371.  I am sitting outside, reading to my book to an educational assistant, and a teacher doesn’t notice us sitting there, and I see him chasing a pigeon for fun.

372.  We have written a story, and the teacher tells us that we are having a book launch, which includes popcorn, speeches and reading the stories.

373.  A teacher talks to us as a pirate on International Speak-like-a-pirate day.

374. I glance over a test before we are allowed to start writing… and I can do it.

375. I fart in class and everyone laughs and begins blaming everyone else… but I don’t get blamed.

366.  I get to school and find that I am the first kid here. The school gate is open so a teacher must be here somewhere. The school is so peaceful. It is like a beautiful spring day before a storm arrives. I see the school in a different way, and I like what I see.

367.  I see that the teacher has odd socks on.

368.  I am monitoring the growth of a plant, and it is one of the ones that has grown most.

369.  A girl from the class is on holidays, traveling around the country, and the teacher gives us time to write in her travel blog.

370. We play ‘thumb wars’.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when my mind is opened.)

361. The teacher lets me use one of the ‘spare hats’. (I wish Mum had treated me for Head Lice yesterday.)

362. We do an archaeological dig in a sand area. (We wear hats and sunglasses and even have backpacks with snacks.) Then, we record where we find pieces on a grid(recording the depth), and draw them, and even glue the pieces of a broken item back together again. (And find out it is a plate.)

363. At the end of the day we draw out raffle tickets and the winners only get lollies if they shoot a basket OR get a certain score with magnetic darts.

364. We are marking work, but I don’t have a red pen. Instead of shouting, the teacher places one of her pens on my desk.

365. An example we have to correct for grammar,( that the teacher has typed), has my name in it.  My friends are laughing at the example.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when it is easy to find a year’s worth of wonderful things to love.)

356. It is Melbourne Cup Race Day and the teacher runs a sweep in the class. Then, we each get a horse and the teacher lets us watch the race.

357. I have been crying, and the teacher gives me the option of telling her about it.

358. It starts to rain and before going under a shelter, I stick my tongue out and catch raindrops on it. I also love seeing the teacher do this.

359. When the teacher tries to teach us something in a sneaky way, and I recognise it and say, ‘I know what you are doing here.’ And the teacher laughs.

360. After hearing that I’ve had an argument with my best friend, the teacher talks to us, and then gives us time out of the class to sort out the issue.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when my horse is last in the Melbourne Cup, and the teacher still gives me a prize.)

351.  I have a reading to do at the assembly, but I always read too fast, so the teacher spends 4 sessions with me, reading along with me, and making sure I read at the right speed. And afterwards, everybody tells me I read beautifully.

352. The class has cupcakes to celebrate an event. But I am allergic to them, so the teacher has organised an iced lolly for me.

353. Wear new school shoes and do not get blisters.

354. We have to hold hands with a partner and learn how to dance.Please don’t tell anyone how much I love this.  Every time I have to hold hands with a new partner I get extra nervous, but then I relax quickly.

355. I sneeze and the teacher says, ‘bless you.’

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I expect agony from my new shoes which does not eventuate.)

346.  I see a teacher backing away in fear from a little kid with a ringworm.’No, I don’t want a hug today.  No, just go over there.  No, go and get a bandage from the school nurse NOW.’

347.  We have a maths test and the teacher walks around the class, helping others and me( even though it is an assessment) because otherwise I’d just be sitting there, feeling bad about myself for the whole test.

348. I am picked to run an errand. (It is a long errand so I can get myself a drink, use the toilets and even enjoy the sun.)

349. My design for the graduation shirt is chosen.

350. The teacher calls out my name to answer a question, and I know the answer.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when 32 children wear my graduation design on their shirts all year long.)

341. I am running across the play area, and I suddenly realise the teacher is racing me. It doesn’t matter if I win, or lose, or if the teacher lets me win. It is all about being raced by a teacher. I love school.

342. I really want to say ‘news’ and the teacher lets me.

343. When the teacher recognises we have too much homework from another teacher, and pushes his homework deadline back.

344. The teacher does a surprise homework check, and I have actually done my homework. Yeah!

345. The teacher calls out spelling words and I ask a question with a spelling word in it. And the teacher responds with a spelling word in his sentence, and then I do the same thing. And the whole class is listening to our conversation and laughing. A girl asks if we can do the same thing next week and the teacher has said yes. We’ll practice conversations, using our spelling words.

(Copy copyright.  I love school when we get a day or two off homework.)

336. It is the last fortnight of school and the teacher organises KKs. This is when someone in the class writes me a little note each day, or gives me a lolly. On the last day of school we exchange gifts of no more than $5. It is all about caring for each other.

337. The teacher has a stuffed toy cat which sits on his desk. It even moves and purrs. Each day the teacher gives the cat to a good worker who can name the cat for the day. And, no one except the chosen child can hold or stroke the cat.

338. The class sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. (I didn’t mean to lie, but I just sort of happened to say it was my birthday, even though it isn’t.)

