The Week of Little Attendance

Monday Morning. A girl gets up, doing all of those things a 9 year old kid does to get up and go to school. Entering school, she trumps her way through the freezing playground, up the classroom ramp and indoors.

Not many people were around, but she figured, with a sigh, that it was still early and there was plenty of time for that to change.

And when little under half a class were present, the school day began.

(And a heck of a fun one it was too!)

She had little idea 'twas to be the week of little attendance...

The enjoyable activities went on through the week. (she avoided the horrid cut-stick-arty-stuff one afternoon by having a Violin lesson instead, which was far better) The numbers reduced for Tuesday, increased for Wednesday morning but whittled down to Tuesday's figures in the afternoon, and a small trickle of pupils started to appear for Thursday and Friday.

However, the next Monday returned a full class once again and the class remained full to Friday's assembly, where the class percentages were announced.

5AZ - 89%
5BY - 72%

(I made those two up on the spot, however, the true value for our class percentage is showed below.

If you don't want to know the result, look away now!)

5MH - 55%

Related: Eid

Betraying Trust

As a 10 year old, I was trusted to walk home by myself. In later days I walked part of the way with a nice girl called Hepzibah. But in the earlier days I used that trust for my own purposes.

Going on the swings.

I started off rather paranoidedly (is that even a word?), as you do - it would be one or two minutes before I was hiking home again, smiling about my victory and hastening off home.

It wouldn't be too long before I started to get cocky.

This started with staying longer at the playpark, 5 to 10 minutes minimum. because it was so fun.

Then I started to use the other gate out of school. It was closer to the park than the one I was supposed to use, so I used it. Unfortunately for me the Lollipop Lady there was good friends with my mother and she told Moth that I'd been going out that gate recently. Moth automatically thought "Bullying" and so she asked about it several times. I wasn't supposed to be going to the swings, I thought, so I never said anything about that, and as Moth only followed up the bullying line I got off Scott-free. Which must have been very relieving for Scott.

As I started to get even more comfortable about my stupid little excursions I started going the park way home rather than the way I was supposed to go. This could have caused 152 problems, but only one occurred - that is, I spent so much time in the park that I met my elder brother and sister on the way home. They asked me why I was going that way, and I lied, by saying that I'd been gathering conkers. I'm not sure if they were convinced or not but they never really looked into it.

I started walking with a 6-7 year old and her family instead (My sister thought this was immature, but so was I) and later on, a girl of my own age - Hepzibah. I guess it was more appropriate than playing on the swings.

The Farm

When I was in Year 4, there was a prospect of a really bloody good school trip - a 2 and a half stay at a farm not too far from home. It was the most excitement-filled trip in my life up to then, and from what the officials said, it looked brilliant, and I could not wait. I'd never spend so much as a night away from home and it was really exciting!!!!!!!

As it got nearer and nearer the trip I got more and more excited, and all of the paperwork boredom and things like that got completed, and soon it was just a point of making sure you were there on time.

Some point very near to the trip, I started feeling crappy. But it wouldn't last long, I told myself. I would be okay by Monday, I would be fine by Monday, it would be someone else who felt rubbish by Monday. I was not going to miss the best trip of my life so far, nope, never. Of all of the trips in the world, this wasn't going to be the one to miss. It was going to be a brilliant trip, and I. Would. Be. There.

When, on Sunday evening, it became obvious that I wouldn't be going, I was really upset about it. Even my two new toy cats couldn't cheer me up. Stupid bloody illnesses.

If those are toy cats.

Monday came. I'd be going on that trip if this damned illness hadn't got me, I thought gloomily.

That day was spent feeling gloomy and rubbish and really just plain dreadful, until a little glimmer of hope shined. You see, the way we were going to go was our class plus half of another class from Monday to Wednesday lunch, when the rest of the year would go until Friday. And in my naive 8 year old mind, I genuinely believed that this was actually a viable option. 

Only it wasn't to be. Even if it was feasible, I still felt all eeuuurrrghhh. It was horrible to feel so yucky and it was horrible to miss out on what could have been the best trip ever.

