Miss Jeanette Gibson

**Jeanette Gibson** was the teacher on both the second and third series of That'll Teach Em, and was regarded as one of the show's toughest staff members. She was infamous for several instances of her shouting, callousness and getting students into trouble.

## Rundown

Miss Gibson was the English teacher on That'll Teach 'Em over series 2 and 3. She is known to be extremely strict and intolerant to any misbehaviour, often being referred to by students as "Hitler". She was most prominent on three different occasions, the first being with Sophia who spoke out of turn but didn't regret it. Sophia highlighted the fact that she couldn't win with Miss Gibson, which Miss Gibson herself agreed with.

The second and third instances occurred in Series 3, the first with Nathan Anidugbe who was messing about with a group of other boys while rehearsing for a performance but him specifically was called out for being one of the tallest out of the boys and making himself more visible. Shortly after that she addressed the room that it would 'kill' her if every rehearsal was this bad to which Qadeer Razaque unthinkingly replied with "Good", which caused a visibly hurt Miss Gibson to leave the room, leaving Mr Stanley to hold the fort.

Despite her incessantly stern demeanour, Miss Gibson did also display more of a softer side on a few occasions - mostly notably in Series 3, when she gave some positive encouragement to a struggling William Ho - whilst also being notably impressed by both the student's work with their Sonnets and their gradual improvement in speaking as more of the Sonnets were read out. Additionally, in Series 2, she consoled a very exhausted and homesick Holly who was crying, and gave her a coping strategy to take a deep breath and get a good amount of adequate of rest for the following day.

## Quotes

### Series 2

#### **Episode 1**

* **Miss Gibson:** Ladies, it will be much quicker to do this if you do not talk, as you have been instructed!
* **Narrator:** But it's an eye on impossible tasks for Sophia and Sara.
* **Miss Gibson:** *(sternly)* *You*, one more word out of you; demerit. Is that clear? *Is that clear?!*
* **Sara Roadnight:** Yes, Miss.
* **Miss Gibson:** Thank you. *(later)* Excellent first impression, well done!
* **Sara Roadnight:** Thank you.

* **Miss Gibson:** In this school, when a teacher speaks to you, you do not answer back, except say "Yes, miss" or "Yes, sir". That is how this school operates. If you are unable to understand that, then maybe the person you need to be speaking to is the headmaster. You *do not* speak to adults in the way you just spoke to me. Are you unclear about it in any way at all?
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I'm not unclear about that, but I don't see why I should be polite to you if you're just rude to me constantly.
* **Miss Gibson:** You don't understand, then? This is what you're telling me? You don't understand?
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I understand....
* **Miss Gibson:** *(shouts)* Uh, you're doing it *right NOW!* I do not want to hear a *single word* from you!
* **Sophia Madisonte:** If you're asking me questions, I'm going to answer when you want me to! If I don't answer you, I get shouted at, and then when I do answer, I get shouted at. So what am I meant to do?
* **Miss Gibson:** You stand-
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I can't win with you.
* **Miss Gibson:** You're right; you cannot win with me.
* **Sophia Madisonte:** Exactly! So why am even I bothering to try?
* **Miss Gibson:** *(loses patience)* Turn around and face that way, please.
* **Sophia Madisonte:** Is this really going to make a difference, in it I'm really learning my lesson here?
* **Miss Gibson:** Well... I think you'll find you will, young lady. *(turns around)*
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I won't learn my lesson, trust me. My school tried for 5 years, you ain't gonna change me.

* **Miss Gibson:** Holly, what's the problem? Holly, sit yourself down, ma'am. What's the problem?
* **Holly:** *[crying]* I'm just really upset, miss.
* **Miss Gibson:** Are you? Well, that's pretty natural on a day like this. It's been a very long day. Holly, look at me. Holly, it's been an *extremely* long day, hasn't it? Lots has happened, you haven't been given time to think, it's completely natural. Okay. Look at me... ...and it will pass. I bet you're very very tired now. Yes? Deep breath. Go wash your face, blow your nose, get yourself sorted out, and then we'll get your bed sorted. Yes?
* **Holly:** Yes.
* **Miss Gibson:** *[pats Holly's back]* Good girl.

#### **Episode 2**

* **Miss Gibson:** Have a seat.
* **Narrator:** It's the kids' first English lesson. Their teacher Jeannette Gibson is a no-nonsense disciplinarian.
* **Miss Gibson:** I'm going to wait for the fidgeting to stop!
* **Narrator:** Her nickname at her school is "Hitler".
* **Miss Gibson:** ...your desks. I have a surname. Stand up, stand in the corner.

### Series 3

#### **Episode 1**

* **William Ho:** *(in tears)* These three days have been killing me.
* **Miss Gibson:** What's just been killing you?
* **William Ho:** These three days.
* **Miss Gibson:** These three days have just been killing you?
* **William Ho:** I'm mentally exhausted.
* **Miss Gibson:** You're mentally exhausted.
* **William Ho:** And homesick.
* **Miss Gibson:** And you're homesick? This is hard. What you're being asked to do now is hard, but it's *not* impossible. You've done very well; you've done the hardest bit, now.
* **William Ho:** I'll try and stay for the full week.
* **Miss Gibson:** Well, quite. Quite right. Alright, take some time
* *[Miss Gibson heads back inside and leaves Ho to gather his thoughts]*

#### **Episode 3**

* **Miss Gibson:** Blazers off, please!

