Student teacher loses the entire class in one wrong move.

    Some student teachers accept the fact that a new class is going to test them.  Some try to head it off at the pass before it happens.  Some succeed and some fail gloriously.

    One of the most successful was a science teacher called Mr Death.  He watched us all traipse in and sit down with varying degrees of enthusiasm and check out his tweed jacket and leather elbow patches.  First point in his favour, for looking like a proper science teacher.

    "Before I do the register, are you all here, or are we expecting anyone to come in late?"

    We looked around and agreed that we were all present.

    He turned his back and wrote on the blackboard, My name is Mister Death.

    That got our attention, and he turned and allowed us to settle.

    "It is pronounced De Ath."

     I wondered why it didn't have an apostrophe, like some French names,  or even a hyphen, but kept my thoughts to myself.  After all, this was a science class, not English.

    "Under the circumstances I'm perfectly happy just to be addressed as Sir."  A short pause followed and then, "You can have a few minutes to laugh or smirk if you want, and then I'll do the register and put faces to names."

    The approach worked well.

    =====

    The other example was a student teacher of English, who, despite not looking much older than most of us fifteen and sixteen year olds, which made us automatically suspicious of him, presented the persona of an older and irascible man..

    We were all in class before he arrived, throwing the door open, and strode in ordering us to be silent.

    "I've been warned about you lot."  I've since wondered if this was true, or if it was just a rehearsed opener.  "So let's establish the rules.  I expect discipline and respect.  Anyone who steps out of line will be sent straight to the Headmaster's office.

    "Do not expect kindness.  I am a sadist."

    Derek, who was normally quiet, but occasionally went where others feared to tread, asked, "What's a sadist, Sir?"

    "This is an English class, you've got a dictionary.  Look it up, Boy."

    Many dictionaries were consulted.  Many young faces cracked and then froze into the deliberate blank look which teachers must dread.

    "What does it say, Boy?"

    "I'd rather not say, Sir."

    "Nonsense.  Come here to the front and read it out to everyone, so they can all hear it."

    Derek came forward reluctantly, looking like a deer caught in a poachers lamp, then settled and read it with slow deliberate relish.  A clear case of 'if I'm going to be in trouble, let's make it worthwhile'.

    "Sadist.  One who derives sexual pleasure from inflicting pain upon another."  Pause.  "Sir."

    The student teacher raised his hand as if to strike Derek, then lowered it, clearly trapped.

    "That can't be right."

    Several other open school dictionaries were thrust toward him, fingers pointing at the entry.  After a few frozen seconds he slammed back out of the room and stomped down the corridor.  Derek went back to his desk.  Those who hadn't looked it up gathered around those who had and read the damning words.

    After about five minutes of giggles and noisy hysterical laughter the teacher from the next class along came in and shut us up, and asked what had happened.

    "Oh dear," he said, face twitching.  "Just read, or talk quietly amongst yourselves.  I expect something will be arranged soon."  His shoulders were heaving as he walked back to his own class.

    After about quarter of an hour another teacher came along, took over the class with the quiet kind of authority we expected, and got us settled down.

    We never saw the student teacher again, and for that term he wasn't replaced.  I bet he's never forgotten us either.

    Gyppo

A clear case of someone who should have stayed out of the kitchen.

I've speculated since that maybe a few years earlier he was a school bully who got away with it as a child, and assumed the same rules would apply in the adult word.

That particular school dictionary was oddly specific and annoyingly evasive in some respects.  When someone looked up prostitute, because someone had told him his sister was one, the entry read 'see call girl'.  When we all gathered around and looked up call girl it read 'see prostitute'.

The bigger dictionary in the school library cleared that one up  ;-)

It also caused some confusion.  The religious education classes introduced us to the word Sodomite, which the teacher declined to explain.  The dictionary, in one terse line told us it was 'a person who committed the act of buggery'.  So we assumed it was someone who messed up engines, or cars, or anything else which we'd heard the adults describe as being 'buggered'.

Partial knowledge is a confusing thing  for children  ;-)

Gyppo