The yuckiness stayed around for 3 weeks after it started, one of those weeks I was in school and had turned to tears because I'd been confronted about some work that wasn't very good (it may have been art and I never was good at art anyway). Not the happiest time of my life.

After everything was okay again I ignored my brother, Crotchet, who moaned about never having the chance of the farm visit (when he was in Year 5 the pupils who took the farm visit were changed from Year 6 students to Year 4 students) and pinned all of my hopes on having perfect health for the Year 6 France trip. Thank God that that did happen.

Constant

I just drew a 'comic' strip, and thought I'd share it with you all. Enjoy.

Remember me?

N: Hi, do you remember me?

Me: *thinking about high school* Err...

N: Oak class? Mr H?

Me: *trying to remember Year 6* Umm...

N: G's friend?

Me: I think I remember you... err...

Problem with my memory #1 - Forgetting most people I've met before, and/or not recognising them after years of change.

A Fiddle Fiasco

From Year 4 to Year 9, I had routine Violin lessons, always with the same teacher, on a Tuesday. The classes, once a good bit of fun and some extra education in Music, later became an excuse to miss half of my most hated subject - Geography. This wasn't even because I wasn't good at it, I had good marks and everything, but it was plainly not what I'd like - it had a lot more to do with people and later, economics, but I'd rather have learnt names of rivers and cities and stuff like that.

One advantage of having Violin lessons, apart from showing a bright spark in lessons while still missing as much as a quarter of them per week, was half a day out of school near the end of each school year to go to a Fiddle Fiesta (which were much more fun than being totally bored out of your skin in a stuffy classroom full of other students who would be disruptive all of the time). These tended to be good fun.

You'd be preparing for a Fiddle Fiesta for some weeks beforehand, getting all your pieces to practice, whether you were first, second, or third violin. In my first Fiddle Fiesta there were two pieces that were fourth violin, which is almost never used. I remember this because I was lazy and didn't want to do the third violin pieces. Me and B, (an old schoolmate from my Junior school who, like me, liked the Goodies, but unlike me, did not know about the Funky Gibbon) did this. But I am seriously going off track now and ought to explain about the Fiasco.

It was Year 7 that this fiasco happened. I had prepared like all of the other students across the town going to a Fiddle Fiesta. I was dead excited about missing Science and English - especially English which was almost unbearable (I realize later that this could be due to an undermining of my talents (they had me a level 4 instead of 5 like I actually was) and a low intolerance of noise (and that class was really noisy!)). I was also excited at going to a new place to do a Fiddle Fiesta - even if Moth didn't really like it that much (That just made me curious).

So it was the day of the Fiesta. I had my violin (which is an awkward thing to be lumbered with, let me tell you!) and there was some extra food in my schoolbag for eating later. I had to make sure I wasn't tempted by it at lunchtime. I ate as always before zooming off.

I zoomed off to a little area in The Quad, near to the front entrance, and milled around there energetically. Excitement brewing. All of that sort of thing.

I saw my Science teacher as I was jumping around. Without any prior experience or common sense, I felt I had to tell her about the Fiesta. So, I did.

Time went exceedingly slowly for the rest of Lunch, and then Registration, but finally, finally it was the end of registration and it was time to go to the Reception desk ready to leave, collecting our violins/violas on the way (they were kept locked in a room in the music corridor).

We waited in the reception area, sitting on the chairs and so on. Waiting, as business occurred between people and things, and a boy saying he didn't want to go. Hearing some of the business, it seemed that there was some issue up. It was something to listen to, and it did not exactly fill me with confidence. Although I had no idea what the heck was going on.

It had been a very very long time in waiting before the receptionist said to us to go back to classes. From what I can tell now, this is what happened: a parent had volunteered to take everyone to the Fiddle Fiesta. He could take us all - had permission and whatnot. Then his son backed out, and didn't want to go. So because of Protection Laws and whatnot, he now couldn't take the rest of us.

