Ep 10 News Blues

It’s time to sing the News Blues. Even Ms O’Connell joins in at news time. Who is the special visitor staying with her?? 

Copyright Simon Cossey

Transcript

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Welcome back to the Telling on the Teacher podcast. This story is called News Blues.

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There's a teacher at our school who always seems to break the rules, telling on the teacher. Woody.

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That was Monday morning in room three at Triple Oaks School. The kids had just come in and they'd done the roll. Mr. McMahlow was rummaging through a pile of papers and trying to talk to the kids at the same time. Okay, he said. This morning Mrs. Street's class is coming here for buddy class time. We will be sharing news from the weekend in our news groups. Um they should be here any moment now. Um okay, and while we wait for them just to come, who can tell me why we do buddy class time? Um Jacob. Well, when we are sharing news with our buddies, it gives you time to sort out all your paperwork, said Jacob. Um okay, said Mr. McMahlow. Um anyone else? Um Sophie. Oh, it's so that Mrs. Street has time for her reading tests, said Sophie. Yes, okay, but remember that for the little ones, having a friend at school like you, um, who is older than you, um, and that you can trust is really special. And it's how humans have been learning from each other in tribes and villages for thousands of years. Oh look, here they are. They I can see them coming past the door right now. Well welcome, welcome room ten. Come on in and sit next to your buddies. Good morning, room three, said Mrs. Street, and she introduced four new students. Their names were Pippa and Claire and Joey and Nate. And Mrs. Street explained that they've only been at school for one week. Pippa, Claire, Joey Nate, this is Mr McMarlow. No, Mr Marshmallow, said Sheree. The kids all laughed. Yes, I know my name is a bit of a mouthful, said Mr McMarlow. If you need to remember it, just think. Mr McMahlow from Monte Carlo. That's even more of a mouthful, said Mrs. Street. My mum says not to talk with your mouthful, said Cherie. I don't want a mouthful of Mr McMarlow, said Hudson. I bet he tastes yuck. Okay, class, we're getting distracted, said Mr McMahlow. We need to get our new kids into some groups. Sophie, um Jamie, Ed CJ, come and collect the new ones and introduce them to your group. We can't share news yet, said Lily. We haven't sung the news blues song. Oh, of course, said Mr McMahlow. We have to sing our special news blues song. Do you remember how it goes? Yes, said the kids. Mr McMahlow got out his turquoise ukulele.

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What is your news? What is your news? Your opinions and views. Please will you tell us? But don't come and smell us. What is your what is your what is your news?

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Well, after they had sung the news blues song, everyone got into their groups and they were chatting away in their news groups, telling each other about what they did on the weekend, and they gave each other clues, and the other kids in their group had to guess. Some of the kids had visited their grandparents, some went on a bushwalk or went to the park, some stayed at home and read a book or played a game with their families or watched a movie.

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Mr.

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McMarlow and Mrs. Street checked that everyone was okay, and then Mr. McMahlow started looking through another jumble of papers. Mrs. Street called Sheree over for a reading test. Everyone was so absorbed in their groups that no one noticed the clop, clop, clop of high heels on the concrete as Miss O'Connell came over to the class and opened the door and walked in. Mr. McMahlow looked up from his papers. Good morning, Miss O'Connell, he said with a smile. Everyone say good morning to Miss O'Connell. Good morning, Miss O'Connell, chorused all the children. Good morning, said Miss O'Connell. I thought I might find room ten here and room three. I came to say hello and see how our newest students are getting on. I hope you are settling in well after the first week of school and you're feeling happy and made some friends. Who can tell me what you're learning? The new kids were feeling a bit shy, so their buddies helped them out. We're copying, said Sophie. We're copying what the tribes did thousands of years ago. Yeah, said Jacob. So Mr McMarlow can sort out his papers, well, not really sort them out, just move them around a lot. Hey, said Mr McMarlow. And so Mrs. Street can do her reading tests, said Jamie. Actually, said Edsey, we're sharing news from the weekend in our news groups. I think it's part of oral language. Edsie looked up at Mr McMahlow. Mr McMahlow breathed a sigh of relief and gave Edsey a thumbs up. Um Miss O'Connell, um since you're here, maybe you'd like to share some news. Would you like to be part of our news groups and tell us what you did on the weekend? Oh, okay, said Mrs. O'Connell. Oh, but then Lily unpiped up. We have to sing the news blues first. Oh no, I don't think we need to sing her the news blues. We already sang it before she came, said Mr. McMahlow. Yes, said Lily. She hasn't heard it. Oh yes, said Miss O'Connell. I would like to hear it. All right, said Mr. McMarlow. So room three and room ten sang Miss O'Connell, the news blues.

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What is your news? What is your news? Your opinions and views. Please will you tell us, but don't come and smell us. What is your what is your what is your news?