339. Instead of doing a paper brainstorm, the teacher lets us use different word clouds on the computer. We are even encouraged to try word clouds other than Wordle. And we evaluate the different ones.

340. When we collect flowers and press them, and then write poetry about our mum around them.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when odd things happen.)

331. The speakers are turned up loud, so when the teacher is working on her computer a sudden beep blasts at us.

332.The teacher tells us about her friend, who told her children, that the music from the ice-cream van meant they had run out of ice-cream. And we laugh and laugh.

333. You walk into class at the beginning of the term, and it has been changed around.

334. The teacher is concerned that some of us are isolated during the holidays so asks us to write a list of our hobbies, and then to wander around the class and find other people who like doing the same thing. Then, we’d know who to phone up and invite over. Afterwards the teacher asks if we learnt anything from the activity. I say, ‘ I am surprised that so many children would like to come to my house and throw stones at ant nests.’ He laughs and puts his head down in a pose of ‘giving up’.

335.I wave to the teacher and he waves back at me.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when the teacher is human.)

326. The activity with your buddy class is to dress up your buddy in newspaper and then walk them down a catwalk, like in a fashion parade. The teacher narrates the event and there is even music on in the background. Everybody loves this.  Even the boys swing their hips and have a good time.

327. I daydream in class.  Usually I daydream about being the hero in one of the books I am reading.

328. There is a prize-box every Friday.The teacher makes it like a lucky dip.  You only get exactly 5 seconds to grab something out.  If you haven’t taken something within 5 seconds you miss out.  If you accidentally grab more than one item you miss out. It is an exciting time.

329. I play chess against someone in ‘free time’ and win. (I also had to explain the rules to them. Perhaps I forgot to explain some of the rules.)

330. I arrive at school, or in the classroom, and there is music playing.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when we win prizes.)

321.  I kick rubbish under someone else’s desk and the teacher tells them to pick it up.

322. We get to wear our dress-up clothes to school for the assembly item. I bring along my outfit and ‘accidentally’ forget to bring my school uniform.  Now I can spend the whole day dressed as snow-white.

323. The teacher lets me show the class all the computer work I have been doing.  I am a wizard at the computer so I really enjoy this.  The teacher says that I am a wizard and if anyone needs help then I am the  ‘go-to’ guy.

324. We are marking work, but my red pen has no ink in it. My teacher is short tempered, so I place the blue inner refill into the red pen case, so from all appearances it looks like I am marking with a red pen.  I hope the teacher doesn’t wander around and check – gulp!

325. The teacher has special scissors that makes fancy patterns on the edges of your paper. When I do some work for display, I cut around the edges and then glue it onto black paper, and it looks ‘cool’.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I am the ‘go-to’ guy for sport or computers or stationery or …)

316. I win a class game. (e.g. Egg, Chicken, Dinosaur)

317. I lean back on my chair and the teacher doesn’t notice.

318. I wear a special hearing aid, and the teacher forgets about it, and is chattering away in the staffroom. And I hear every word she says.

319. I throw rubbish into the bin and it goes in.

320. We use paper chatter-boxes to determine who we are going to marry.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when EVERYBODY is nervous about something.)

311. The teacher is talking, and you spend your time moving bubbles around under the contact covering of your book.

312. You tap your coin on the metal handrail at the canteen while queuing.

313. I am the tallest in the class, and the teacher has organised a taller desk for me.

314. I am playing Four-Square and I have finally worked my way up to King position, and the bell goes, which means I will be King at the start of the next game, the next day.

315. You see a teacher join in with the little kids playing hopscotch. Teachers somehow just can’t help themselves. I once went to the toilet in the middle of a lesson and I saw a teacher by herself, hopping on the hopscotch drawing.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I am noticed amongst the other 31 children.)

306. The computer doesn’t work because of flash player, or java, or internet connection, so we get to talk and relax, while the teacher tries to sort out the problem.

307. Lying on our bunks on camp, telling ghost stories.

308. I am told to put a marble into the class rewards jar.

309. You feel so very close to all your friends on the last day of school.

310. Even though they have been banned by the teachers, you manage to trade sport cards and/or Pokemon cards.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when we are given DOJO points.)

301. The teacher is drawing up a roster and says that it is in alphabetical order (My surname starts with z), but adds, ‘Reverse alphabetical order.’

302. I can laugh about my home situation with the class and I know they won’t say anything bad.

303. You go to school in ‘free dress’ worrying if it is the right day, and you see someone else out of uniform.

304. We stay inside on a rainy day and watch movies. (And the teacher has brought along some popcorn.)

305.The teacher is standing on the ground floor and throws the keys up to another teacher on the first floor. But he throws them too hard and the keys go up, up, up, and land on the roof. And then we can’t go into class for another ten minutes at least.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when surprising things happen.)

296. I bring cough lollies to school for my sore throat, but forget the note from mum, but the teacher still lets me suck them in class.

