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Jun. 14th, 2016 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fry_sandhuAfter Fry has a weekend to reflect, he decides to forget about the music festival as soon as possible. He puts the hard Grade 4 piano piece in a box, and puts it under his bed, in favour of something a little bit less intense.
For a new distraction, they have the Blossom Orchard Residential Home coming for a 'Queen's Birthday Street Party' in the playground, for which bunting has to be made and cards and pictures and the older kids taught how to distribute sandwiches without dropping them on the floor.
"Some of the residents will be your pen pals next term." Mr Irons tells them. "Miss Havisham gets you to write letters a couple times a term, and they come to the Christmas carol service."
"Why?" Tommy complains.
"Because living in a home is dull." Mr Irons says. "Also, you're going to learn about world war two, and some of them can tell you about it first hand. Usually Year Five is the buddy class, but it's Miss Havisham's project, so you guys will be doing it in Year 4."
Tommy looks appalled at the idea of writing to the elderly. But when the residents come to the street party, Tommy gets talking to a ninety-year-old man who was the class clown when he was at school, and warms to the idea.
"You guys are so lucky." Xiao says to Fry after the street party.
"We are? Why?" Fry asks.
"Because you're getting Miss Havisham, it should have been my year." Xiao says. "You get to do all those nature walks and the garden project and the World War Two trip. We're getting Mr Magnesium-Fitzgerald the substitute teacher and he's really weird."
"Mr Magnesium-Fitzgerald?" Fry blinks at her. "That's a weird name."
"He's weird." Xiao says again. "He wears sandals and he took them off and put his feet on the desk and they were really hairy. And he said he wasn't going to set us much tests or homework because we should be doing 'child-based learning'."
"Is that bad?" Fry asks.
"I wish I was in your class." Xiao says, sighing. "I want to do all the cool projects, and I don't have any friends in my class, not friends like you."
"But you'd have to repeat year 4?" Fry asks.
"Well she's doing different stuff than Miss Watts, so it isn't really repeating but it means I won't be a year ahead any more." Xiao says, looking a bit sad. But then she brightens up a little. "But I would get to be with you, and we'd get to be rivals, and you're my favourite rival."
Fry thinks about the big pile of extra credit he already stowed away to do over the summer, with the intent of getting ahead in the credit competition and making sure Miss Havisham definitely doesn't think he's a bad kid. Should he tip his rival off? She helped him with the maths competition after all, and that was a real competition, a national one.
So he tells her, and she listens.
"But I don't think Mrs Patel will let you." he says at the end. "You're way too clever to get kept down."
Later in the day, Xiao gets called to the office, and interrogated by Mrs Patel. Mr Wang's negative opinions of Mr Magnesium-Fitzpatrick apparently carries minimal weight, but Xiao's passionate plea to get to be in a class with her friend and take part in all the projects carries more.
"She said if me and Dad both want me to go back into my original year I can!" she tells Fry at afternoon break. "But I won't move until September of course, so I'll have to deal with the weird teacher for a bit."
"Oh, well done." Fry smiles slightly, in his own quiet approval.
***
The next morning in assembly, Mrs Patel makes an announcement.
"I'm sorry to announce that Mr Magnesium-Fitzpatrick, who is supposed to be starting maternity cover for Year 4 from today until the end of term, has had an extreme sporting accident. He has broken both his legs. We wish him well, and hope to see him fit in September to take on Year 5 as planned."
Fry looks over a Xiao, wondering if she's relieved. Then he looks back at the stage as a strange man steps up to the front.
"This is Mr Morton." Mrs Patel continues. "Who has kindly agreed to be our substitute substitute teacher for the rest of the term at very short notice. Please make him welcome and be on your best behaviour."
Mr Morton smiles with a big grin, and waves. Out of the corner of his eye, Fry notices a movement, and sees Mr Irons go quietly out of the hall. He wonders why, briefly, before turning his attention back to assembly and forgetting about it.
***
Having stepped outside for a moment to compose himself, Mr Irons leans against the side of the hall trying to think of an excuse for having done so. When he can't, he straightens, hopes nobody bothers to ask, and just starts to walk casually back to the classroom as the door opens for the kids to come out of the hall.
"Well, well!" comes a voice behind him, as Mr Morton comes out of the hall and claps him hard on the shoulder. Mr Irons flinches and looks around.
"I thought so." Mr Morton says. "Jimbob!"
Mr Irons scowls. "Please don't call me Jimbob, Morton."
"What are you doing here?" Mr Morton asks.
"I'm a teacher, I work here." Mr Irons says, keeping his voice calmer than he feels.
"They let people like you teach?" Mr Morton says, lowering his voice and raising an eyebrow. "Well, you've got a cushy little number here, Jimbob. Couldn't hack it in the gritty sort of schools I've been in, I bet..."
Mr Irons is just starting to look flustered again, when Mr Morton is tapped on the shoulder by Miss Havisham.
"You there, tuck your shirt in!" she barks at the substitute teacher.
"Excuse me?" Mr Morton says.
"Tuck your shirt in. It's bad enough telling the children forty times a day. Young teachers these days!" Miss Havisham scolds, shaking her head at him before turning to Mr Irons. "Jim, I need you, the wretched photocopier is broken again."
Mr Irons escapes gladly. It turns out the photocopier is in perfect working order.
"It seems to be working now. What did you want photocopying?" he asks Miss Havisham, who has been watching him deal with the terrible machine.
"Oh, I must have left it in the classroom." Miss Havisham says. "Silly me. Thanks all the same."