Great.

I wasn't exactly ready to go back to class. I had told my Science teacher that I'd not be there, so how could I? She'd have thought I was lying! And everyone else would stare at me for being so late. It would be so embarrassing. Was there any point of going for the last part of the lesson only?

I went and put my violin away, but I was very reluctant to go to science. I stayed in the music room, and it wasn't very long before English. I went, and got some whispers.

And that is the nearest I ever got to disruptive behavior.

Hama Beads

With almost every person, there are deeds that they have done that they don't remember, that other people do. This can be very annoying, as they will insist on repeating it or them over and over and over again even when you know that you've done it and don't remember it.

So here are some of mine.

I once took a bite out of a glass. (I wonder how I even managed it - or if it hurt)

I used to go to the toilet every time I saw a sign. (Yes I did teach myself to read at about 4 years of age, (Correction, well earlier than that, possibly even at 2) apparently, and this was a sign of it)

I once stuck Hama Beads up my nose.

I once 'had a fight with' a radiator and cracked my head open. they stuck it back together with Super Glue (its initial purpose in life). I then peeled most of the glue off but it had worked its magic by then. I still have the scar on my forehead.

Once in a car after another driver had done some dangerous manoeuvres and my mother had uttered some less than nice language, I said "Mother, there's a child in the car,"

I used to eat anything except custard and cream - this includes slugs, snails, and snowberries.

I tripped up and I said that my knees etc. weren't hurt. Once we'd got close to home I said "And my hands don't hurt either!"

I convinced a load of nursery nurses that I couldn't speak. They learnt I could when they saw me gabbling away to my mother, and they were very shocked, to say the least.

I got sick on fudge.

There may be a couple more, but I can't think of any at the moment.

First Day of High School - Part 3

Welcome to the third and final part of my first day serial - for previous episodes, go here and then here.

The next few bits were the basics of school life. The rest of lunchtime was spent outside in the warmth of early September. Then we had 15 minutes back in the form room before having a lesson. I think it was Music, so it would have been a doddle to get through, seeing as I had already done violin for 3 years by that point, and that early when no-one else had done Music, it would have been back to the basics.

The last lesson of the day was languages. The whole of Band B had to go to the hall this time. We had all said which language we wanted to do earlier in the day, so that the school could arrange us into language classes. I'd picked Spanish, copying my brother and sisters (Being rather annoyed at their constant teasing in Spanish, and not knowing what the hell they were on about. But then, they always teased me and I still don't understand the logarithms of teasing, so it wouldn't have helped!)

Spanish was the last language, and by that time, they just said 'The rest of you are in Spanish'. I was one of them, and I was tired of waiting, so I was glad to know that I would be in Spanish! (And get a walk to the correct room, of course)

That first lesson was not the best. There were two other boys and one other girl in the class, who were in my form. Though that bit isn't important. (Well, the girl was revolting, but she left the school after that year anyway)

The teacher first asked us if any of us had done any Spanish beforehand. No-one had, which made her job easier, and meant that we didn't have to take a test. Some teaching happened, but at some point nearer the end of the lesson, we were asked to copy down some vocabulary etcetera from the board.

There was a teensy problem with this: the writing was small tiny miniscule and I needed an eye test. So it was bleeding impossible to do it at the rate wanted. I was still writing by the end of the lesson, and I let whoever was collecting the books to collect it, although I did feel a little nervous. This teacher was not one who would tolerate... anything.

There were still one or two things to get through, though, after school. I was unsure about where to wait for Crotchet, as we were supposed to walk home together. I hung around the front gate, wondering if this really was the way out. Finally, after everyone had left, Crotchet walked up the pathway, and said he wasn't going to collect me from lessons, and I should wait at the lamp-post outside the school. We then walked home.

The route home was up the hill. It was very warm, and so for the most of it I had my water-bottle in my mouth often. However, as my energetic younger self it had less effect then it did in later years. We finally got home. It was a first day to remember, in a mass of many days I spent at that school.