297. It is our assembly item day and I have the perfect costume.

298. We do paired reading. We just sit outside and read alternate pages with our friends. What a life!

299. We dress up as our favourite character in book week celebrations.

300. The teacher tells us tall tales about her husband, and we are conspiratorial, but we know how much she loves him.

291. We are actually given time to create an avatar in a computer lesson.

292. The teacher laughs so much he has tears in his eyes.

293. We play board games on the last day of term.

294. I sharpen one of the pencils that has many colours mixed together in it, and the multi-coloured shavings drop into my hand.

295. We finish all the set work and the teacher lets us go to play early.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when teachers are happy.)

286. I get to ring the old handbell because the modern bell hasn’t rung for some reason. I swing it around my head and shake it until the teacher tells me to stop.

287. I am chosen to help the Principal with a job.

288. My mum says, ‘You have a nice teacher.’

289. The teacher has the digital projector turned off, but the smartboard is still turned on, so when you touch it, the mouse moves on the teacher’s computer screen.

290. I am talking to my friends, and the teacher asks someone else to hand out papers.

281. I am on the floor listening to the teacher read a story, and I start to plait the hair of the girl sitting in front of me. And the girl behind me, plaits my hair. And another girl joins the line. ‘It is fine,’ says the teacher, ‘just as long as you are listening to the story too.’ Suddenly there is a mad rush and most of the girls are plaiting hair. The teacher smiles, and keeps reading.

282. We learn about spoonerisms, and everybody makes one with their first name and surname. The teacher even has a funny spoonerism for his name.

283. We change the words of a song and sing our new song in class.

284. The teacher knows that some of us do dance lessons, so sends us out of the class to work out the dance steps for the WHOLE class for a song. I love that we have been trusted to do this and that we can show our skills. We even get to miss out on some class work.

285. After reading a class book we watch the movie.

276.  We get extra sport time. (‘Capture the Flag’ has to be the best game out.) We play faction against faction. We play boys against girls. We play suburb against suburb.

277. The teacher places good work stickers on different children’s work, but when he sees my work s/he places the sticker on my nose.

278. Another teacher comes into the class asking for someone strong to help carry a heavy box, and I am picked.

279. The teacher is late to class and the headmaster comes in and tells us all to hide under our desks.

280. The class gets free time.

(Copy Copyright:  I love school when I am given individual positive attention in a class of 32 children.)

271. The class is too noisy, there are arguments, someone is in tears…and the teacher says, ‘We’ll get back to our work later, but first we are going to relax. Everyone find a place on the floor, and I’ll read you a relaxation script.’

272. There are figs growing in the neighbours’ property, coming through the school fence, and the Principal lets me reach between the wire and grab one for myself… and one for him too.

273. The teacher tells us to sit on the mat. Even though we are too old for that … we still love it.  A couple of kids like to sit at their chairs but the rest of us LOVE the floor.

274. Sometimes we listen to music when we are working.

275. We keep caterpillars in cocoons and watch them turn into butterflies.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when we attach movie personalities to bugs and kids.)

266. I sneeze in class and 30 other children say, ‘Bless you! Bless you. Bless you…’ When the teacher eventually gets us all working silently again, he says, ‘By the way, ‘Bless you.’’

267. We make water powered rockets. (I put too much compressed air into mine and it disappears over the roof… and no one can find it.)

268. I am completing work with a partner.

269. Instead of us choosing whom to work with in small groups, the teacher allocates groups.   And the groups change often.

270. We make a book Showbag with word sleuths, letters, comics, masks, Venn diagrams, character webs, and puppets inside. And we get to swap our Showbags with others.

(Copy copyright: I love school when the teacher says, ‘I can’t understand where your rocket has gone. It has just disappeared. I just can’t understand it.’)

261. The class gets free time and someone asks me to play with them.

262. The teacher plays sport with us while on duty. (‘Only for a short time,’ he says, because he is on duty, but I think it is because he is unfit and we beat him at the game.)

263. The teacher places my artwork upside-down on the wall. And I say, ‘You have hung my artwork upside down.’ And the teacher tries to cover up her mistake.

264. I teach the teacher something. This often happens in lessons with computers.

265. I am told that I am in the inter-school team. It doesn’t matter if it is for running, high-jump, long-jump, team games, or even jousting. It is all about going out for the day and being part of the team.  I feel so proud. I also see the envy on some of the other children’s faces. It will be an exciting day.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I do something that others in the class don’t.)

256. The teacher tells the class that when we go home we should ask our parents to check our heads for nits. (He doesn’t tell anyone that my mum handed him a note this morning, and that I know for sure that my head has no nits in it TODAY.)

257. The homework for the week is to watch television and analyse the advertisements.

258.The teacher gives us work that is so, so hard, then allocates groups and I am with a hard working genius.

