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In his first role as a principal who did not also have to also teach a class, Noel vowed to take a hands off approach and let his senior teachers instil their own values on their area of the school. He did though, tell his staff that everything would be reviewed in a month.
After the Monday Teachers Only Day, when time was spent setting out the broad aims and encouraging a feedback from all the staff, Tuesday arrived and, with it, the children. Hundreds of them milled around or followed the signs pointing to where the various classes were situated. The Year 1 teacher, a quiet young woman named Yvonne Webber and Caroline Bolton were allocated the single classrooms in the prefab but were included in the middle syndicate under Glenda Coxon's guidance. This was the area of greatest numbers with a hundred and sixty pupils and five teachers.
At nine thirty, after a brief school assembly on the asphalt area where the staff was introduced and brief rules about playground usage read out, the children were sent off to the open plan blocks.
Fifteen minutes later, Noel strolled through the buildings and differences were immediately apparent. Kate and her two assistants had discussed their procedures the day earlier and the five and six-year-old children were already placed in their three home alcoves under guidance of their teachers. Ninety children sat on the new carpet with little heads listening to their teachers while fifteen or more parents, who wanted to stay with their children, were given seats around the walls. Kate caught Noel's eyes and smiled at him.
In Block B, the prefab children were sitting with the others in the central space while Glenda held up a colourful chart and was explaining syndicate rules.
"There are a lot of us here, children so we must all learn to speak very quietly," she said. "Think what it would be like if everyone talked in a big loud voice. " She made her voice loud and the children giggled.
Noel sat at the rear for a couple of moments before he moved out and across to Block A. The senior block was crowded with just over a hundred Form One and Twos, the eleven to thirteen year-old pupils.
He could hear the commotion before he walked in. It sounded like a sports field. The children were, more or less, sitting on the carpet in the main assembly area but some boys leaned against the back wall, a few were standing and at least quarter of the pupils appeared to be fooling around. George Trinder stood at the front talking in a loud voice while the two assistant teachers sat behind him looking self-conscious.
Noel glowered. He was not going to pull rank on his staff but there was no way he would allow this. He walked up, stood behind George with tight lips and swung his eyes around the room. Pupils at the front caught his eye and several girls dug others in the ribs and nodded to each other. More noticed and finally George realized Noel was there and stopped talking.
Noel said nothing but waited until even the boys lounging at the back stopped chatting and silence finally settled over the open plan.
"Excuse me, Mr. Trinder," Noel said in a quiet calm voice. "I wish to speak to the children."
George almost looked relieved and nodded.
Noel still waited and fixed his eyes on the boys at the rear. They caught his eye and moved away from the wall. Pupils standing sat and the fidgeting ceased.
"You will face me," Noel said, his voice like granite. It took a few seconds with some boys still grinning at their neighbours but they eventually did.
"Without one sound, you will all stand," Noel commanded.
The hundred children stood but at least a quarter started to chatter again.
Noel waited. "That is ten minutes off your lunch hour," he said, again with his volume little above a whisper. "If you wish to waste my time, you can also use up your own. Sit again." He turned to George and the two other staff to say something but stopped mid sentence as a monstrous boy in the middle of the room sniggered at his neighbour.
Noel was angry now but he maintained his stance. Without a word, he walked down the gap in the centre of the room and stood beside the boy. Though large, the youth was still smaller than he was. Noel had lost his scraggly youthful appearance of Ashleyvale days and was a tall, powerfully built man.
"Get out!" he said in a whisper that the whole room heard.
The boy flushed.
"I said get out," Noel repeated. "Go to my office. I shall talk to you later."
"But," the boy protested. With a hundred pair of eyes on him he didn't look too brave.
"My office, now!" Noel directed. His eyes bore into the boy.
The room was now hushed as the pupils watched the boy walk out with his eyes downcast.
"Now," Noel said to the assembly. "If you want to do this at lunchtime, talk. However, if you do not wish to spend your lunch hour learning to behave the way I expect, you will be absolutely quiet." He waited for his words to sink in before continuing. "Stand!"
This time only the scuffle of shoes on wood could be heard as the embarrassed children rose to their feet.
"You will all file out to the asphalt area where you assembled at nine o'clock. Nobody will talk, push or show their ignorance. Please file out."
Outside, the hundred children assembled without a sound.
"That was good," Noel said and smiled for the first time. "When you go inside this time, the girls will sit on the left-hand side of the centre aisle and the boys will go to the right. You will full up the front area first and sit on the carpet without talking."
Five minutes later, the senior children were sitting without a sound. "Very good," Noel replied. "That is what I expect from the senior pupils at Kent Drive School. Mr. Trinder, will you please take over."
Noel left, but only when he was out of sight did he show his emotion, "Bugger," he swore. Everything he had intended to be went wrong. He should not have pulled rank on his deputy principal but what else should he have done? The senior open plan was a shambles and he couldn't let it continue that way.
