IT was the article “What’s it all about?” with Russell Watt (The Border Mail, July 25) about swearing which got a chuckle out of me.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I came from the US in 1970 and started teaching secondary school at Beechworth.
There were a few words that I soon learnt were a slight problem.
I rooted for my favourite team but soon learnt to barrack for them.
I also, for a short time, used a rubber to get rid of pencil marks.
In my classroom I let students sit wherever they wanted and I had seating charts.
If they obeyed my rules they could stay where they chose but if they broke the rules they were put wherever I chose.
During one year 7 class a girl was playing up and I said to her, “You need a good kick in the fanny.” The class went deadly silent and I said proudly to myself, “That worked all right”.
Later that day I found out why! Expected trouble never came!
I also easily got bloody noses which I had to call a blood nose!
Bugger was a word used a lot by kids at school and I had to look up its meaning myself and was surprised. There was a senior girl who said it all the time so as an assignment I had her look up the meaning and in front of the class read out its meaning.
That word was heard much less after her short dissertation.
Lastly, as Russell mentioned, he wondered what Jesus said when he was getting spiked onto the cross.
I cannot imagine Him staying silent or just saying “ouch”!
— SUMNER BERG,
Beechworth