Hot Chocolate & Hormones

Friday afternoon. Last three. Year 12.

You can guess the scenario; they don't want to be there, they think their weekend has started, and even if it hasn't, the talk about what they plan to do certainly has. So they play a game called 'Try to Shock the Substitute Teacher', but what they don't realise is that after 17 years hard graft in North Belfast, I've seen and heard it all before. And then some.

Hormones have a lot to answer for!

Each week I've tried a different strategy to try and make the afternoon more pleasant (for them as well as me of course!) but this week I finally hit on the answer. I offered them all a cup of tea or coffee, but one of the boys asked if I had any hot chocolate. Well, I did actually, so I made a jug of it up and shared it round halfway through the afternoon.

I have to tell you, that for the rest of the afternoon they worked (yes, actually put pen to paper willingly!) in absolute silence. It's maybe a bit hasty to call them pussycats, but it was getting close to that!! And I swear I didn't put anything in it that the un-named ex-colleague offered me ;-)

I can see, this stint of teaching is going to cost me a fortune in milk!