm - I went back to school to do some teacher experience before taking on my teaching degree. Wierd experience.

Dunno the longer I've been out of school the more I'd like to revisit it - esp the tree we planted for our art teacher who died young. Knowing the way these things go, it's probably been damaged by people who just didn't know it's importance.

[SiHart]

I went back a year after we left, as my school always invited the previous upper sixth year group back to chat to the year group planning their university applications the following year. I think everyone was surprised at how confident I was compared to the year before!

I haven't been back since and after falling out with my best friend from school several years ago I'm not really fussed about it either. There was a chance a few years ago to go back for the schools 300th anniversary, but I didn't go. Maybe I should have done. Maybe one day I'll turn up for Founders Day and have a look around. Who knows.

[Awesome Wells]

I had a dream about being back at my school last night. I have these dreams frequently, so perhaps - in a sense - I *have* made some returns, after all.