SUMMER TERM

I was always relieved when the Geography fieldtrips were over. They were never without incident and this year was no exception. Big Karl spent the dinner hour at Aldeburgh sitting on the seawall and throwing chips to the sea gulls. Every so often he would throw up a stone instead of a chip. The sea gulls had the last laugh because one of them made a nasty mess of Karl's stripy trousers. Sam also belonged to the barmy brigade. I could never take my eyes off him. His first trick was to throw handfuls of sand into the wind in an effort to blind us all. He probably thought this would put an end to field sketching. His second trick was to trigger a minor rock fall in the unstable cliff. He escaped in the nick of time. However he finally trapped his leg between two huge boulders that were part of the coastal defences at Walton on the Naze. I did not respond very sympathetically to cries of , "Mr Reed, Mr Reed, come quick - Sam's stuck." The tide was coming in and I could happily have left him where he was.

Another deviant group on fieldtrips to the seaside are the collectors. They eat their sandwiches on the bus to make room in their rucksacks and then spend the day filling them with shells, dead crabs, bits of coloured glass, fossils, desiccated starfish, fishhooks and discarded bikini tops.

Very few girls belong in the first two categories but lots belong in the group who know better than their teacher. I always tell my students to wear their old clothes. Little Jodi wore pale pink dungarees to Walton. On the outward journey she looked like a fluffy, cuddly, pink rabbit. Coming home she resembled soiled pink lavatory paper. Katie was little better. She was dressed in designer jeans, a chic T-shirt - just short enough to display her navel - and brand new trainers of a pristine white. Katie returned home in a sorry state after clambering up the treacherous London clay cliffs.

Many of the younger children are quite uninhibited on fieldtrips. On a good day they ply their teachers with sweets. Kaley and Helen fought over the problem page of a magazine called, 'Sweet Seventeen.' Kaley eventually said, "Here's a page for you, Mr Reed." It was entitled, 'Wanna be a lip-smacking, tongue-tickling, tip-top snogger. Take a tip or six from Mike Gayle.' I needed this article like a hole in the head. It was like giving a starving man six tips on how to diet. I suggested my colleague, Mrs Liddell, might profit from some advice - not a suggestion that went down well.

During the lunch break on the Naze various games are played. One year my pupils bought up the entire stock of water pistols from the cliff top shop. From then on water pistols were banned. This year I was pestered. My braces were twanged - not once but a dozen times. "Can I try on your trilby, Mr Reed."

"No."

"Come on Mr Reed, let me try on your trilby."

"No."

Two sweet little girls wanted to borrow my binoculars. They were too sweet to refuse. They used them to scour the beach to find the boy wearing the tightest jeans!

In some ways I find the behaviour of my pupils on these trips reassuring. I am glad that they still get pleasure from simple things like collecting shells, finding crabs, twanging braces, scrabbling up cliffs, throwing stones in the sea and jumping off the seawall onto the warm sand below. It is a terrible shame to grow up too quickly and miss out on all these little pleasures. There is a danger in growing up too fast. Jesus recognised it in the parable of the sower. The seed that grew up the fastest was the first to wither in the fierce heat of the day.

Another delight of the summer term at my school is to visit pupils on work experience. I had three fifteen year olds to see all of whom were members of my form. We knew each other well! There are three little incidents I remember. Kate was working at a horse-dealers in a small Suffolk village. She insisted, as only she could, that her supervisor phoned up the school to tell me the way to her place of work. She didn't want me to get lost! I was her Geography teacher but her confidence in my map reading ability was not high! It was thoughtful of her; I am glad I was told the way.

I also went to see Ali at another horsy place. I was early for the appointment so I sat in my car to wait. But Ali had been watching for me. She came out and brought me into the yard in which she had been working. She politely and rather shyly introduced me to her supervisor. It was quite touching.

Finally I went to see Karl. He was working at a plant hire company. My relationship with Karl was not quite as good as with the two girls. We had one or two skirmishes through the years. When I arrived at his place of work he was holding a pressure hose washing down a digger. I thought about cancelling the visit and going back to school. I approached him warily.

SSSSSh SSSSSh SSSSh

Karl was enjoying his job.

SSSSSSSh SSSSSSh

I had caught his eye.

SSSSSSSSh SSSh

I approached very slowly keeping my eyes fixed on the end of the hose.

SSSSSSh SSSSSSSh SSSS.....

He switched the water off! He received me in peace.

Those three small incidents meant a lot to me and they reminded me of Jesus. Kate showed her old teacher the way; Ali had been looking out for me and introduced me to her boss; Karl received his old enemy in peace. Jesus shows us the way to God, he is looking out for us and one day will present us to his Father in heaven, but, most wonderfully of all, he receives his old enemies in peace.

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