He stormed into the administration block and almost tripped over the boy there.
"Go in." he said and followed the boy into the office.
"Your name, lad?" he asked.
"Gary Lockhart," the boy muttered.
"I see. Okay Gary, if you wish to impress me, show me the good things you can do. In one week, you will bring me all your exercise books and show me the work you've done. If it is of a good standard, we will forget today's episode. You may go back to your class."
"Yes Sir," the boy replied and walked to the door.
"And Gary," Noel said.
The boy turned.
"Be a leader, not a fool,"
The boy grinned. "Yes Sir," he replied and walked away.
"Trouble?" Sarah said from the front office.
"Just setting the standards, Sarah," Noel replied and grimaced. "Well, trying to. I've been here an hour and broken one rule I set for myself already."
Sarah glanced around; saw there was nobody there and spoke. "George Trinder is a nice guy but I heard his last school was glad he left," she whispered.
"Damn," Noel muttered. "I thought only Kate knew all the hot gossip."
Sarah smiled. "It seems that..."
Noel broke his second rule he had set himself. He had vowed not to listen to gossip but the news about George was interesting, to say the least.
"So why didn't you tell me earlier," he said five minutes later. "We could have prevented an embarrassing situation."
"And if I had, would you have taken any notice?" Sarah said.
"Probably not," Noel replied. "I'm glad you're my office assistant, though. I have a feeling you're going to be a sounding board quite often."
"I don't mind. Isn't that what ex-mother-in-laws are for?"
"No," Noel corrected. "That's what friends are for."
*
AT MORNING INTERVAL, Noel was still in his office doing administration work when there was a knock on the door and a very sheepish George stood there.
"I came to apologize for letting you down," he said.
Noel stood walked across the room and laid a hand affectionately on his deputy's shoulder. "You never let anyone down, George," he replied. "There is nothing to apologize for. We are professional people who are here to do a job and that includes helping each other. This is not a military hierarchy."
George studied Noel and relaxed a little. "I appreciate that," he continued. "It's just that I'm not used to the older children. My last school only went to Standard Four and the children were easier to work with."
"That's why we're having this trial month," Noel explained. "The newsletter going home today will explain it to the parents. We're all new here and most of us are strangers who need to get to know each other. As I said at yesterday's staff meeting, everyone has a part to play. If we are to succeed, we must pull together." He frowned. "Unfortunately, I broke my own rule and should be apologizing to you for taking over."
He held his hand out and George shook it warmly.
"You're different from the principals I've worked with, I'll tell you that much," the deputy principal said. "Thank you for being so tolerant of an old has been."
Noel stood in silence as the older man walked away and thought of the gossip Sarah had told him about. It was destructive and judgmental. George could have ignored the situation but the fact he came and apologized showed he cared. Noel was not about to write the man off as a bad debt yet.
He walked along to the staffroom and glanced around at the sea of faces. All had aspirations, needs and personalities. He reached for a cup of coffee and purposely went and sat beside the timid looking Year One teacher.
"How's it going, Yvonne?" he asked.
The girl looked across at him and smiled, "Great, Mr. Overworth," she said. "The children are all bubbling with enthusiasm."
"Call me Noel," the principal replied.
"Sure, Noel," Yvonne replied and he could see her physically relax.
Across the room, Kate was chatting with two other women whose names he had forgotten and Sarah held Wendy in an earnest conversation. George sat by Roger who waved his hands around while something was explained. There were only three men in the room and over a dozen women but that was the trend in the New Zealand primary service. It was becoming more and more a female profession.
The bell rang and Noel looked up to see Alexia waiting at the door for him.
"Hi Sweetheart," he said as he walked out. "How was your morning?"
Alexia beamed. "I'm in Mrs. Bolton's class, Dad and you know what?"
"What?"
"Half the class is from my old one from Summerhill Heights School."
"So you're pleased to have Mrs. Bolton again?"
"Sure am, Dad." Alexia laughed. "And I have Mrs. Coxon for reading and we're..." Her voice babbled on enthusiastically before she skipped away to class.
Noel turned and noticed a group of staff grinning at him. "My daughter," he said in a slightly embarrassed tone. "She's used to a country school where she just bounded into the staffroom whenever she felt like it. I hope she doesn't appear precocious."
"Far from it." Glenda chuckled. "I can see her dad's enthusiasm coming through, though."
The other teachers smiled and Noel felt somehow accepted for more than just being the boss. It was a warm feeling inside and his apprehension from earlier in the day when he had to step in with the senior children, dissipated. George, he noticed, had returned promptly back to his children.
It was going to be hard work but Noel felt quietly confident Kent Drive School would become a place to be proud of.