259. You have a part to read in front of the school, and you can’t read well, but the teacher begs you to give it a go. Then he listens to you read again and again and again, and he has confidence in you. He even makes a promise with you that if you read, he’ll reward the whole class. When you do eventually read he tells you what a brilliant job you did and he rewards the class. (Even though you know you made mistakes. But now, they don’t really seem to matter.)

260.The person beside you is away for the term, so you get to have an extra desk to dump your books on.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I try hard and succeed.)

251.  A day after being wrongfully told off, the teacher apologises to me.

252. The Italian teacher organises for the Gelato van to visit. We learn the Italian phrase for ‘Can I have a single cone please?’ and also the flavour we want! And then we thank the man and wish him a good day. (All in Italian)

253. My mum/dad gets chosen to help on a field trip(excursion).

254. We are allowed to make the rubric for marking out work. (We make everything positive and easy to achieve.)

255. I see the Principal give a wink to a little kid and I see the little kid trying to wink back… but it ends up as a blink.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I see little kids trying to act grown up.)

246. I hear a chapter of a story, and am asked how one of the characters is feeling at that point. I love it because I can get more inside the book. I get to feel how the characters feel.

247. When the teacher lets us keep our shoes off.

248. After parent night I find a note inside my desk from my mum/dad. The first year my parents did this, all they wrote was, ‘Have a good day!’ But the second time they did this they wrote all sorts of things and hid them throughout my desk. I had to take out all my books and I found ten little notes. ‘Have a good day!’ ‘Have you found all ten notes yet?’ ‘Are your friends around your desk now, trying to help you?’ ‘We will embarrass you now and say that you are our little munchkin.’ …

249. It hails. The teachers yell at us to stay undercover, but we ignore them. We run and collect handfuls and throw it at our friends. Our fingers are red and blue and wet. We are frozen… and love school.

250. A ‘special’ pen-grip is organised for me.

(Copy copyright:  I always love school when we don’t have to wear shoes.)

241. The teacher recognises how hard the work has been, and breaks the lesson with a game.  Today’s game is that we form groups of three, and decide upon an animal sound.  We wander around the class and when the teacher claps her hands we must close our eyes, make the animal sound, and try to reform our group without opening our eyes. It is a chaotic mess of animal shouting.  I love school.

242. The ‘farm animals’ come to school and we are able to pet chickens, rabbits, goats…

243. The time of my music lesson clashes with the subject I dislike most, so I get to miss out a lesson.

244. A friend who has a hard time at home falls asleep at her desk, and the teacher tells us to work quietly so as not to wake her.

245. Grammar or punctuation lessons are based on a recent celebration, like Halloween, Easter, Harvest… or when they include names of children in the class.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when all sorts of things happen with farm animals!)

236. The teacher rewards us with raffle tickets, and we draw names out of a hat each day for treats.

237. We get to build things. Using plasticine, straws, wood…

238. After parent interview night, I find a note of encouragement in my desk, from my mum or dad.

239.The class is stuck inside on a beautiful day and the teacher says, ‘Oh my Gosh. It is DEARO’ time. It is DEARO time.’ And someone asks, ‘What is ‘Dearo Time’?’ and the teacher says, ‘Drop Everything And Read Outside Time. Get your hats. Get your most excellent book, and line up at the door.’

240. I am having trouble doing a test and the teacher stops at my desk, stares at me, and says in a loud voice, ‘I am not going to mention any names, however, someone needs to check their booklet because they may have missed a question. And I am not looking at anyone in particular.’ But he is looking straight at me.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when my name is drawn out of the reward hat three times in the same day.)

231. We film News on our ipads and have live crosses to an interviewer at a pretend event. We make props and wear wigs, glasses and ties. It is so much fun.

232. My teacher and my mum and dad meet. If it is for something good or bad, it is still about me, and that gives me a good feeling. (Just as long as it is good. Gulp!)

233. I am trusted with the classroom keys. (And I secretly think about hiding them, but I don’t.)

234. The teacher has a cool nickname for me. I was once in a sit-up competition with the rest of the class, and I was still going strong, two minutes after the rest of the class had stopped. The headmaster heard what had happened and called me ‘The Machine’. That nickname lasted all throughout primary school.

235.I miss out on a treat that everyone else gets, so the teacher organises something even better for me.

(Copy copyright:  i love school when I have a nickname.)

226. We go on an excursion and I get to walk (sometimes run or stumble because someone behind has pushed) down the aisle of the bus when going on a school outing. My friends’ happy faces surround me. There is that strange plastic smell, and the excitement of going some place other than the classroom.

227. An eruption of screams and squeals sends everyone running in the direction of the sound. (Kids should really run in the direction away from the sound of screams and squealing.) We lean over each other and see a tiny lizard or spider, who is probably a thousand times more scared of us than we are of it.

228. My teacher organises a wonderful excursion. (Not the one to the recycling centre, or the sewerage centre.)

229.My teacher gives the children who have trouble speaking, the job of thanking the people who run a presentation. (Their thankyou is almost as long as the presentation.)

