Talking with Trevor Lamberts who was in a boarding school when he was young.

Trevor can switch from a serious engineer to this eccentric crowd entertainer all of a sudden… Some of his best stories are from boarding school, a catholic boys-only establishment where he spent his youth, from when he was 11 to 18 years old. It was a reputed school in the traditional English way. Although discipline was very present, he had some fun stories from there.

“If we’d been caught, teachers could leave us standing with the arms open straight and horizontal for half an hour, the kind of treatment that would kill your shoulders. If you’d take them down, you’d have to hold them back in place for even longer. They could also be verbally just as hard sometimes, teachers, and older pupils too. The pre-fect would overlook us and they had the power to apply some discipline on us. When myself became pre-fect, the Childe Protection Act had come into force and this kind of treatment had been banned. Nowadays, discipline is softer, but it remains present, to rule the everyday life, like the time to eat and sleep, the lectures and so on.

Leaving your family for the week can be difficult at the age of 11. Some of us were not ready or not mature enough to handle it. I knew boarding school was imposed on me by circumstances (his parents got separated) and actually was an opportunity. After a few weeks missing home I decided to make most of it and started to enjoy the friends around, the week ends doing a lot of sport. Others dedicated their spare time to art, music, drama. (His mate Jason became professional piano from this time and now has a career in New York. He played at Trevor´s wedding). And when you like an activity you can become responsible for the running of the club. I was captain of the Tennis team (and his service today is still very powerful)”.

Boarding school is considered in UK as the best education a child can get.
“When I reached university I compared my marks, which I thought were average, with the one of others who had gone to a normal school, and yes, I realized my marks where actually very good, and I had done more subjects. Classes were never crowded; teachers were very supportive and helpful, so without realizing, I ended up with a very good academic background.”

He’ll never forget his best friends and childhood memories, which he had at the catholic boarding school. I don’t know about the other 11 years olds who were not able to settle, and who did not manage to enjoy their years as much as he did. At the end, everybody can make the most of their opportunities. What Trevor is sure of, is that his experience in boarding school, changed his life.