Where’s The Key?

I refer to a clockwork key as it is that time when I have to wind myself up ready for the start of a new school year.  This morning we had the pep talk to fire up our enthusiasm, greeted colleagues we hadn’t seen for six weeks and reacquainted ourselves with our working areas, security detail and passwords (it took me a good five minutes to remember how to log in!).  This way we avoid embarrassing ourselves in front of the students and can confidently roll our eyes and tut-tut when they forget theirs.

On my way in a particular song off the radio slid its way deep into my brain, fluttering to the surface at the most inappropriate moments and causing me to look sad (a weepy, obviously) when the most wonderful news was being delivered.  Sean Adams put it quite beautifully in his article: ‘…lost somewhere within the shadowland of the record.’  I completely understand.  When a song or book or film captures me its hold is relentless and I make no effort to prise lose its claws.  Whilst captured I am so  completely in thrall to its power that I don’t want to be released.  I would liken it to the first flush of being in love.  Capturing criminals would be so much easier if we could tap into the same area of their brains.  I would certainly appreciate this power when confronted with a class full of don’t-wanna-be-here students.

Something else that captured my attention was Saoirse (pronounced Seersha) Ronan’s ‘A life In The Day’ and her comment: ‘I find people who drink tea usually take it the same colour as their skin.’  It was very hard to walk away from the tea line but I did manage to inspect a few cups before anyone noticed my strange peering behaviour and I found she wasn’t wholly correct.  Out of the five cups I managed to inspect I would only have likened one of them to the same skin tone as the arm holding it and that was mine.  Perhaps suggestion was mother to the deed?

Between my strange eyeing of their drinks and intermittent melancholy expression I probably left them all with the impression I’d taken a tumble during the holidays.  On the positive side they hopefully won’t expect too much from me in the coming months.