Master of This School

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 111855

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...> 
wrote:

Tonks:
> > One final word on this.  Remember we are talking about the WW 
> here, not the modern day Muggle world. The WW does many things 
> according  to "the old ways". And I like that. Apparently so does 
> JKR and many  others.  

> potioncat:
> You are so right!  I mean, the man wears a nightshirt to bed for 
> Heavens sake!  How many man do you know who wear nightshirts?...not 
> that I know what a lot of men wear to bed, you understand...
> 
> The sort of mixed up sense of time is an interesting and funny part 
> of this series.  The adults, although not so much older than the 
> kids, seem to be from a different century.

Geoff:
Two things...

First, may I remind you, on the question of addressing staff, what I 
wrote in message 111762:

'In my experience, pupils would address teachers either by their name:
Mr.Jones, Mrs.Smith, Miss James, Dr. Johnson etc or as "Sir"
or "Miss" (even of married staff) and I would describe myself as a
schoolmaster or a schoolteacher - more usually the latter.'

The other point is, that although I said that the use of "master" was 
becoming old-fashioned, one of the largest teaching unions in the UK 
today is the NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters and Union 
of Women Teachers). Historically, the NAS was a male, rather 
chauvinistic, union and the UWT was set up as a counter to it. They 
came together in, I think, the 1970s, because of the pressure for 
equal opportunities legislation.

Geoff
See my views of Exmoor and the 
heritage West Somerset Railway at:
http://www.aspectsofexmoor.com