Tales of the unexpected.

So...last Friday I was back in school in a Y1/Y2 class. It is the same classroom I was in for eight days last year....(except the Squirrel Killer has moved up to a Y3 class)...and the same classroom I will be in for eight days later this year.I knew most of the children, those who were in the classroom last year and were Y1 are still there but now Y2 and the Y1's I taught when they were in Prep last year. They were pleased to see me. The class teacher had texted me the day before to say 'They are excited. It's as if you are a Rock Star!'Still there are some challenging children in there and even though the morning went fairly smoothly by Lunchtime I was wondering if I could really cope with them for eight days in July.The afternoon was kept free for me to plan some art activities and we made Easter bunny masks and then some 3d paper egg decorations to hang on some branches I took in. It was quite frenetic and I bit off, perhaps, more than I could chew but we made it through to hometime without any disasters but I had worked up a sweat.They all trolled off at 3.00 but Maddie, one of the challenging Y2's was left waiting for mummy."Where is my Mum?" she said as I found her waiting on the balcony."I am sure she will be coming" I said, "Do you wait in the classroom for her?""Yes," she smiled.So I took her in and got busy tidying up and hanging the eggs we had made on the branches. Time passed and no Mum appeared and I was just about to ring the office to say that I still had Maddie when a Screaming Banshee hurtled through the door...."WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! YOU'VE HAD THE WHOLE SCHOOL LOOKING FOR YOU!"The Banshee was followed into the classroom by the Principal."Oh, I'm sorry Mum," I said, " I asked Maddie if she waited here in the classroom for you and she said 'Yes'.""I HAD A MEETING YESTERDAY AND I WAS TOLD SHE MAKES TO RUN AWAY FROM SCHOOL AND I THOUGHT SHE HAD. SHE IS SUPPOSED TO WALK OVER THE ROAD TO THE PREP CLASSES AND MEET ME THERE!""Oh, well, I am sorry I did not know that but I do now. She was quite safe here with me. I am sorry you have had a shock. So how does she get over to the prep classes?""On her own. She crosses with the crossing patrol." She had calmed down a bit now."Oh," was all I could manage to reply.So this untrustworthy 7 year old child who apparently could abscond from school at any moment was supposed to walk alone out of school and across the road to the Prep classes over the road. It didn't make sense to me but I didn't care anymore. They could just both micturate off!They went and I was left with the Principal. She just rolled her eyes. "Did you hear that woman?"How could I not!Today  was the first of two days back in Toerag and Fidget's class and I have to say that I think today was the calmest they have ever been with me. They worked really well though I did have to chivvy Fidget along and Toerag did write 'F*$k!' and crossed it out (but not well enough) on his Health assessment sheet but the day went pretty smoothly and the dread I had felt on my journey in turned out to be worry for nothing.The only slight hiccup came just after Toerag said he was going to draw me a car and a T.A came to take him to play a game. He refused to go and there was an awkward standoff which ended with him lying on the floor under his desk and kicking his chair over. It was such a shame because he had been so good upto that point but I could see it escalating and lunchtime was almost upon us. The T.A sensibly backed down and he was free to finish his car but he still wouldn't come out from under the table. He had earned time, by doing the right thing all morning, to play on the Ipad and so I asked him if he would like to use the time he had earned up. This, thankfully, got him (and me) out of a tricky situation.I spoke to the T.A and apologised and said that I hope she didn't feel I was rewarding his bad behaviour over the game (Though to be honest it is an awful game and he is fed up of playing it and he just wanted to draw a car for me) but I felt that he deserved to use the Ipad time he had earned earlier in the day and that it was a separate matter. She agreed.They all went off to do Drama in the afternoon and as a supply teacher they don't pay you to have a free hour so I was sent to a Y3/Y4 class to help. The teacher was the 'Swan' who I told you about last week and her class is awful. Heck, she is good! I told her so when I had a chance."I taught for 27 years full time," I said, " and you are good!"She just laughed shyly.They were doing some Science work and she put me with a boy who was a bit out of sorts."What's the matter I asked?""I keep seeing visions" was his unexpected reply."Visions of what?" I asked."Skulls and bones," he said.I didn't know what to say to that apart from thinking 'OK....another nutter here!'"Let's do some Science work" is the best I could do.