Today I was teaching a group of Y7 boys. It was a hot afternoon and I opened a window to try and avoid that post-lunchtime, post-football game boy smell and the BIGGEST spider you have EVER seen walks in through the window and settles happily on the window ledge.
A couple of the boys sitting close to the window see it and begin to make a small amount of fuss. Not enough to get the attention of the rest of the class, but being a grown up I think ok.....if I deal with this quickly, calmly and discreetly I can avoid this becoming something that disturbs the lesson.
So while the boys are happily writing the date etc. in their books and I'm saying a few things to introduce the topic, I grab a piece of A4 paper and walk over to the window ledge with the intention of scooping the spider up, throwing it gently out of the open window, and continuing to teach the lesson in a professional and mature manner.
I place the paper next to the spider, hoping he will cooperate nicely and hop on.........but instead, the (not so) little bastard does a Usain Bolt over the paper towards my hand and forces me to abandon all pretence of maturity.
I ended up throwing the piece of paper (along with the spider) over the traumatised heads of the boys on the front row while screaming like a little girl.
Growing up is really difficult!
Anyone else struggling?