My eldest son recently had an assignment to complete about a time he got into trouble. Hindsight is a wonderful thing ...
Trouble!
I didn’t expect to do the “walk of shame” so early in the first term at my new school. I could feel twenty-nine pairs of eyes glued to me as I approached Mrs. Smith’s desk.
“This is the last time you will ever forget to complete an essay for formal homework,” she whispered menacingly.
“Yes, Miss,” I replied apologetically, knowing full well that the threat of detention would soon become a reality.
After school, I stayed behind, not quite knowing what to expect. I had never been in detention before and to be honest, I thought I was generally a well-behaved and decent human being. Only an essay stood between me and freedom! Those few hundred words just wouldn’t come. I longed to be in the fresh air, walking my puppy rather than in a stuffy assembly hall trying to think about my past crimes.
I picked up my pencil and started to write the title. “Trouble” seemed appropriate because today, I was in it deep. I began to concentrate on that one word and I remembered all the times when things had gone horribly wrong...
There was the time I threw my reading book behind a radiator to avoid reading in P1. My mother was upset because she had to come out of work to discuss why I refused to colour within the lines. She called it creativity. My nana later used a wet wipe to remove my “creativity” in washable felt-tip pen from my desk. I got used to seeing the inside of the principal’s office that year and his comfy, leather chairs. Who knew he would have a CCTV camera in there?
By P4 I was making social visits to the Vice Principal on an almost daily basis. I clashed with my class teacher who wanted me to work hard but I had a different idea of how I wanted to spend my time, mainly designing new Pokemon characters in my head.
In Primary 5 I had the most amazing teacher who was patient, kind and best of all she brought us cake EVERY half term. I managed to avoid trouble for most of the year except for a couple of occasions when I made the mistake of following my peers. My mother asked me, “If they told you to put your head in the fire, would you?
I said “I would if it was a small enough fire!” She didn’t laugh.
In P.6 and P.7 I mostly avoided trouble in school, at least but that didn’t mean home was trouble –free. Do you have a little brother? If the answer is yes, you’ll know how impossible it is to be trouble-free when they are around. If you happen to have two, it’s double trouble!
My six year old brother loves to get me into trouble. He overreacts to everything. If I poke him with the slightest force, he runs crying to my parents. If I make a noise while he is watching his favourite television programmes he screams and yells like a banshee. Sometimes he tells tales while I’m still thinking about what I am going to do to wind him up.
My youngest brother who is currently 5 years old, is a trouble-magnet! He can’t help it. Last week as my mum was attempting to clear his experimental mixture of milk and fairy liquid from our kitchen floor, he got creative in the garden with a tin of emulsion paint, a trampoline and my cocker spaniel. His school uniform was ruined but I got into trouble for not watching him closely. How unfair is that?
The door closed suddenly with a bang. I snapped out of my daydream. “It’s four o’clock and you’ve only written one word!!” my teacher shouted in frustration.
I thought hard. What had I actually learnt from my troubles?
First of all, it is not a good thing to be summoned to the principal’s office, no matter how relaxing the furnishings are.
I now know that hard work is important to be successful although Pokemon designs could get me a job at Nintendo in the future.
Chocolate cake is always an excellent way to make new friends.
There are some questions that should not be answered in the way that I think they should.
I am able to hide under my bed to escape my annoying little brothers but must help to watch them when my mum is cooking dinner.
Finally, I will make sure my English homework is handed in on time and if not, I will try never, ever to get caught!
Trouble!
I didn’t expect to do the “walk of shame” so early in the first term at my new school. I could feel twenty-nine pairs of eyes glued to me as I approached Mrs. Smith’s desk.
“This is the last time you will ever forget to complete an essay for formal homework,” she whispered menacingly.
“Yes, Miss,” I replied apologetically, knowing full well that the threat of detention would soon become a reality.
After school, I stayed behind, not quite knowing what to expect. I had never been in detention before and to be honest, I thought I was generally a well-behaved and decent human being. Only an essay stood between me and freedom! Those few hundred words just wouldn’t come. I longed to be in the fresh air, walking my puppy rather than in a stuffy assembly hall trying to think about my past crimes.
I picked up my pencil and started to write the title. “Trouble” seemed appropriate because today, I was in it deep. I began to concentrate on that one word and I remembered all the times when things had gone horribly wrong...
There was the time I threw my reading book behind a radiator to avoid reading in P1. My mother was upset because she had to come out of work to discuss why I refused to colour within the lines. She called it creativity. My nana later used a wet wipe to remove my “creativity” in washable felt-tip pen from my desk. I got used to seeing the inside of the principal’s office that year and his comfy, leather chairs. Who knew he would have a CCTV camera in there?
By P4 I was making social visits to the Vice Principal on an almost daily basis. I clashed with my class teacher who wanted me to work hard but I had a different idea of how I wanted to spend my time, mainly designing new Pokemon characters in my head.
In Primary 5 I had the most amazing teacher who was patient, kind and best of all she brought us cake EVERY half term. I managed to avoid trouble for most of the year except for a couple of occasions when I made the mistake of following my peers. My mother asked me, “If they told you to put your head in the fire, would you?
I said “I would if it was a small enough fire!” She didn’t laugh.
In P.6 and P.7 I mostly avoided trouble in school, at least but that didn’t mean home was trouble –free. Do you have a little brother? If the answer is yes, you’ll know how impossible it is to be trouble-free when they are around. If you happen to have two, it’s double trouble!
My six year old brother loves to get me into trouble. He overreacts to everything. If I poke him with the slightest force, he runs crying to my parents. If I make a noise while he is watching his favourite television programmes he screams and yells like a banshee. Sometimes he tells tales while I’m still thinking about what I am going to do to wind him up.
My youngest brother who is currently 5 years old, is a trouble-magnet! He can’t help it. Last week as my mum was attempting to clear his experimental mixture of milk and fairy liquid from our kitchen floor, he got creative in the garden with a tin of emulsion paint, a trampoline and my cocker spaniel. His school uniform was ruined but I got into trouble for not watching him closely. How unfair is that?
The door closed suddenly with a bang. I snapped out of my daydream. “It’s four o’clock and you’ve only written one word!!” my teacher shouted in frustration.
I thought hard. What had I actually learnt from my troubles?
First of all, it is not a good thing to be summoned to the principal’s office, no matter how relaxing the furnishings are.
I now know that hard work is important to be successful although Pokemon designs could get me a job at Nintendo in the future.
Chocolate cake is always an excellent way to make new friends.
There are some questions that should not be answered in the way that I think they should.
I am able to hide under my bed to escape my annoying little brothers but must help to watch them when my mum is cooking dinner.
Finally, I will make sure my English homework is handed in on time and if not, I will try never, ever to get caught!