Being a Head Prefect or Head Girl (sharing EB's experience)

[zaidi]

Sorry if I took a lot of time to comeback, it's so surprising for me that at times I'll be the most active user and the other time everyone will feel as if I've disappeared.
Though being absent yesterday at my school, my teacher nominated two children one was me and the other was another girl and two boys. Today, the previous head boy and head girl( remember naughtiest girl novel) interviewed me and the others. Then there was an assembly to announce this there today in the break.From 6-8 each class had one boy one girl as class prefects. I became a class prefect and a boy too. While the stance of the class was quite different before the elections , none of them wanted to be a prefect in fact every body wanted to run away from being nominated. And plus no one even bothers to listen to you in case of captain ship or leading when being a prefect.
But in my previous school , When I was elected as Head Girl I felt a great triumph, because it was impossible to win votes of the children while also everyone had a value for it somehow but not much. There was a special place for us and a lot of respect.

So the point I want to make is, though I wanted to share my experience too but certainly as people perspire or maybe only me or some others think of it as a useless or being less privileged how do you think and what kind of an experience was it for Enid Blyton and how she puts it in her books. What are your comments about my views.Enid Blyton has been a Head Girl.

[dsr]

I can't speak for Enid Blyton, because she was at an entirely different sort of school in a different era. But at my school (boys' fee-paying grammar school, 1970's) there wasn't much desire to be a school prefect or a form prefect (known as form rex) because it involved a fair bit of work and not a lot of benefit. There were people who wanted to be prefects, but they were seen as being a bit on the "geeky" side (if that word had existed then). Which is unfortunate and wrong, but accurate.

I have a nasty suspicion that the reason some people wanted to be prefects was so they could put it on their CV (curriculum vitae, which is latin for a sort of life story you tell about yourself when you're applying for a job or university place) as being "look at me, I was a prefect" - which certainly does give an advantage over people (like me) who sat back and did nothing.

But being a prefect meant standing supervising the dinner queue, with far less power to make policy decisions like EB's prefects had.

[PS - I don't think "perspire" is the word you're after. It means "sweat". Aspire, maybe?]

[Moonraker]

I became a class prefect and a boy too.

Wow! Now that you are a boy, do you think your life will change much?

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I was going to say that our Zaidi is as good as a boy anyday - but why aim low in life...

Well done - the world needs good people who can lead and are willing to take on responsibility (even if it is just the dinner queue!)

Viv

[Moonraker]

I was going to say that our Zaidi is as good as a boy anyday - but why aim low in life...

That could be painful!

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I was going to say that our Zaidi is as good as a boy anyday - but why aim low in life...

That could be painful!

You know perfectly well that not many girls today have aspirations to be only as good as a boy...

Viv

[zaidi]

I became a class prefect and a boy too.

Wow! Now that you are a boy, do you think your life will change much?

I meant to say that me and another boy from our class was elected as the prefect.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I became a class prefect and a boy too.

Wow! Now that you are a boy, do you think your life will change much?

I meant to say that me and another boy from our class was elected as the prefect.

Oh dear - that can still suggest that you are a boy

Try "me and another child from our class were elected as the prefects"
How about "two children were elected as prefects, me and a boy"
or "I've become a class prefect, and a boy was elected prefect too."

Doubtless somone will now correct me...

I've great respect for people like you who can speak another language - so don't be put off!

Viv

[Katharine]

Well done on becoming a prefect Zaidi.

I was interested to hear the selection process involved. When I was at school the teachers chose the prefects. It was considered a great status symbol, they were allowed inside during the cold weather and could use the main school entrance. The rest of us mere mortals had to shiver in the playground and walk round the edge of the school to use the side entrance. I'm not sure of the selection criteria was for becoming a prefect. To the best of my knowledge I didn't break any school rules, but wasn't chosen to be one, yet others who used to answer the teachers back, wear make up etc. did. (What bitter, me? )

It still seems strange on parents evening now to be 'allowed' to use the school's main entrance.

The current arrangement for prefects is that the children nominate themselves to be one, I think they have to submit a written note of why they would like to have that status. I'm not sure what the situation is regarding entrance to the school, as the front reception area is now very security conscious and everyone has to be 'buzzed' in, but I know prefects are the only pupils allowed off site during lunch time.

[poddys]

I was going to say that our Zaidi is as good as a boy anyday - but why aim low in life...

I think you could have poor George very confused with statements like that, although Anne might agree with you.

[pete9012S]

Reading through these comments got me wondering how many of us here was a perfect,sorry prefect/monitor at school?
I was often Captain of the Chess Club& Football Team,played regularly for Cricket Team,but never quite made the grade as a monotor or a prefect....

[70s-child]

I was a school prefect. I am still not sure why I got made one, but I was made one anyway. I shared this honor with about a dozen other people. It was hardly glamorous. I had to take down the names of the kids who showed up late for school assemblies. Sounds terrible I know, but I made friends with all the truants, primarily because I sympathized with them. Still, at least I did something. As far as I remember, the other prefects did diddly-squat, though they certainly got to throw their weight around!

PS: Congratulations Zaidi! I am sure you are happy, whatever the merits of being made a prefect are!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I was a prefect at school, but only because all Sixth Formers were automatically made prefects. Our main job was to make sure that the pupils in other years stayed outside at breaktime and lunchtime (except for going to the canteen for lunch or to designated classrooms when it was raining).

[Julie2owlsdene]

Surprisingly I was a prefect at school, despite the small stature. I wore a yellow badge like a shield, as I was in the yellow house. I was in the fifth form, and my last year at school, where I was doing Commercial Studies, which in those days consisted of shorthand, typing, book-keeping. I had the job of looking after the first year girls in 1F. Thinking back that was a long time ago now!!

[Fiona1986]

I wasn't a prefect but but then again, I never put my name down to be one! Too much like hard work really.

Also, I was a bit of a rule breaker in a way, and it never failed to annoy me that I was constantly being called up for it when others weren't. Mostly to do with my uniform - I would wear pink or purple blouses with my tie, and probably have lacy or fishnet fingerless gloves on, my dog collar (yes a genuine leather one from the pet shop) and a lot of heavy black eye make up. Teachers often stopped me to tell me most of these things were in violation of the dress code, and as they were doing so several boys in tracksuits would walk past and have nothing said to them.

I never bothered to attend SE (social education) as it was a waste of time - we never had any sort of planned topics or work to do and the badly behaved kids would just take over and make sure nobody achieved anything. That, coupled with the fact that on days I had a free period first thing I was lucky to make it to school for fourth period (sometimes it'd be after lunch before I got in) ensured my attendance record was pretty poor. I was honestly too exhausted to get up, though. I wasn't just not turning up for the sake of it. If I had to be in for 8.45 I'd usually make it (well, just, as my registration class was on the fourth floor) as my mum was home nagging me. Otherwise I'd just drag myself out of bed when I had the energy and head in.