230.We learn a new game for sport.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when small bugs are involved.)

221. I make a bet with my friend, where the loser has to be the winner’s slave for a day… and I win.

222. I colour in a picture using crayons, and my paper is on top of a deskmat or some other object, so an imprint comes through into my colouring.

223. The ball goes over the fence and the teacher trusts me to go and get it.

224. I am on the oval at lunchtime and I hear a little Aboriginal girl singing in her own language.  It is so beautiful.

225. One of the other kids comes back from an extended holiday and gets to say news. And beside them on the floor is a bag, and inside that bag are presents for the class. The gifts will be strange and small, and from far off places. They will probably bear tiny Chinese lettering! Even though I am supposed to be listening to the news, all I can think of is, ‘What’s in the bag?’

(Copy copyright:  I love school when I learn about other cultures.)

216. It is the first day, and my desk is stacked high with files, pencil cases, tissue boxes, and stationery.And it is all perfectly stacked, unlike the kid beside me, who can’t move their hand away without everything toppling over.

217. The day before our Easter holiday break, the teacher has organised an Easter Egg hunt, and we are an older class. I love school.

218. I am chosen to thank the person who came to visit the class.

219. The teacher is feeling sick but still comes to school, so instead of work we do fitness, games, free time writing and drawing, reading and drama.

220. My friends and I try to burp the alphabet.

(Copy copyright: I love school when with my friends.)

211. On the way BACK from the excursion most of us are exhausted, so the teacher makes us play ‘the silent game’.  We call the game ‘dead fish’.  This is when we all pretend to be dead fish on the bus.  Some kids do actually fall asleep.

212. My friends and I need time to sort out a problem, and the teacher gives it to us.      ‘You see Jilly told Tina that I said to everyone else that her and Keith were in love. When Tina found out, she told everyone that I had lied, and then half the class suddenly ganged up on me. First I had to stand up against Ellie and Jessica who told me that I was being mean. Then I spoke to Tina. Then I spoke to Tina with Caitlin, to prove that I didn’t tell her that Tina and Keith were in love. And then I spoke to Jilly, who said that she thought she heard me telling Jenni about Tina and Keith. Then I spoke to the teacher. And the problem was sorted. Tina and I are still best friends… but we don’t like Jilly anymore.  But I think Tina and Keith are in love.’

213. The teacher, who has an old ‘bomb’ car, says, ‘As a class reward this year, if you get 1000 class points, you can paint my car.’

214. I am lining up for a treat from the teacher, and the teacher reverses the line, so the kids at the back get served first. I am at the back. (It has worked out so well, but I am not sure where the line will start next time.)

215. I invite a special-needs child to my party, and the teacher hears about it, and I get a merit award at assembly for caring and kindness. (The reason the teacher heard about it is because the special kid was really happy and told the teacher. It is the first party, held by a school friend, they the kid had ever been invited to.)

(Copy copyright:  I love school when you get a reward for playing the part of a dead fish.)

206. I am picked to design/draw a poster to advertise a school event.

207. I get 90 percent in a test. I work extra hard and get 100 percent in a test.

208. The teacher lays down a hard, firm rule but changes it for me.

209. We sing and talk loudly on the bus, on the way to an outing.

210. The class is taught how to meditate. (Renee falls asleep and I have to wake her gently.)

(Copy copyright: I love school when I can relax and forget about the hard times at home.)

201. The teacher is late for class, and we are playing and shouting, and someone calls out, ‘The teacher is coming.’ And we all sit at our desks in silence, pretending to work. (I usually have a bubble of laughter that wants to break out.)

202. The class goes on an outing.

203. I get a merit award, and even though my mum and dad can’t attend, my teacher is watching and gives me a ‘thumbs up’.

204.My teacher makes us reflect on lots of things… and he never gets angry at what we write.

205.The teacher asks me nicely to clean off the blue pen scribble on my arm.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when we go on ANY school outing.)

196. We play a students/teachers game of soccer and beat them.  Other students line the outside of the pitch and cheer, some for the teachers and some for us.  There are always a few good teachers, but it is easy to dribble past most of them.

197. We use our calculators. Before the teacher gets organised, my friend tells me a riddle, then turns the calculator upside down to reveal the answer. (The numbers, when upside down, look like letters.)

198. The teacher reads us a story and gets really involved in it. I mean really involved in it. They shout and rant and rave, and even let fly drops of spit. I love it.

199. My work is so good that I must go and show it to another teacher. There is a hint of the unexpected here, because some of the teachers will show my work to their class.  Others will give me a treat.  Others will pat me on the back.  It is all good. And a little bit embarrassing too.

200. I am the first one to get out at lunch time. It is so weird seeing the playground empty, and I feel like the King of it all.  I can sit where I want.  I can say and do as I please. I sort of claim the school as my own.

(Copy copyright: I love school when teachers accidentally spit on a kid while they are reading, and the kid just pretends it didn’t happen.)