*
THE FIRST MONTH SLIPPED by and staff began to meld. Methods of organization were discussed with many suggestions put forward, senior teachers met and a new plan was formatted and presented to the staff.
It was decided to have two parallel upper school syndicates and one junior one under Kate's care.
"It means," George, who had been given the job of explaining the final details to the staff, said. "The hundred Form One and Twos won't be concentrated in one block but divided between two. Also, one of the prefab classrooms can be attached to A Block so B Block syndicate won't be over large. If you agree, we can call them East and West Blocks.
"It's called 'Schools within Schools'," Noel added later. "I visualize the children will become quite loyal to their syndicate and could even design shields etcetera for their block."
Except for a couple of middle school teachers, who were a little apprehensive at having the older pupils under their immediate care, the plan was greeted enthusiastically. Later, the children themselves were given a chance to discuss the proposed change and several parent meetings held for further discussion. After a few refinements, the change was made the day before Easter so everyone would return after the holiday to their new syndicate.
Though nothing was commented on, many of the more troublesome seniors ended up in West Block under Glenda's care. She had proved to be an excellent teacher who stood for no nonsense and handled the older children without problem.
On the more personal level, Alexia stayed with Caroline Bolton and Wendy's class remained almost unchanged. Though still the syndicate leader, George on his own suggestion, was given a Standard Three and Four home class while June Sadler, another teacher older than Noel, took most over the East Syndicate's senior pupils. Of course, by being in open plans, the teachers were all in contact with the older children for different subjects and found the change not as daunting as some of them expected.
One amusing outcome was in the small coat bay between the two prefabricated classrooms. Here, one of the senior pupils had erected a neat sign exactly in the middle that stated Achtung! You are leaving West Berlin.
The next day another sign appeared next to it that read. Welcome to the East. Deserters will be shot.
Noel chuckled when he saw the signs and allowed them to stay. It was all friendly rivalry and the children became enthusiastic about supporting their own syndicate. Discussions were held and symbols decided upon. The East Syndicate chose a massive dragon and sort permission to paint one on a blank outside wall of their building. The children, guided by three Chinese pupils, did an excellent painting that even included Chinese characters.
"My dad suggested it," one of the Chinese boys proudly told Noel. "It means, 'The power of education.' "
Not to be outdone, West Block chose an equally large sized brown kiwi and their sign read "Kiwi West, New Zealand's Best" in three languages, English, Maori and Dutch, a home language spoken by many of the children at Kent Drive School.
To keep with the spirit, Kate renamed the Junior Syndicate, North Block and the junior teachers painted a massive polar bear trying to catch a fish on the wall outside their building. "We're little but strong," read a bubble coming from the fish's mouth.
Every night Alexia had to tell her parents and grandmother all the exciting things that were going on and ignored the fact that they were all there, too.
"Our dragon is bigger than your polar bear, Mum," she said to Kate. "Did you know, I helped paint the fire coming out of his mouth? We had a contest on who could help and I won a turn."
"Did you?" Kate chuckled. "Weren't you lucky?"
"I only did a little bit but had to climb the step ladder to reach," Alexia admitted. "Tomorrow, we're all going to write dragon stories and read about dragons. Mrs. Bolton got a whole box full of books from the library in town but we aren't allowed to look at them until tomorrow..."
*
LATER THAT NIGHT, NOEL sat sipping coffee and smiled at Kate. "It's working, Sweetheart," he said. "George never lost face and is actually quite a good teacher. The younger children love being in his room and the other teachers all seem enthusiastic."
"And the parents are keen, too," Kate replied. "I've had several who came in to say how their children enjoy school this year." She chucked. "Did you hear about Richard Green over at Summerhill Heights?"
"No but I'm sure you'll tell me.
"Their parents are having a protest meeting to try to get rid of his card system. It seems our parents who transferred children from his school are boasting about all the good things going on here and he's getting a backlash. He's got empty classrooms, too."
"Well, with a new school in the area, that's expected," Noel cautioned.
"Two more than was expected," Kate said. "His roll is fifty less than they predicted for this year."
"About the same number we're above our original planned size," Noel said. "I'm amazed the Board brought in that extra block for us. Poor Richard must be spitting sparks."
"Serves him right," Kate retorted. "He gets no sympathy from me." She reached for a biscuit. "God I'm exhausted, though. It's like having three Kimbolton Schools all on one site and there are so many little ones. Have you tried doing up forty shoelaces after school every night?"
"Or dealing with a similar number of frustrated parents looking for their children's lost clothes," Noel added.
"It's different but I'm glad we're here." Kate sighed. She reached across and hugged Noel. "Let's go to bed," she whispered and kissed him on the lips.
"To sleep?" Noel teased.
"I'm not that tired but if you can't stand the pace..."
"I might just manage." Noel gathered the coffee mugs up and left them in the sink.
Things other than the school were now on his mind.
*