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Wednesday Aug 26, 2009

Sprucing Up The Mystery Classroom

The school holidays are upon us, and that can only mean one thing: redecorating classrooms!

After instantaneously pledging my support to this noble cause, I realised I didn’t even know Heeley farm had a classroom, so I set off to find someone who could tell me where this mystery classroom was. It turned out to be directly below the office where I spend a few hours every week performing wholesome office activities such as typing, filing, answering the telephone, drinking coffee and asking if anyone had biscuits to go with said coffee.

Upon arriving at the classroom, I was given a hammer, screwdriver and a freakishly long screw, and was put to work levering plastic tracts out of the wall, which the usual classroom paraphernalia of notice boards and posters had previously been attached to. It isn’t half as difficult as it sounds, but it does make you look like you’re a hands-on, D.I.Y expert, which is most definitely a good thing. After a few minutes, I was half-screwing in that nail and prising it out of the plaster, bringing the plastic tract with it, like a pro. As I worked, the resident teacher followed me around the room filling in the holes I'd left in my wake.

Once that was completed, it was time to scour the top layer of gloss off the room’s two bay windows, the skirting boards and the door frames. What initially seemed like a five minute job, turned out to be a task of epic proportions, as the window frame suddenly acquired more nooks and crannies than should be physically possible. The skirting board too, seemed twice as long as it had been before I started crawling around on the floor scrubbing away at it with a piece of sandpaper.

Thankfully, we weren’t alone for long, as helpers drifted in and out throughout the day. Every time I turned around, there was someone different attacking the wood with sandpaper. The classroom was also next to the farm kitchen, so every time someone went for a cup of tea or a snack, they’d pop their head around the door and ask what we were doing - “sprucing up the classroom” - then, if that someone was under ten years old, inquire “why” - “to make it look nice” - and, if they were particularly teeny, they’d then ask why we wanted to make it look nice.

So, the constant stream of helpers and lookers-on kept things interesting, and I was able to quiz the teacher on this hitherto unknown educational service Heeley farm offers. Apparently, they provide vocational training to youngsters who aren’t interested in pursuing an academic route, as well as offering support to young adults with behavioural problems. Even after six weeks, it seemed I still didn’t know half the services the farm provided. I made a mental note not to crash and bang around in the office quite so much, the next time I was tootling between the kettle and the filing cabinet.

Like any self-respecting D.I.Y project, once we started, the workload seemed to double in size, so we’d barely finished sanding, filling in holes, duct taping, and other assorted prep, before it was time to go home. With only two weeks left before the start of the new term, I promised to help paint the classroom the following week - hopefully, it’ll be finished in time for the new term!

Posted by Jessica ( 3:52 PM )
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