191. The history teacher organises for my grandparent to visit the class to talk about life in the olden days. My grandfather is so nervous at the start of the talk.  But the kids love him.

192. A friend shares their recess with me. (I wish I had sweet strawberries every day.)

193. The teacher calls out somebody’s name to go and see the headmaster, and the whole class goes ‘Woooh’ in a perfect chorus. Even the teacher smiles.

194. I stay away from school because the class is making toolboxes for Father’s Day. The next day I tell the teacher that I have no dad and my uncle is away. But still, he has made me a toolbox, and he says I should give it to my mum or grandmother, but fill it with flowers or cans of drink.

195. You can’t find your lunch money so you tell the teacher and he/she gives you some of their lunch. (The bread is stale and the food is bland, but it is the thought that counts.)

(Copy copyright: I love school when I feel like part of the class.)

186. We have ‘Convict Day’, and dress up as convicts. And the teachers have organised for us to …scrub the corridor…walk in leg irons…make and wear toe-rags…be lined up against the fence in stocks…scrub clothes in an old copper pot…

187. The teacher gets too carried away inside a book.

188. I can’t find my pen, and a kid in the class who I hardly even know, lets me use their spare pen.

189 The teacher tells someone else to pick up the rubbish I have dropped.

190. For Father’s Day we have to write about a significant male in our lives. I write a description of the teacher and I say how good he is, and how much I like the lessons. He gives me one of his knowing smiles and says, ‘You are a manipulator!’ I grin because he rewards everyone with extra sport time. And everyone thanks me.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when people are generous.)

181. We dress up for Halloween, share ghost stories, and watch a scary movie.

182. The teacher plays a 10 minute game of silent ball that actually lasts 20 minutes.

183. We fill up one of the teachers’ old shirt and trousers with scrunched up newspaper, stick a monster mask on it, and sit in the spare chair in the classroom for Halloween. We also make a ghost, carve a pumpkin, and spread spider web around the room.

184. I am part of the class singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to someone else, and watching them smile.

185. The teacher realises that I will NEVER get a hundred per cent in ANY spelling test, so s/he lets me play spelling games instead of sitting a test. (I think I like spelling now, but before, I hated it.)

(Copy copyright:  I love school when we celebrate things.)

176. It is a sport carnival and we are all huddled in a tent for a short time because it is raining cats and dogs.

177.The whole class is working in silence and a ball hits the window, making us all jump; leaving us laughing and talking.

178 .I open my desk to get my book out, and the book I want is sitting right on top, so I don’t have to go digging around inside.

179.I get to the sport equipment first and am able to choose what I want.

180.I almost faint in the classroom, so the teacher takes me to the staffroom on our way to the next lesson and, while the other children wait outside, he gives me a chocolate biscuit. All of a sudden, all the other children are saying, ‘Ohhh! I feel faint.’ The teacher laughs, and I finish my biscuit.

(Copy copyright: I love school when I eat chocolate biscuits.)

171. I swing on the chair and get that perfect balance point. (Hands out wide, feet under my desk to catch me if I topple backwards. Eyes to the board. Tongue probably sticking out sideways.)

172. We have a visiting wheelchair basketball champion who brings in wheelchairs, and lets us try them on the court. We all take turns and we all have success, but he is a real champion and spins around, skids to a stop, and ‘runs’ circles around us. Afterwards, we look at videos on youtube and see him in action on the international circuit. Too cool!

173. I want to talk to the teacher at lunchtime and s/he is waiting in the class and wanting to talk with me too. It sure is nice to have my own personal sounding board/psychiatrist/brother/sister/mum/dad on hand.

174. When our next unit of work is something like superheroes. Olympics. Inventors. Convicts. Natural disasters. Space…Monsters…comics…

175. The class disruptions are absent and the day goes smoothly, and you actually learn something.  These disruptions can take the form of shouting teachers, shouting kids, mean teachers, mean kids, humming and tapping teachers, whistling kids, kids kicking your chair, kids on anger management plans, teachers who should be…

(Copy copyright: I love school when the next unit of work on monsters is run by a mean teacher who tells us to describe our ‘bad monster’/anti-hero/antagonist. And I describe him.)

166. I show a bad test result to a teacher, and instead of getting angry, he asks, ‘How are you going to get a better mark next time?’ (Thinking about thinking is strange, but I feel more in control.)

167. The bell rings, and I realise it is the lunch bell, not the recess one.  Woah! Time is flying.  There is only one more session of work before the end of school.

168. The teacher forgets to collect the homework. (When I have forgotten to do it.) This is a miracle.  Kids who don’t do their homework usually have timeout on the bench at lunchtime.

169.  The teacher is late to class.  We talk, too loudly and spend time milling around the room, nowhere near our seats.

170 . It is the Sport Carnival day and because all the teachers are busy, a few of us wander around doing as we want. We move between different faction bays, talking with our friends.  We sneak out of the bays and spend time around the spectators. There is even a small creek that we are able to check out.  Actually, the only place we don’t want to be is where we are supposed to be – in the faction bays. Life is good.  A few of the younger kids have brought in sweets, which they give to us when we ask.  One year, I even bought some sweets at the canteen, which was out of bounds for students.