First Day of High School - Part 2

Welcome to the second part of my three-part serial about my first day ever at the school I've now left - First part is here.

However, what we got was a one week system, and what initially was an issue of concern was now a good thing instead of a concerning thing.. At my previous school, any timetable was kept to - for about two weeks a year! This timetable was firm, and even had which teachers and the room numbers. I copied the room numbers but not the teachers. Who needed to know that when going to your next lesson anyway?

We were then introduced to our learning leaders. I was soon to learn that all they did was come come into form time and check our planners or take us for reading when our tutors wanted to talk about us to the form, without us. They had a different tie to us and I thought this part was cool.

The Learning Leaders took us on mini-tours of the school before taking us back to the form-room. When I say mini-tour, I mean, our group went round out of the T-block, down around the library (not inside, just the outside! And we weren't even told!), under an arch, and into the science block. We only stayed downstairs S-block as well, not going upstairs. As the only thing I ever touched downstairs was the Homework club (all being learning mentors and IL and stuff like that) it wasn't particularly helpful to know that!

Mini-tour over, we went back to the form-room, but soon it was time for break. I dispelled my energy by myself in a corner of the field. All of the bigger students had come, now, and they too were having break. I looked around at the field and surveyed it, but there was nothing there for my old (and weird, but imaginative) game. It was all spaced too far apart, and there weren't enough bushes anyway. I decided to put that particular game away, never to come back.

After Break, we were due to go to the lesson timetabled, which was Science. However, I was unsure of the way. I distinctly remembered an arch, only I could not see an arch. Maybe I had made that bit up? I panicked slightly.

And then, a girl from my form, Alice, joined me, and we went together from there. We went in one direction, and asked a teacher's help. Well, she did all the asking. I'd seen the science block while she was showing the map of the school in her planner to the teacher. I could also see the arch from here, and was relieved. At least I hadn't made that bit up. I said nothing about knowing this, though, and finally we made our way to Science. I never actually got lost after that one time.

We were by no means the latest. It was a large group of boys who were. The teacher was more annoyed with those boys than she'd been with us, speaking somewhat sympathetically to us, and far less so, in fact, impatiently, to the gang of boys. The lesson progressed after that.

After the hour of Science, it was lunchtime. Alice and I went to the canteen (which wasn't that far from the Science block). We both had packed lunches (and lunch cards that we were given in Form), but I bought a bottle of water from there as well.

Keep an eye out for Part 3 - which has a good tip hidden in it.

First Day of High School - Part 1

This is the first part of my three-part serial of my first day at my beloved High School.

For most people who are 11 years old, starting at a new school is a terrifying, nerve-racking experience that could only be beaten in the horrifying stakes by being ripped apart by tigers, while being watched by the people they loathe, and not being able to escape from the cage they were stranded in. They tend to stick with people from their own previous school only, until they are settled in and ready to browse the market.

I have never been 'most people'.

I faced only pure excitement at starting at the same place that my sisters had gone to and my brother still went. And even wearing the uniform. I loved it.

My brother Crotchet still got a lie in that morning when I went down to my first day ever. He would be there later. My sister Semibreve, who was just about to, or already had started at the local Sixth Form college, took me to the school, and had promised to show me the way to a shop in the area.

She never did. Instead, she dumped me outside the hall, where the other Year 7s would be gathering. I took a seat, and waited.

Once there were lots of people in there we had an assembly of a kind. One of the teachers had a strong accent, and it wasn't easy to decipher what he was actually saying. His voice was grumbly as well which didn't help. When it came to the form-lists I hoped that it was the other person who would say my name because I was not sure about him.

Then they did the form lists. I kept my ear out for my name. I knew it was planned earlier that me and another guy from my school would be in this certain form. Apparently this was learnt from taster day, only many people from my old school hadn't been to it, and that included me. He would have come after me, probably straight after, and I disliked him. 

