Page 84 - She's One Crazy Lady!

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I’m Glennis t“
remember saying to the group, as we were busy on the task set us, that we didn’t have all the targets and assessments in those days, so yes, they were very different. In no way did I say anything that was untrue or, indeed, derogatory about our Headteacher.
Sadly he wasn’t willing to go into further detail; he just reiterated the date for the hearing and told me he had made personal notes of previous incidents! What notes were these? He wouldn’t say. I wasn’t emotional. Not at all, for I knew this was all so untrue; that his accusations that I had criticised him were a complete farce. My conscience
was absolutely clear. Where on earth had this come from? I loved my job; I loved the school and knew how hard I was working. There was no warning. No chats or meetings or complaints beforehand to make me aware of what he thought were my ‘failings’. This was a ‘fait accompli’ – the date to be reprimanded, final. I asked again if I could put my point of view across – put my case forward and have my say. No. This would happen at the hearing – this meeting was over.
I drove to my best friend’s house. I went to see Marilyn.
Like me, Marilyn stood, with letter in hand, in complete shock. “You?”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
Let me digress to tell you about Marilyn, who will feature again later. When I first arrived at Victoria, Marilyn was a Classroom Assistant,
his weekend, not the Deputy Head, and we’re going to
helping out, on a voluntary basis in another class. I was organising a school residential trip to France and needed a member of staff to come with me on a pre-visit inspection weekend. Marilyn’s daughter, Sophie, who was on a work experience with us in the school, asked me if I would consider taking Marilyn with me as she said it would do her mum good to get away for a few days. Yes, Marilyn, who I knew already had experience of residential trips, was up for it. On the day we travelled, we were taken to the train station, literally minutes after having survived an intense HMI inspection in school with little time to discuss what the weekend entailed. As we sat on the platform Marilyn said nervously, “I can’t believe I’m sitting here with the Deputy Head, going to France.” I said, “Marilyn, it’s 5.00pm on a Friday afternoon. I’m Glennis this weekend, not the Deputy Head, and we’re going to have a lot of fun!” We never looked back since! We did, indeed have a huge amount of fun, travelling on a minibus with a group of very young teachers, getting lost in London whilst stretching our legs, sharing a cabin on the overnight ferry from Dover to Cherbourg, staying at Chateau Beaumont that was going to be our and the children’s ‘home’ for a week. On
have a lot of fu”
n!