‘If you need a ride, call a taxi.’
‘There isn’t time.’
Faye put her pen down, and said in a hushed voice, ‘What is it? What’s going on?’
‘All right, people,’ a loud voice interrupted them. ‘As you’re all here, I thought we might as well start the meeting early, which will give you a bit more time for lesson preparation before the day begins.’ The head clapped his hands. ‘Let’s gather round.’
Faye closed her file and got up as everyone else started to take a seat at the large oval table towards the front of the staff room.
Jake didn’t make a move.
Faye shrugged her shoulders and headed for the table.
Jake glanced at the car keys on Faye’s desk. He looked up to see the other teachers filing past him and Faye already seated at the table, staring his way. On a push bike, he could have cut through the traffic, but with his bike gone, as he’d told Faye, he didn’t have time to wait for a taxi.
Jake looked back at the car keys.
‘And that means you too, Jake.’ The head was standing at the table, watching Jake.
‘Damn,’ said Jake under his breath. He quickly helped himself to a coffee from the machine in the corner, like everybody else, and then reluctantly took a seat.
‘Right, people – are we finally all here?’ Jake was aware that the comment was specifically directed at him.
‘Okay, folks, let’s look at the minutes of the last meeting.’ He ruffled some papers and looked at his deputy, who was sittingnext to him.
Faye passed him the minutes.
Jake hoped the meeting would be over quickly; then he might have time to nip out before the school day officially started at nine.
The head scanned down the minutes from the previous week and then tossed the sheet aside. ‘We’ll come back to that later,’ he said. ‘The first thing I would like to talk about is professional development days.’
There was a collective sigh.
‘Yes, I know you don’t want to hear it, but some of you are not exploring all the available opportunities for improving your skills and abilities in the classroom, and I realise most do not want to be away from the chalkface even for a day, but if it carries on, and you don’t make use of them, you’ll have saved up so much you could retire on it.’
It was a joke, but nobody laughed.
The head continued, ‘I can’t have two-thirds of the school disappearing at the same time if you all decide to pursue the same course, so by the end of the week, I want all required professional course days applied for. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Crystal,’ somebody said from the back.
The head gave him a second look, unsure whether he was being sarcastic.
Jake was relieved the professional days didn’t apply to him as a trainee. Taking time off away from work was not Jake’s favourite topic.
‘And remember,’ the head continued as he picked up the meeting minutes again, ‘not more than one day at a time.’
‘And not at the same time as others in your year group,’ the staff all chanted in unison, having heard it a million times before.
The head looked up in surprise. ‘Well, not that you’d actuallygo off with your colleagues.’
There was a snigger behind Faye.
Faye turned and looked at the young man who Jake was positive had been talking about him and Faye earlier. Jake looked at his shoes.
‘But you all know your year groups and who you cover for, so when one’s away …’
‘The other stays,’ somebody said wearily.