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Miss O'Connell laughed. Actually, on the weekend I did have a visitor come to my house who did want to smell me. The kids were a bit confused, but Thomas called out, Was it a dog? Was it a dog? Hmm. Yes, said Miss O'Connell. My sister has gone away for two weeks overseas and she asked me to dog sit for her. Dog sit, said Thomas. You're not supposed to sit on dogs, Miss O'Connell. Yeah, said Sophie. You'll get here on your nice dress. No, laughed Miss O'Connell. Dog sitting is a little bit like babysitting. Babysitting? said Jacob. That's not any good either. It's not good to sit on babies. Oh no, it's okay, said Lily. I know about babysitting. We have a babysitter, but she doesn't sit on the baby. She looks after us when mummy and daddy go out. Yes, said Miss O'Connell, that's right. And I am looking after my sister's dog. What kind of dog is he? asked Edse. A Jack Russell Terrier, said Miss O'Connell. He's a small dog, only as tall as me when he jumps up, only as tall as my knee when he jumps up, but um he doesn't jump up very much. He is very well trained, but he has a lot of energy and needs lots of exercise. Yesterday I was out all day, and he dug holes all around my property and chewed up all my hose fittings outside. I had to get up at five AM this morning to take him for a run before school just to give him some exercise. What's his name? asked TJ. Mr Barclay, said Miss O'Connell. What colour is he? asked Sophie. He's white with brown spots. Oh cute, said Sophie. Can you bring him to school so we can see him? Yeah, yeah, yeah. All the kids erupted in a chorus of Yease bring him. I want to see him, please. Well, I'm not sure about that, said Miss O'Connell. Yeah, said Jamie. I suppose we don't want another dog lockdown. Well, said Miss O'Connell, it wouldn't be a lockdown if the dog had permission. Who gives permission? asked Jacob. Well the principal gives permission, said Miss O'Connell. You're the principal, said Jacob. You could give Mr Barkley permission to come to school. Well, yes, I could, said Miss O'Connell. And I will think about it, but I have to actually go now. I've got a meeting. Um do you have to sing a goodbye song or anything before I'm allowed to go? No, laughed Mr McMarlow. Everyone say thank you, Miss O'Connell and give her a wave. Thank you, Miss O'Connell, called out all the kids and gave her a wave. She closed the door with a click and walked back off to her office. When Miss O'Connell had gone, Anne put up her hand. Mr McMarlow, we could write letters to Miss O'Connell and persuade her to bring Mr Barclay to school. Yeah, added Luke, we could make him an exercise course so he doesn't, you know, go digging up holes around Miss O'Connell's property. I want to read my book to Mr Barclay, said Lily. And we could teach him tricks, said Jackie, and give him enrichment. Mr McMahlow, said TJ, we're learning about animals for art and we're creating animal prints. Wouldn't it be good if we had a real live animal to copy? Yes, said Mr McMahlow. Make sure you put all of those things in your letters. We can make some amazing pictures. I know you kids are great at drawing. Room three, you could help Route ten with the writing. Um is that okay with you, Mrs. Street? Mrs. Street smiled and nodded, and Mr McMahlow found some paper and all the kids got out their pencils and pens and worked really hard, and soon they had finished a stack of letters for Miss O'Connell. Jamie and Lily got chosen to take them up to Miss O'Connell's office. And then they came back, and Lily said she Miss O'Connell, she said she would look at them and let us know. Well, thank you, said Mr McMarlow. And then it was time to say goodbye to all the buddies. Thanks for joining us this morning in room ten, said Mr McMahlow. Would you like us to come to your class this afternoon before home time and we can do some songs before you have to go home? And all the kids agreed to that, and by that time it was actually morning tea break, and so all the buddies went outside to eat their snacks together. Later that day, ten minutes before home time, room three had packed up and they went to join room ten for singing and they were going to do a cup few songs together, but they'd only sung one song about Miss Mary Mac Mac Mac or dressed in black, black, black, when they heard the crop crop crop of high heels on the concrete again. Are you in trouble, Mr McMarlow? said Jacob. Oh I don't think so, said Mr McMahlow. I've done all my planning. I've I've even tidied my papers. Miss O'Connell opened the door and walked in. Is Mr McMarlow in trouble? asked Jacob. Is is Mr Barclay going to come to school? asked Sophie. No, said Miss O'Connell. Mr McMahlow is not in trouble currently. And I've come to say thank you for all the lovely letters and drawings, and I wanted you to know that I've thought carefully about it. There are lots of things to consider. Some people can have allergies to doll care, and Mr Barclay needs to have boundaries and he needs to be on a lead most of the time. But if we can do that, I think we can give him a trial coming to school tomorrow. All the kids started cheering and saying, Thanks, Miss O'Connell. They were so loud they didn't even hear the music, which meant that it was time to go home. I'll leave them to you, said Miss O'Connell, walking out with a smile and going to say hello to the parents. And then all the kids got to go and see their parents and collect their bags. And that was how the students in room three and room ten convinced their principal to bring a dog to school. You'll have to listen to our next story to find out what happens when Mr. Barclay visits Triple Oaks School. This story was inspired by the times in my class. When I was a teacher, I would meet up with a buddy class. I usually would read books together. And I really love seeing students of different ages learning together and the older ones helping the younger ones. Kids who are listening, if you have some friends or cousins who would like these stories, tell them about the Telling on the Teacher podcast so they can listen too. And grown-ups who are listening, maybe you know a parent who could use a fun, ad-free podcast to play in the car or play on the Bluetooth speaker while dinner is cooking. If you know someone who could enjoy this podcast with their kids, share this with them too. Thanks so much for listening. Bye.