(Copy copyright: I love school when I think about thinking.)

161. I arrive at school and find an envelope with my name on it, on my desk. After the initial surprise, I realise that it might be an invitation.  I forget whatever else I am doing, and open the envelope.  My fingers are moving as quickly as they can, getting in the way of each other.  The last thing I want to do is accidentally rip the invitation, so there is a fine trade off between speed and care.   Finally, the envelope is open and inside I find a party invitation. This is definitely one of the reasons I love school.

162. The librarian recommends a book to me.

163. While lining up for athletics’ races you hear Mum and Dad shouting encouragement. You are trying to ignore them but your friend points them out and laughs with you. (Especially when you deny knowing them.)

164. There is the soft sound of quiet talk in the classroom, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, the whole class goes deathly silent. The teacher hasn’t asked us to be silent, nor has she threatened – it just sort of happens. It is just so weird it is wonderful, until some drongo says, ‘Why isn’t anyone talking?’

165. There is a serious issue that I know about, and when I am talking everybody listens intently.

(Copy Copyright: I love school when I get a party invite because I know how much it means!  Many parents only allow kids to pick  3 or 4   friends to come to their party, so if you are picked, you are really valued as a friend.)

156. I walk into the classroom for the first day of the year and a desk has a name-tag on it for me. I was feeling nervous before that, but now I know the teacher has thought about me. I feel as if I belong somewhere. Now I can unload my gear and find my friends.

157. The teacher fumbles over his words and gets tongue-tied and has to try again. But he can’t get his words out again, so he tries again.  Still, he can’t do it!  He gives up and screams in exasperation.

  158. Another teacher sneaks into the room, and takes a seat at the back of the class, and talks with me for 10 minutes (until my teacher notices). The whole time she is talking, I feel as if I am part of a wonderful joke, with a powerful ally. She asks what kind of work I am doing, and whether my teacher will notice us soon.  She asks if I have had a good day.  She asks me…

159. The teacher chooses who our partners are for an activity. Because the teacher chooses, I am not afraid of being left out. It is horrible when I am; if my friend is away, or if she has found a new friend. The completion of the activity is not as important as who I am working with. If I am with the right person, then the teacher can ask anything of me.

160. I open my lunchbox and find a tiny little sticker on my apple. And now I am armed, just waiting to put it onto someone’s back. I stick it onto the side of my lunchbox and have my lunch, nervously talking with my best friend. And wait until it is time to play! And then I walk beside him and pat him on the back as a sign of friendship. Half a minute later I slow my step to see if the sticker is on his back. Yes!

(Copy copyright:  I love school when a teacher is unable to say what he or she wants.)

151. The teacher wants one thing and a lot of us kids want another, so we have a class vote, and the kids win! The teacher scratches his head and says, ‘How did that happen?’

152. The teacher lets me have my pen licence. Some kids got their pen licence after the second term last year. Some kids got their pen licence in the third term last year. I waited all year but still didn’t get it. My handwriting is a little like chicken scrawl. Then I forgot about it. The following year the teacher said, ‘Attention everybody! I have a huge announcement. Pens down please. Today, I must award a boy who has stood tall amongst you. Many of you attained a certain item last year, but this boy of resilience has waited for more than a year to get this item. Can we have a round of applause for… And I will now officially hand over this Pen licence for persistence and effort. And no one can argue with that.’

And there is a HUGE round of applause.

153. We are let out at lunchtime and there is another group sitting where we normally sit, so I go up to them and tell them it is our spot. I am nervous and alone when I approach them. They tell me that anyone can sit there. They laugh at me, knowing that they have the power.  And then my friends arrive, and we argue the point, and those kids move away. I love justice at school.

154. The teacher lets us choose our partners for an activity.  I leap from my chair and so does my best friend, and then we are standing next to each other and bubbling with positive energy.  We have both listened to what is required, so are able to get straight on with the task.  Working with a good friend means that the lesson is already successful, even if we can’t do what is asked of us.

155. We make electrical circuits. I love the wires and light bulbs and batteries.  I love trying to get that bulb to light up.  (And for homework we had to make a model which included an electric circuit. My friend made a fan.  Another friend made a car that was powered by an engine. I made a model house with a room that lit up. I love school when we build things.)

(Copy copyright: I love school when the pen licence is given out to everyone.)

146. We get extra reading time. I love this because I have a great book from the library. And the free time cuts into a health lesson. And even though the teacher says it is only for 5 minutes, it usually ends up being 20. And we are allowed to sit or lie on the floor. And there are cushions. Oh, what a life.

147. The teacher calls out my name as one of the children who scored 100 percent in a test. Even though I studied hard, I did not expect one hundred percent.   I am so surprised I swell with pride, and the others applaud.  I am normally a sixty percent kinda guy. You have to love school when this happens.

