Wisps of Cloud Read Online Free Page A
Author: Ross Richdale
classroom. "Okay, go through to my room, wait a couple of minutes then slip down to the staffroom and have a coffee. I'll deal with her and get back to you."
"Thanks Karla. I thought I could handle her but…" Chrissy shrugged, blew her nose on a tissue wiped her eyes and slipped out.
*
Karla opened the door and found the woman standing outside with a scarf in her hand. Pauline McKay glowered at the items on the corridor floor, from several lunch boxes to a couple of raincoats and other children's clothes on pegs or the floor. "What a mess," she retorted.
"Over a hundred children use this corridor, Mrs McKay," Karla said in a cold but quiet voice. "We have had a week of terrible weather and the cleaners have not had time to tidy up and wash the floor yet. In the circumstances, I think the staff and children have coped remarkably well. However, you are here about Stephanie so please step into my office."
"If I must," Pauline McKay muttered. "I'd go to the principal but he never does anything. In my opinion the whole school needs a shake up."
She swished past Karla in her upmarket business suit and whiff of exotic perfume, glared around and without invitation, plonked herself in the armchair. "Where's Chrissy; I thought she was here?"
Karla purposely walked behind her desk and sat down facing the woman. "I told her to go and have a coffee. She told me about your complaint, I am her senior teacher and will try to address your concerns."
"Red ink all over Stephanie's work. She works her little heart out and gets this back!" She reached for the exercise book and flipped to the last story. "Look!"
"I've seen it," Karla whispered. "If you look closely you will see several triangle symbols in the margin that mean Stephanie has made a mistake on that line and needs to find it to correct. She can either use a dictionary or spell-check on the computer. Spelling words are corrected and also go into her personal learning list."
"And the three corrections scribbled above her words?"
"This is a First Copy Book and they are difficult words that Chrissy considered Stephanie wouldn't need to learn. In her final display copy, she will include the correct spelling."
"I see," Pauline muttered and pointed at one such correction. "But when the teacher can't even spell the word correctly..."
Karla read the sentence. Princess Buttercup wore a phsyodellic dress to the party. The word describing the dress had been crossed out and psychedelic written above. "So?" She looked straight into the woman's eyes.
The woman was defiant. "It's incorrect. It should have an 'h' after the 'p' like Stephanie originally had. How can my child learn when her teacher can't even spell?"
Karla never said a word but reached for the dictionary she always had on her desk, turned to the appropriate page and found the word in question.
"Ms Ancell spelt it correctly Pauline," she said with a stress on using the woman's forename for no-way was she going to be intimidated by her.
Pauline McKay stared at the spelling and had the grace to blush when she realised her mistake. "So why didn't Chrissy point that out?" she muttered.
"I guess you never gave her a chance. Chrissy Ancell is the youngest teacher on our staff but I regard her as one of the most conscientious teachers in my syndicate. As for everything else you complained about, she was following our school's policy for marking children's work to the letter."
This was not completely correct for Chrissy should have used a pencil rather than a red biro but Karla was not going to give this demanding woman the satisfaction of being partly right.
"I see," Pauline McKay almost whispered. "I guess I owe Chrissy an apology."
"It would be appreciated," Karla replied. "Sometimes we forget how it was when we were in our early twenties don't we?"
"I was pretty green and thought I knew everything until I blew a simple procedure and our firm was almost sued. I bawled for a week." Pauline smiled for the first time as she
"Thanks Karla. I thought I could handle her but…" Chrissy shrugged, blew her nose on a tissue wiped her eyes and slipped out.
*
Karla opened the door and found the woman standing outside with a scarf in her hand. Pauline McKay glowered at the items on the corridor floor, from several lunch boxes to a couple of raincoats and other children's clothes on pegs or the floor. "What a mess," she retorted.
"Over a hundred children use this corridor, Mrs McKay," Karla said in a cold but quiet voice. "We have had a week of terrible weather and the cleaners have not had time to tidy up and wash the floor yet. In the circumstances, I think the staff and children have coped remarkably well. However, you are here about Stephanie so please step into my office."
"If I must," Pauline McKay muttered. "I'd go to the principal but he never does anything. In my opinion the whole school needs a shake up."
She swished past Karla in her upmarket business suit and whiff of exotic perfume, glared around and without invitation, plonked herself in the armchair. "Where's Chrissy; I thought she was here?"
Karla purposely walked behind her desk and sat down facing the woman. "I told her to go and have a coffee. She told me about your complaint, I am her senior teacher and will try to address your concerns."
"Red ink all over Stephanie's work. She works her little heart out and gets this back!" She reached for the exercise book and flipped to the last story. "Look!"
"I've seen it," Karla whispered. "If you look closely you will see several triangle symbols in the margin that mean Stephanie has made a mistake on that line and needs to find it to correct. She can either use a dictionary or spell-check on the computer. Spelling words are corrected and also go into her personal learning list."
"And the three corrections scribbled above her words?"
"This is a First Copy Book and they are difficult words that Chrissy considered Stephanie wouldn't need to learn. In her final display copy, she will include the correct spelling."
"I see," Pauline muttered and pointed at one such correction. "But when the teacher can't even spell the word correctly..."
Karla read the sentence. Princess Buttercup wore a phsyodellic dress to the party. The word describing the dress had been crossed out and psychedelic written above. "So?" She looked straight into the woman's eyes.
The woman was defiant. "It's incorrect. It should have an 'h' after the 'p' like Stephanie originally had. How can my child learn when her teacher can't even spell?"
Karla never said a word but reached for the dictionary she always had on her desk, turned to the appropriate page and found the word in question.
"Ms Ancell spelt it correctly Pauline," she said with a stress on using the woman's forename for no-way was she going to be intimidated by her.
Pauline McKay stared at the spelling and had the grace to blush when she realised her mistake. "So why didn't Chrissy point that out?" she muttered.
"I guess you never gave her a chance. Chrissy Ancell is the youngest teacher on our staff but I regard her as one of the most conscientious teachers in my syndicate. As for everything else you complained about, she was following our school's policy for marking children's work to the letter."
This was not completely correct for Chrissy should have used a pencil rather than a red biro but Karla was not going to give this demanding woman the satisfaction of being partly right.
"I see," Pauline McKay almost whispered. "I guess I owe Chrissy an apology."
"It would be appreciated," Karla replied. "Sometimes we forget how it was when we were in our early twenties don't we?"
"I was pretty green and thought I knew everything until I blew a simple procedure and our firm was almost sued. I bawled for a week." Pauline smiled for the first time as she
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