I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed in Margo Atkinson's letter published in last week's paper. Miss Weatherall taught me English Language and Literature at Ilkley Secondary School and I shall never forget my early impressions of her. The commanding and cultured tones, big permed hair and sensible shoes all contributed to a formidable no nonsense persona. In fact, the lady was absolutely terrifying. I still remember the occasion when she ordered me to her towering desk in front of the class and demanded to know why I had written the date in abbreviated format (i.e. 2.5.62) at the top of my essay. My stammered excuse obviously sounded feeble; Miss Weatherall's neck and face reddened and she went ballistic.

Later on in the GCE stream - classes 4X and the 5th form - she remained, quite rightly, a hard task master but became a more understanding figure who inspired confidence among her students. Generous in her praise if you had made the effort and done well, she certainly did not mince words if the work showed signs of complacency. A few weeks before the exams she said: "Mogridge, I'll eat my hat if you get through your GCEs". This scathing comment was no doubt calculated to make me pull my socks up, and it worked.

Decades later I made myself known to Miss Weatherall in Ilkley's Sue Ryder shop where, after retirement from teaching, she had been a volunteer worker in the cafe. Those penetrating eyes fixed on me and she boomed in that unmistakeable voice: "It's Mogridge isn't it! Fancy me recognising you after all these years."

Thereafter, pleasant discourse invariably followed if we ran into each other in the town. The teacher's facade had crumbled and it became evident that she was a fiercely independent and very nice lady with a wicked sense of humour. I have to write at this juncture that my use of "nice" as an adjective in an essay would have resulted in the dreaded instruction "See Me" writ large in red ink.

Fifty years on, I still remember her words; no teacher made a greater impression on me. May she rest in well deserved peace.

Geoffrey Mogridge

Leeds