Tales Out of School
Jeannette Ellwood
‘What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.’
George Bernard Shaw
Introduction
I fell into the job almost by accident…
My ‘interview’ was casual in the extreme. I heard through the village grapevine the Reception class teacher had just left and they needed a replacement, so I rang Mr W, the Head of the Village School.
‘Come for a cup of tea this afternoon, about four. I will give you a tour of the school.’ He said.
…The large Victorian School building, a stone’s throw from the graveyard and the church, was at the end of a blooming, heaven-scented, privet-hedge-lined drive.
The heavy studded front door, with its key still in the lock was open to let in the late summer sunlight.
……………
‘You can deal with all the formalities.’ the head instructed me.
‘Make sure your references are in order and enclose details of your qualifications, I am sure we will work very well together.’ He held out his hand, and stood up…
I thought:
I had already been warned by my tutor at University -
‘…A stint in a village school will not enhance your career prospects. Don’t forget, it takes a certain sort of person to sink into country life.’…
But
I took a chance and made my decision.
I would (in spite of my doubts) embrace village life, glory in the beauty of Ashridge Forest and the surrounding Chiltern Hills, and relish the peculiarities of the present Head of that relic of Victoriana - the delightful rural school...
... I wouldn’t have missed those halcyon village school days, with its mixture of pain and tears, pleasure and laughter, for anything.
