Better the Devil you know!

So...I drove to school this morning with the quiet resignation of prisoner on Death Row walking to his execution....there was nothing I could do about it.I wasted quite a bit of time queueing to use the photocopier and then paced about the classroom like a caged tiger waiting for the bell to go.A boy wandered in....J we shall call him. He was very polite and chatty and I thought, 'what a nice boy. If they are all like this it will all be alright.'It was a miserable day outside and still quite wet from the passing Low front. The bell went and I went down to face my destiny.There were 28 of them...I had counted the roll.....28! I am not used to that. There are only 22 in Toerag and Fidget's class and only 20 in Prep!They followed me back up to the room and I sat them down and took the roll....asking them how their weekend had been.It was all very strange for this teacher who for the past 27 years has taught no one older than 7. I have seen younger looking Policeman than this bunch.J, for it was he, was rather chatty and I began to realise that he was not as pleasant and polite as he had first appeared.The morning until 'Morning Tea' was whirlwind of spelling, Mental maths, protractors and angles, and word work that I hardly had time to breathe. Most got on quickly with what they were supposed to do but there was a girl sat at the back in her black coat with her hood up, looking like Death's sister or The Nun of Doom who didn't seem to be doing anything. I knew for speaking to the teacher that there was a girl who was a bit uncooperative and took the Nun of Doom to be her. To be honest I couldn't give two hoots whether she worked or not. She was old enough to know better and I was going to worry about her not getting on....it wasn't hurting me.J continued to be a pain, wandering about, shouting out and generally just being a bit too cocky.After two hours it was 'Morning Tea' and although the morning had been hectic all had gone really smoothly but I had come to the conclusion that it just wasn't for me. I really prefer the younger ages. Still it was only for a week and then I wouldn't have to do it again.I went back to the office to do some more photocopying and was accosted by the Business Manager."Is our partner free this week?""He is only free Mondays and Tuesdays," I said, "The rest of the week he works at the cheese factory.""Oh," she said, looking disappointed briefly and then her face lit up."What about if we move you from the class you are in this week to Mrs G's class? How do you feel about that?"Can you guess which class she meant?....Yes! Toerag and Fidget's class! She was asking me to go in there for four days!Now, I know I said I was abandoning them last week but all things considered at least in Toerag and Fidget's class I have 27 years of experience to help me through. I was clearly thinking hard about it and just before I said "OK then" the Business Manager added"I will make sure you have a full time Teacher Aide for your time in there." It was a definite boon."Ok," I said, "I'll do it."Lunchtime was upon me before I knew it and I had a 30 minute duty which I was dreading. As it turned out a message came over the tannoy just before lunch to say it was to be a Wet Lunchtime"."What does that mean?" I asked."Oh, it means we go into the Stadium," I was told.Imagine if you can 100 children in a confined, albeit large room, with hundreds of balls of different shapes and sizes, frisbees and  hoops flying about. Forget the Lion's Den this was surely Hell!Luckily there was another teacher with me and between us we managed to get everyone out alive. Angel was with us again but thankfully she did not cling to me this time. "Will you play ball with me?" she asked once. "Angel, I am wearing a luminous tabard and have a clipboard with first aid procedures and all manner of important information therein. Does it look like I am available to chuck a ball at you?"There was one surreal moment amongst all the chaos. There amongst the clamour and the bedlam sat a girl upon the floor with three plastic birds sat before her in a row next to a colourful umbrella. She was calmly stroking another plastic bird in her hands. I stood transfixed and she looked up and cackled like a witch,"I love these birds. I hope I get more for Christmas" and she smiled a frighteningly toothless grin.There was another tall girl stood next to me and I looked at her in alarm, my face crying out 'What the heck is that?'"It's just Sapphire" she said.It was indeed Bedlam!The rest of the day with the Year 5/6 was just as hectic as the morning and J was increasingly painful until I snapped at him and threatened to send him out. It shut him up and after we had finished reading a story together I apologised to the rest of the class for shouting but added "It was his fault" and pointed at J.I didn't let it lie there...he was craving attention and I was going to give him it..."When I first met you this morning I thought what a polite, well behaved boy but I was wrong wasn't I? You are not as nice as I thought. Are you happy now that you pushed me to shouting point? Do you feel some sense of satisfaction that you pushed me too far? Why is it J that you feel you have to carry on like this?"J was getting redder and redder and his smirk was fading fast."I don't know" He said."No I don't know either but you know what I'll tell you this if you carry on like that you will have a miserable life.Look, I can see that you are a clever lad, you have a brain but you are using it completely in the wrong way. I really wish I could have got to know you better, you know, find out what you are really like but as it is I am not going to be back in here tomorrow and so I will leave only seeing the boy you have been today. Which is a shame because I know you are better than that. You need to make the right choices J and do the right thing and not waste the chances you have got. Only you can do that. It's up to you. "He was on the verge  of tears when the rottweiler in me finally released him and he was much better for the rest of the afternoon. As for the Nun of Doom, I pulled her hood down and whispered " I prefer to see your face." I don't know what it was but somehow there was a moment in the afternoon, her blinding light on the road to Damascus, that caused her to work really well for the rest of the day.So...that was it. One day in a Year 5/6 class.... I survived it but don't feel the need to do it again. I am better off and more at home with the younger ages. They don't need to be told if 'b' and 'd' are congruent...as I said to the class today...." Who really cares.....honestly?"