Born Again (As Mr Cheese)

Born Again (As Mr Cheese)

I wasn?t having a particularly optimistic day when I received Maddie?s email in Summer 2016 saying she?d found my CV online and would I be interested in working for Class People.  I replied with my customary honesty that I?d left teaching (decidedly disillusioned) the previous year, but that I was a good teacher with nothing to stop me teaching other than some slight dents in my confidence, and that I?d be happy to meet with her if she still wanted to.

I had begun working 3 days a week as a tutor at a centre for adults with various levels of physical and learning disabilities by the time we met, so I only had 2 days a week to offer her.  I showed her all the necessary documents, she interviewed and re-assured me, and my journey back to full-time class-based teaching began.  She listened carefully to my request to go to good schools- my actual words were ?nice leafy schools? with lovely children, and she respected it absolutely.

I spent the first few months just doing 2 individual days a week, and it meant that I came to each day fresh, and actually, amazingly looking forward to my day in school!

I?ve always been known as Mr G. That seems to be easier and simpler than the many mis-hearings and misspellings of my actual surname- or so you?d think.  One day, taking the register for a reception class, and having explained that they could call me Mr G, I?d got halfway through when a little boy suddenly piped up, ?Did you say your name was ?Mr Cheese???

The fact that my efforts at simplicity had been so successfully and completely thwarted made me smile and, with a new-found freedom, I said that because it was a happy idea (you say cheese as you smile for a photo, and it?s also the genre of enjoyable, uncool old music!) that the new name would do just fine.

Every time anyone used it that day it made me smile, so I began telling the story to all the classes I visited.  This smiley new identity quickly became who I am.  I still take education very seriously, but it?s hard to ?sweat the small stuff? when your name?s as silly as Mr Cheese.

Only once has it been improved upon.  Another reception child thought my name was Mr Joy.  To return to the start of this story, I?m in class nearly full-time now, and almost every day?s an optimistic day- I know there?ll be plenty of joy (and cheese) in it.

Class People, you really are class bunch of people.  Thank you for being there.