Mr Irons watches her go, then heads to his own classroom, deep in thought.
For a new distraction, they have the Blossom Orchard Residential Home coming for a 'Queen's Birthday Street Party' in the playground, for which bunting has to be made and cards and pictures and the older kids taught how to distribute sandwiches without dropping them on the floor.
"Some of the residents will be your pen pals next term." Mr Irons tells them. "Miss Havisham gets you to write letters a couple times a term, and they come to the Christmas carol service."
"Why?" Tommy complains.
"Because living in a home is dull." Mr Irons says. "Also, you're going to learn about world war two, and some of them can tell you about it first hand. Usually Year Five is the buddy class, but it's Miss Havisham's project, so you guys will be doing it in Year 4."
Tommy looks appalled at the idea of writing to the elderly. But when the residents come to the street party, Tommy gets talking to a ninety-year-old man who was the class clown when he was at school, and warms to the idea.
"You guys are so lucky." Xiao says to Fry after the street party.
"We are? Why?" Fry asks.
"Because you're getting Miss Havisham, it should have been my year." Xiao says. "You get to do all those nature walks and the garden project and the World War Two trip. We're getting Mr Magnesium-Fitzgerald the substitute teacher and he's really weird."
"Mr Magnesium-Fitzgerald?" Fry blinks at her. "That's a weird name."
"He's weird." Xiao says again. "He wears sandals and he took them off and put his feet on the desk and they were really hairy. And he said he wasn't going to set us much tests or homework because we should be doing 'child-based learning'."
"Is that bad?" Fry asks.
"I wish I was in your class." Xiao says, sighing. "I want to do all the cool projects, and I don't have any friends in my class, not friends like you."
"But you'd have to repeat year 4?" Fry asks.
"Well she's doing different stuff than Miss Watts, so it isn't really repeating but it means I won't be a year ahead any more." Xiao says, looking a bit sad. But then she brightens up a little. "But I would get to be with you, and we'd get to be rivals, and you're my favourite rival."
Fry thinks about the big pile of extra credit he already stowed away to do over the summer, with the intent of getting ahead in the credit competition and making sure Miss Havisham definitely doesn't think he's a bad kid. Should he tip his rival off? She helped him with the maths competition after all, and that was a real competition, a national one.
So he tells her, and she listens.
"But I don't think Mrs Patel will let you." he says at the end. "You're way too clever to get kept down."
Later in the day, Xiao gets called to the office, and interrogated by Mrs Patel. Mr Wang's negative opinions of Mr Magnesium-Fitzpatrick apparently carries minimal weight, but Xiao's passionate plea to get to be in a class with her friend and take part in all the projects carries more.
"She said if me and Dad both want me to go back into my original year I can!" she tells Fry at afternoon break. "But I won't move until September of course, so I'll have to deal with the weird teacher for a bit."
"Oh, well done." Fry smiles slightly, in his own quiet approval.
***
The next morning in assembly, Mrs Patel makes an announcement.
"I'm sorry to announce that Mr Magnesium-Fitzpatrick, who is supposed to be starting maternity cover for Year 4 from today until the end of term, has had an extreme sporting accident. He has broken both his legs. We wish him well, and hope to see him fit in September to take on Year 5 as planned."
Fry looks over a Xiao, wondering if she's relieved. Then he looks back at the stage as a strange man steps up to the front.
"This is Mr Morton." Mrs Patel continues. "Who has kindly agreed to be our substitute substitute teacher for the rest of the term at very short notice. Please make him welcome and be on your best behaviour."
Mr Morton smiles with a big grin, and waves. Out of the corner of his eye, Fry notices a movement, and sees Mr Irons go quietly out of the hall. He wonders why, briefly, before turning his attention back to assembly and forgetting about it.
***
Having stepped outside for a moment to compose himself, Mr Irons leans against the side of the hall trying to think of an excuse for having done so. When he can't, he straightens, hopes nobody bothers to ask, and just starts to walk casually back to the classroom as the door opens for the kids to come out of the hall.
"Well, well!" comes a voice behind him, as Mr Morton comes out of the hall and claps him hard on the shoulder. Mr Irons flinches and looks around.
"I thought so." Mr Morton says. "Jimbob!"
Mr Irons scowls. "Please don't call me Jimbob, Morton."
"What are you doing here?" Mr Morton asks.
"I'm a teacher, I work here." Mr Irons says, keeping his voice calmer than he feels.
"They let people like you teach?" Mr Morton says, lowering his voice and raising an eyebrow. "Well, you've got a cushy little number here, Jimbob. Couldn't hack it in the gritty sort of schools I've been in, I bet..."
Mr Irons is just starting to look flustered again, when Mr Morton is tapped on the shoulder by Miss Havisham.
"You there, tuck your shirt in!" she barks at the substitute teacher.
"Excuse me?" Mr Morton says.
"Tuck your shirt in. It's bad enough telling the children forty times a day. Young teachers these days!" Miss Havisham scolds, shaking her head at him before turning to Mr Irons. "Jim, I need you, the wretched photocopier is broken again."
Mr Irons escapes gladly. It turns out the photocopier is in perfect working order.
"It seems to be working now. What did you want photocopying?" he asks Miss Havisham, who has been watching him deal with the terrible machine.
"Oh, I must have left it in the classroom." Miss Havisham says. "Silly me. Thanks all the same."
Mr Irons watches her go, then heads to his own classroom, deep in thought.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-15 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-06-16 09:21 pm (UTC)