School Spirit

I was sitting there during lunchtime today, just minding my own business while I killed off a cheese and olive roll I picked up on the way in from the bakery this morning – because today is shopping day and that usually means there’s bugger all in the pantry – when I felt a presence beside me. I turned my attention from the sports page of the paper (much more interesting a read when your team’s won on the weekend) towards this figure who has knelt down at the table beside me and there she was. All sweet smiles and innocence with a hint of a question. And that hint is all you ever need if you know what you’re looking for.

‘What?’ I asked, knowing my services were being sought. Can you ever trust that innocent, sweet grin you get when someone drops beside you and just waits for you to turn around and see them? Of course not! Especially when it’s coming from a fellow teacher, eh?

‘I have a big favour to ask you,’ she said to me, ‘but you’re not allowed to say no!’

‘Oh good, I hate decisions.’

Turns out her son has applied for a music scholarship to one of the secondary colleges around the traps. Being the music coordinator (or the closest thing we’ve got at our primary school), he needed a reference from me in regards to his attitude, abilities, talents and so forth. By Wednesday. Could I do it? Would I do it?

Silly question, eh? Of course I’d do it.

Fact of the matter is, the kids a better musician than I am already anyway. Okay, I probably know a bit more about how music’s put together and held together and stuff like that, but this kid could outplay me with one hand tied behind his back plucking a catgut string tied between two goalposts. I know enough to belt out or pick out a tune on an acoustic guitar to make ten year olds sit up and take notice, but that’s just simple tricks and deliberately playing bad chords to make them laugh. Plug it into an amplifier and they’ll think you’re a rock god. This kid though… he played lead guitar in the school musical two years ago when he was in grade four and only ten… and the little bugger deliberately played a little solo riff at the very end of each song so he could get the last note in!

So I’ve just spent the last hour or so typing up a few paragraphs to hand over to his mum tomorrow covering a few points I thought were important. Hopefully it’ll be enough to make this other school sit up and take notice and give him the result he deserves. I’ll just ask the kid for a free copy of any CD he cuts when he starts a proper career!

I never had the chance to teach him for a year myself, but I’ve worked with him for the last four years with the band now, and I reckon I might just have had the best side of the deal.

Related Posts: Advancing a teaching level, Writing a reference… follow up

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