* **Miss Gibson:** *WOULD YOU STOP TALKING, PLEASE?!*

* *(after the boys goof around some more during the song)*
* **Mr. Stanley:** They're carrying on.
* **Miss Gibson:** Well, what we've got with the boys them thinking it's a great big joke. I *will not* have you ruining this!
* **Mr. Stanley:** I suggest that the back row of boys come down here where we can see them.
* **Miss Gibson:** Bring your chairs and come and sit here. Do you think I'm bluffing?
* **Nathan Anidugbe:** I'm not... laughing or bluffing? What did you say?
* **Miss Gibson:** Bluffing.
* **Nathan Anidugbe:** What about?
* **Miss Gibson:** That I will not just exclude you from this activity and shield your prep. The constant giggling, the interrupting....
* **Nathan Anidugbe:** Pardon?
* *[the boys giggle]*
* **Miss Gibson:** I beg your pardon? Would you go outside, please?
* **Narrator:** Nathan Anidugbe is sent out to reflect on his bad behavior.
* **Miss Gibson:** You knew that I addressed that last speech to you without naming you specifically because we had high eye contact the whole time I was doing it.
* **Nathan Anidugbe:** But it wasn't just me. That's the thing.
* **Miss Gibson:** You were taller than the rest of the group.
* **Nathan Anidugbe:** No, no. I'm not "taller than the rest of the group", miss. Jeff-Jefford, he's as tall as me.
* **Miss Gibson:** Well, you were the one...
* **Nathan Anidugbe:** No, no, miss!
* **Miss Gibson:** *(shouts)* HOW ***DARE*** YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! *TURN AROUND!* *[angrily heads back inside]*

* **Miss Gibson:** I'm not having every rehearsal like this because it will *kill* me.
* **Qadeer Razaque:** Good.
* **Miss Gibson:** Which of you said that? Which of you said "Good"?
* **Mr. Stanley:** It's the boy that was...*selected as a principle part*.
* **Miss Gibson:** At the moment, Mr. Stanley, I am this close to saying 'why should we use our free time to give you something enjoyable'?!
* *[Miss Gibson angrily walks out]*

#### **Episode 4**

* **Ms. Gibson:** *(to Scott and Victoria, after being caught by Mr. Williams kissing earlier)* How dare you display that sort of behaviour on school property! You have violated the "6-Inch Rule" quite blatantly. You will both be punished. Mr. Williams, we need to deal with Peters. I just caught him, I caught him kissing Victoria.
* **Mr. Williams:** Oh, really! Right. Peters, out here. Victoria, out here. No more free time together for the rest of this week.

*(after catching Amy Jampa-Ngoen cheating in English)*
Sit down. Demerit for trying to cheat. It shows a great weakness of character. Are you aware, ladies? The memory is a muscle that needs exercising. The reason we learn poetry is not just because it sounds nice or because it's a nice thing to recite at family gatherings. It exercises your memory muscle. There *is no reason* why intelligent young ladies cannot memorize these words.

* *(during an art lesson)*
* **Miss Gibson:** You've excelled yourself. Put some effort into it, boy.
* **Scott Peters:** I'm already putting effort in, Miss. I'm just not good at it.
* **Miss Gibson:** An ape could do better than that.
* **Scott Peters:** Well then, that ape must be good at drawing.
* **Miss Gibson:** You think you're so funny, don't you?
* **Scott Peters:** No, not really. I just can't draw. And I think that's finished, so.
* **Miss Gibson:** There's no sense of shading there at all, there's no sense of proportion. Therefore, you have not actually fulfilled the objectives of this lesson.
* **Scott Peters:** I drew Matron. That's what I was supposed to do. That's the best I...
* **Miss Gibson:** Do it again.
* **Scott Peters:** That's the best I can do!
* **Miss Gibson:** *(more sternly)* Do it again.
* **Scott Peters:** It's just gonna look the same!
* **Miss Gibson:** *(becoming more stern) **Do it again.***
* **Scott Peters:** Oh, god.
* **Miss Gibson:** You will keep doing it again until it's better than that.
* **Scott Peters:** It's not going to get better unless someone shows me why I've got to do it again!
* **Miss Gibson:** Don't you shout at me, young man!
* **Scott Peters:** I'm not shouting at you. I'm talking to you.
* **Miss Gibson:** Stand up.
* **Miss Gibson:** Put your hands out. Face the front. *(shouts briefly)* KEEP YOUR ARMS OUT! *BOTH* of them!
* **Scott Peters:** *(Under breath) Calm down!*
* **Miss Gibson:** Did you just tell me to *calm down*?
* **Scott Peters:** *Yes*, Miss!
* **Miss Gibson:** *(takes the sketchpad from him)* Stand outside the door.
* *[later, outside]*
* **Miss Gibson:** *[angry and exhausted]* You will be dealt with, Peters. Have you got anything to say to me?
* **Scott Peters:** Sorry, Miss.
* *[Miss Gibson storms away]*
* **Mr. Williams:** The words come out, but there's absolutely no meaning behind them.
* **Scott Peters:** I've got nothing to be sorry for, Sir.
* **Mr. Williams:** So, you agree that there's absolutely no meaning whatsoever?
* **Scott Peters:** *[pulls a sullen expression in agreement]* No, sir.
* **Mr. Williams:** I don't think you've ever regretted a *single thing* that you've done wrong here, have you?
* **Scott Peters:** I haven't done that much wrong, Sir.

#### **Episode 5**

* **Miss Gibson:** Right. Everybody will have their hands at their sides when they sing this. They will be imaging they are singing to the gallery up there! They will NOT be biting their nails, or hugging themselves, or having a conversation with them. Ashleigh?
* **Ashleigh Walters:** What was I doing?
* **Miss Gibson:** You will not being having a conversation with the person next to you.

* **Miss Gibson:** *(after Ashleigh gets caught during a rehearsal)* There is one person who is currently spoiling it for everyone and it's Ashleigh. Ashleigh, you will be in detention learning words, because that's clearly what your problem is.