Friday 27 February 2009

Day 150 of 365: Locked Up, They Won't Let Me Out


First, I'd like to thank Akon for providing me with a title for my post.

I was assigned to Year 6 today and the pupils were much better behaved than I expected for the reputation older students typically have. There were some students acting sillier than they should have been, but nothing ultimately disruptive until the later afternoon as we were preparing to go home. One of the children decided it would be absolutely HILARIOUS to pull the fire alarm in the mobile unit where Year 6 is housed. Did the alarm go off in JUST the mobile unit? Oh noooooo. It went off in the ENTIRE SCHOOL! So, instead of students being allowed to go home with parents as usual at the end of the day, we had to line them up as we would during a fire drill. Needless to say, parents were not too pleased and neither were the other students who were being forced to stay for a head-count. Unfortunately, it took the little joker until we walked outside and they realized all eyes were on them to see the serious nature of the offense. When this revelation was made, the tears began to fall.

After this drama, I stayed behind with the other Year 6 teacher to get some much-needed marking done for Literacy, but sadly, 5:00 rolled around and they decided they would take the work home with them. I didn't have this option, so I had to leave a note for the classroom teacher to say how far I had gotten. When I proceeded to the gate to leave, I discovered it was locked. I returned to the main building only to find the blinds in the main office were closed, which meant the office staff had left as well. I was forced to go back to the mobile unit and get the other teacher to let me out with his key fob...10 minutes past when I had planned on leaving...and 70 minutes past the time Matt had arrived and been waiting in the car to take me home.

It was a bit of a long day, but the good news at the end of it all is that I have a full week's work from Monday sorted in Year 1 at a Catholic school in Erdington. I get to even take the train!

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