The two teachers took it in turns to announce the names of the people in each form. The Maths said, and indeed it was, the guy with the strong-accented voice who told of the names of the form I was to be in. Thankfully, I knew he said my name, and I joined the form it was planned for me to be in a while earlier. And the male I disliked who was planned to be in the same form? Well, he wasn't. I was the only person from my old school in that class and I didn't mind a bit.

I was also the only white person in that form (not counting the form tutor). The rest were all Asian, apart from one black guy. This led to confusion, particularly when it came to males, who looked all the same to me at that age.

We went to our form room, and it was a delight. (We were lucky to have all our 5 years of form-time in that room, apart for one term where we were next door). There we sorted out our official business, which included planners, timetables, going through the rules, and lunch cards.

I had initially been concerned about timetables because Semibreve, who showed me her planner once, had a two-week system. How would I know which week was A and which B? What would happen after half-terms and holidays? I wouldn't know how to deal with it when that happened!

Keep your eye out for the second part - in which I get slightly lost...

Refreshers

As a kid, I was very energetic. I sprouted energy, but I always got more from somewhere.

Refreshers were the best sweets ever. They fizzled on your tongue and burst into flavour - if you were prepared to wait! They were also good for crushing, which also let the sugar out. I loved them to death and could consume a packet in seconds.

"I really love Refreshers!"

Not that anyone wanted me to, of course. Whenever I had had a packet of Refreshers, I was in a super energetic hype and it was impossible to get me down into a seat, to the annoyance of my mother, my brother, and my two sisters. I'd be there, bounding around and blocking the TV screen, or just being a pest in general.

Lots and lots of energy!

But I would still do anything for Refreshers.

Semibreve: I bet you can't sit down and stay still for 5 minutes.

Me: (having the type of competitiveness that comes with masses of super-hype-energy) I bet I could!

Semibreve: No you couldn't!

Moth: If Minim can sit still for 5 minutes, then Minim, you get the extra pack of Refreshers. Deal?

Me: (who would do anything for Refreshers) Deal!

I sat on the sofa in the corner of the room, intent on getting the Refreshers. Half a minute passed, and I started to get bored. What did my sisters and brother do to stave this off? The TV program was some boring thing, so I couldn't be bothered to watch the stuff.

A minute had gone. 4 minutes left, I reminded myself, starting to panic. I felt sure I would not get those Refreshers, because I'd moved a bit during that one minute. I looked around for something to keep me on track.

"Help..."

And that's when I spotted it. One thing that I rated even higher than Refreshers.

A Garfield book.

And yes, I did manage to get it.

I doubted whether the book would actually hold my attention for the full four minutes left. It never felt like more than that, anyway. Fortunately for younger me, my knowledge and understanding of time passages never was good.

I opened the book. During the first few pages I constantly looked up at the time, wishing for it to be over. But after a while it caught my whole attention and I sat there, reading happily.

When time was up and my Refreshers won, I kept on reading the book, spurred on by the fact that it was awesome, and I could collect my well-deserved and totally mine Refreshers any day. But I quickly finished.

And it was time for me to collect my reward for my being quiet and settled.

But my mother regretted it.

Because I quickly engulfed those as well, and returned to my super-hyper-energetic-madness once more, with a relish. Revenge is sweet, after all.

Yay for energy!

The Overview

So far in my tiny life, some events have happened and some haven't. For example, I have been hyperactive on Refreshers, but I have not yet drowned in a swimming pool. I have been in a swimming pool - two, actually - and I have been in the deep end (freaky!) but I have not yet drowned. That might just be sheer luck, though. Events have happened in my life that I can't remember (like the time I ate slugs a lot!) which happens.

In my little life I have gone through some stages, and I have changed a lot. I didn't come out this lanky (at least, I hope not, that would be shocking, not to mention impossible) or with all of this hair (though it fast grows).

This is my life so far:

I think I've changed a lot, anyway.

Looking back, I'm pretty sure I've changed in character as well. I am not positively evil and/or as idiotic any more, I don't eat everything I find, I have a bit more logic and I realize that not everyone is like me. And that's good.