• Head, shoulder, knees and toes, knees and toes...
• Yes, Charly, that’s good ! Keep going !
• … Head, shoulder, knees and toes, and eyes, and ears, and…
• Come on, Sophia, be a good girl and sing with us !

 

• Where is the chalk ? … Has someone seen the chalk somewhere ?... Why nobody is answering me ?... Ah ! Someone knows something but doesn’t want to tell… I see !... Ok, kids, never mind, take your copybook and you will write two hundred times : « I should not hide the truth », and a hundred times : « I should never hide chalk for fun » !

 

• Come on, lazy bunch ! I am not asking much from you ! All you need is run five times around this ground, then walk and feel your pulse !
• No, it is not too much ! You are not racing ! All you have to do is have a regular pace and you should do it even without a side stitch !

 

• Dear me ! Dear me !... Alicia, what are you doing ? My young lady, this is glue stick, not a lollipop ! oh, come with me and let’s have a wash…

 

• Ok ! So train A left station A at 8 o’clock. It reached station B at half past eight. Knowing that its maximum speed is 200km/h, how many kilometers are there between station A and station B ?

 

• Please, ladies and gentlemen, open your books page 18. As you can see, there is a map of the European continent… Now, young people, I would like you to colour  seas and oceans blue, and the land, brown. I would appreciate if you could label five countries of your choice.

 

One day, as I was on holiday with her, my aunt took me to a very strange place… We went there to visit one of her old neighbours. Aunt Kate had not explained to me where we were going and what I saw there left me wondering what was wrong with all these people. They were as if in their own world…speaking to themselves or to imaginary people. They did not scared me, I just wondered !... They did not seem sad at all, no, they all looked lively and living what they were saying ! The young boy that I was at the time felt confused… It is only when I met William that I understood…

• William, do you remember me, I’m Kate, your neighbour…
• Kate ?! Oh yes ! Kate ! … You had such good grades ! And always respectful and eager to help…What are you doing now ?...
• William, I live 10 Rainbow Street, next to your house. We used to have barbecues in summer in your garden …
• Is this your son ? He looks clever, just like his mum !
• No, William, this is my nephew, Samuel.
• Samuel… I used to have a very stubborn Samuel ! He would always hide his bad results from his parents, or tell them I had kept his papers in my bag, or even lost them !
• William, we are happy to see you are well, we are going to leave you now. Take care.
• Could you please, close the door behind you when you leave the room ? And hurry because the bell is soon going to ring and there will be pupils everywhere !

So that was it !... This home was a nursing home for old retired teachers !... I understand now all these wacky conversations – well, monologues in fact. It is so strange that these people do not remember moments they shared with relatives or close friends, but they remember their job and what they lived in class !... Wow ! Memory is so unexpected sometimes !...