More Tales from the Chalk Face.

So...today I was back in school.It was the first time I have been back to this particular school this year. I was asked by them last week if I was interested in a two month contract to cover a long term sick leave but I declined. I don't want to be tied down and I do have commitments at the Book Cave. Still I was in today."Hey!" I was greeted by a teacher with a smile, "Are you in all week?" I knew they were joking with me."No just a day" I replied.The Principal appeared."Nick could you just step into my office? I need to discuss one of the delights in your class today.""Hmmm, perhaps that's going to be just a half a day" I said to the smiley teacher.My heart did sink at the thought of trouble ahead as I was told of the difficulties and how to deal with them in line with previous management and then I headed off to the class.My biggest worry, well , before I had known about the class 'challenge', had been was there going to be any planning.I opened the door using the key I had been given and wandered into a bright, colourful and cheery classroom and found some planning on a chair. I was relieved but as I read it I realised that it was not for the class I was supposed to be in. It turns out that since I was last there they have changed all the classroom around. I was in the wrong room!I had no idea where to go but asked another teacher and was directed to the correct room. I could not find any planning at all so got a few sheets out of my back up folder in readiness of having to wing it. This was the class that they needed cover for 8 weeks for so they had obviously not found anyone yet to take them. The teacher who had covered them last week came to talk me through further behaviour strategies and showed me the planning that she had done for me, which had taken her hours to do at the end of last week."Oh, and please can you mark the work," she said."I always mark the work," I said."Well, you will be the first to that for awhile," she added.As the bell went for the start of the day I took a deep breath, tried to calm my fraying nerves and went out to collect the class.At least the Fates were kind and the child I had been warned about was a 'no show' still I had been told there were a few other 'Firecrackers' in the class and I soon got to know who they were. The first two hour session was pretty painless with four different activities to do. During the reading session a bevy of adults descended upon us to take various groups and I, happily, ended up with the most competent reader in a one to one. Bliss!I didn't have any duty first break so I got the mornings marking done.The second 90 minute session was maths. I didn't have the strength to face maths for 90 minutes so managed to stretch it out for nearly an hour, trying to make it as fun and as interactive as I could to keep their interest then whipped out Will's trusty red bellied black snake skin and killed half an hour with snake talk and shared snake stories.The teacher who had them last week popped her head in at break."How's it going?""Oh, not too bad." I said, "They've been quite good.""Oh, that's good. All that hard work I did last week is paying off"' she said ,taking all the creditI was on duty second break, policing the top oval, for half an hour in my fluorescent tabard with my clip board. It was very windy and you could see the dust in the air which looked like mist in the distance against the hills.I was approached by two students."Mr Allen, would you sign our balls?""Now that's a question I would never have expected to be asked today." I said. They handed me a pen and I signed their footballs, which had other scribblings on and they went happily away.Two boys were playing together. One was kicking a ball at the other boy who was in a goal and he was trying to stop the ball with a cricket bat."What do you call this game?" I asked.They didn't know."Croccer?" I suggested, "or Fricket?". I also thought of "Fooket" but thought it best not to mention that one.The final hour session of the day found us finishing off some writing and sharing our written work with the class, talking about PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) and a quick game of 'hangman'. There was another adult at the back of the room who had come to do further reading with some of the children. When the final bell went I saw them all of and sighed with relief that I had survived the day fairly well intact. It hadn't been easy but it turned out a lot better that I had though tit was going to be in the morning."How had your day been?" asked the reading woman at the back."Oh, I think I've lost a little bit of hair, " I said."Well, I have to say that I am in here a lot and that is the calmest I have seen them all in weeks.""Oh, thank you," I said, "that makes me feel a bit better."The teacher from last week  popped her head in again as I was marking the written work to see how the day had been. I told her it was fine. She was back in tomorrow to take them for the rest of the week."That's great, Oh, and could you straighten those desks before you go? You were probably going to do it anyway."My smile was totally fake.