Here we were in our final year, looking up at the school sign it read, St. Mary's Catholic Boarding School. It was a mixed school. Just outside the town of Cheltenham, England.
We'd all reached 18 and hopefully would be attending university, well that was my dream.
I'm Nancy and I wanted to be a teacher.
There I was walking into class. It was late spring in 1958, dressed in my school blazer, long dark hair in a pony tail. White blouse with a green and black striped tie and a smooth skirt just at my knees. I'd only just begun to wear stockings. They were shiny black with a white suspender belt and white knickers. I had dispensed with the old blue school regulation ones. I felt so grown up, in my slightly higher than normal dark heeled shoes.
We'd had this new dishy male teacher arrive, Mr. Greaves, he must have been in his early 30's. He took chemistry. Dark haired and tall with a Robert Coleman voice, he was the loveliest teacher ever. We all chatted and giggled about him, late at night in our dorm we wondered what it would be like to lay in his arms.
Today's lesson was biology and Mrs. Evans the old, dumpy deputy head would be taking it. We all trooped in and sat down chatting away, some of the boys threw paper planes and talked about leaving school or talked loudly about football.
I sat next to Joanne, short haired with a slide in her parting. We'd known about the mechanics of biology but never understood the actual process. It was something really that we knew would one day happen but never really thought about it much.
To our surprise Mr. Greaves walked in and we instantly fell silent.
"Good afternoon class" he began.
"Good afternoon Mr. Greaves" we chorused.
"I'm sorry to say but Mrs. Evans has been taken ill and I've been asked by her to take this class for this afternoon. Now, I see you should be preparing for your finals in a months time, so i will leave it open to you as to the questions." said Mr. Greaves.
Mr. Greaves went on, "Are there any questions, anything you're unsure about?"
Jack Peterson spoke up, "Yes sir, do you think Everton will win the FA Cup?"
Everyone laughed.
Mr. Greaves replied, "Now that's not the sort of question that I had in mind is it and no, Everton will get knocked out in the third round!"
We laughed at that too.
Joanne nudged my leg and winked at me. She spoke up,
"Sir, we know what happens on how to make a baby and the mechanics but when sperm leaves the penis does it just dribble out?"
Several of the girls gasped with a sharp intake of breath. Joanne had dared to ask a question we'd all thought about but never, ever in our wildest dreams did we ever think it would be asked, let alone answered.
Some of the boys stifled a snigger.
Mr. Greaves looked at Joanne for a second and we expected him to admonish her.
He looked over at Peter Jones who had been the first to put his hands to his mouth.
"Care to answer her Jones?" said Greaves.
Jones stuttered, "Erm well, it, erm, you know, well it sorta comes out and...."
He never got to finish the sentence. Greaves interrupted.
"What Peter Jones is trying to say Joanne is that at the peak of the male orgasm, sperm is literally ejected from the penis into the vagina. Usually several spurts is enough to ejaculate the semen."
"But sir," Joanne replied, "how do you know when it's time?"
"Well I must say this is rather odd, can anybody answer Joanne?" said Greaves.
Nobody said a word, we all wanted to know, we all wanted to hear but no one said anything.
"Well, this is highly unusual. The colleges I've taught at previously nearly everyone knew how, what or why. It must be because this is a Catholic boarding college and with its strict convention, it's left you bewildered. But you will be leaving here in a couple of weeks time and hopefully attending university. Look, this is up to you but if you like we can turn this into a practical. I can lock the door and put an 'Examination in progress do NOT disturb' sign outside the door."
"Go on sir, please" came a reply.
Greaves continued, "Girls are you ok with this too? Whatever happens though must never leave here. It would ruin your chances of attending university."
We all looked at each other and quietly nodded, our faces reddened slightly but yes, we wanted to see it.
Greaves scanned the room and saw everyone was in agreement. He went to his drawer and took out a sign, went over to the classroom door, opened it and put the sign outside. He closed the door and locked it.
"Ok" he said and looked around the room.
"For this," he went on, "I will need two volunteers. Peter and Joanne come over here."
We laughed at that. Both students stood up and went to the front. He went on to say as this was for study only, we were to leave our embarrassment behind. To be open minded. He asked Joanne to sit on his desk and face the class. He then placed two chairs just in front which would enable Joanne to rest her feet.
"Now Joanne, first remove your knickers and place a foot on each chair. The rest of you gather round. Peter, please remove your trousers and underpants." Greaves said in a commanding voice.
As we moved to the front Joanne slid off her blue regulation knickers and Peter removed his to the floor. The pair of them unsure, uncertain and dying of embarrassment.
I looked at Peter and for the first time ever I saw a penis. It must have been several inches long with a wrinkled foreskin. Skin white in colour and gradually stiffening.
All the girls who hadn't had a brother saw a penis for the first time. It was hanging there with a pair of testicles sitting behind. Surrounded by ginger hair it looked funny and odd but we stood and stared. We waited for Greaves to continue.
"Now Joanne, what I want you to do is lift up your skirt so we can all see."
Joanne, hesitation in her hands did as she was asked. Slowly, she pulled that skirt up her legs until we saw her shapely thighs. Firm but not muscly from her netball practice, her inner thighs began to come into view. Her legs opened and and we saw her light blonde bush. It wasn't thick with hair but wispy, none of us in those days knew anything about shaving or depilation. But her pubic hair was there for all of us to see. The slight cold air touched her skin and the hairs sprang up keeping her warm. It was more down than hair. The down that we girls had was different to the boys wiry hair. Joanne looked like a sacrificial virgin on the devil's altar.
The boys were wide eyed but Peter's penis had taken on a life of its own, it was beginning to rise and rise, until it stood erect. Turgid and wild.
Greaves went on, "Now Peter, you seem to have got everyone's attention, lean forward Joanne, take Peters penis and hold it."
Joanne grabbed it and the boy immediately winced.
"No," said Greaves, "Hold it gently and for heavens sake girls never, ever grab hold of men's testicles, they are rather delicate."
The boys laughed.
"Take hold of the penis Joanne. That's right put your hands around the shaft. Now everyone, can you see how the foreskin covers the glans. See what happens when Joanne pulls back the foreskin."
We looked mesmerised, Joanne pulled back the foreskin and we saw a reddish glans appear.