148. The teacher tells us not to run, but as soon as we are out of sight, we all make a mad dash for it. Down the corridor, down the steps, across the basketball court, to the bags and out to play.  Us kids love freedom.

149. The teacher is late to the lesson, so the principal tells everyone in the class to start clucking like chickens at two o’clock. When two o’clock comes, and clucking chickens interfere with the lesson, the teacher grins.

150. One of my friends is playing soccer at break time, and kicks the soccer ball, and his shoe comes off. He is scrambling around trying to play the game and get his shoe back on, while I laugh at/with him. Usually he ends up grabbing the shoe, and running around with one shoe on and one off.

(Copy copyright:  I love school when, after your shoe comes off, you can slip it back on without having to undo the laces.)

141. We have free time to draw.

142. We write stories and read them aloud and the other kids think mine is great.

143.The teacher tells us ghost stories. He once told us about the time he stepped off a bus and there was a face and hands facing upwards in the dirt towards him. That one really freaks me out. And the time that a bell was being rung at a grave site, so they dug up the coffin to find out if the person was still alive… but the grave was empty. And another story he told of was when he was lying in bed and suddenly there was a chill in the air. But he was too hot under the blankets so he stuck his leg out. And he heard a noise near his leg. And the mattress dropped. And suddenly he felt clammy, slimy hands on his leg. Someone was pulling at his leg. Pulling it really hard so he started screaming out to his wife to save him. And he was being dragged under the bed. Screaming! Screaming! ‘My leg is being pulled! My leg is being pulled!’ Just like I am pulling your leg now.

144.I see two of the old teachers doing the waltz together at the Graduation Dance.

145.I have no lunch money and the teacher offers me some, but I refuse. Then the teacher says, ‘I found it. I don’t want it. Here take it.’ And he gives it to me and walks away. (And you know it is his. Unfortunately it is only enough to buy a sandwich, and not any of the frills – oh well!)

(Copy copyright:  I love school when it is  free time to draw.)

136. You have to read something at the assembly and are nervous, but the teacher says, ‘You are a good reader. Besides, I’ll be just near you and I’ll help if you want.’ When the moment of the big announcement arrives I muck up big time. I am laughing nervously. The teacher smiles. Some of my friends tease me lightheartedly. And, and, and… I can’t wait to do it again next week.

137. It is open night and my work hangs in the doorway. It will be the first thing that anyone will see when they enter the class.  The teacher said, ‘When they see that work, their expectations will be lifted.  They will think, ‘Oh my gosh!  What kind of class is this?  Wow!”

138. Everyone has to help clean the class. Suddenly the teacher tells us we can all go, except these people. And he names some kids who weren’t helping out. (Today I am not named – phew!)

139. There is an electric pencil sharpener. I love the whirring sound. I love not having to twist my hand around. I love the sharp point on the pencil. I remember back to Year 2 when one of the girls stuck her finger into an electric pencil sharpener, which was revolting!

140. I call out to a teacher who is breaking the school rule of ‘running down the corridor’, and he grins back at me.  I love school!

(Copy copyright from the : teacher who runs down the corridor grinning and thinking ‘I love school’.)

131. The biggest klutz in the school takes the most amazing one-handed catch. Most of us just stood there and stared, until the event sank in, and then we ran up to him and congratulated him. And we patted him on the back, and spread the news. The only person who wasn’t happy was the kid who got out, who tried to make all sorts of excuses as to why they should stay in. ‘I didn’t even know he was playing. He can’t catch! Let’s start again.’

132. On the first day of summer, the teacher flicks on the air-conditioner, and I realise I am sitting right in front of it.I love this so much because no one else is as cool as me. (I don’t like it so much when icicles start to form on my lips.) The air-conditioner is set too cold; I should have known this, when I notice the teacher brings a jumper to school. 

133. It is a disco and we have to form groups of ten, but we only have nine people. A special needs girl doesn’t have a group, so we invite her into our group, and now we have ten. And we all have the best fun.  And we even win a prize for our dancing.

134. The teacher breaks one of the Three Golden Rules: Be safe. No putdowns. No sarcasm.

My friend, Sam, isn’t listening and the teacher says, ‘Good listening skills!’ Suddenly the teacher freezes and says, ‘Sorry Sam, but that was sarcasm – when I say one thing but I mean the opposite. Try to get better at listening Sam.  I suppose I must put my own name on the punishment list for using sarcasm. Oh well.’    And does!

135. The teacher climbs up onto a desk, while we are working, to hang up some work, and looks like a stick insect. At one point it looks like he is going to fall, but after a quick step, and plenty of arm swinging, and a bit of panic, he is balanced again.  I love that.

(Copy copyright: I love school when the climate is perfect.)

126. My assignment is overdue, and each day I am hassled by the teacher, but I suppose I am lazy. Then another assignment is due and another and it is all too much. And I am losing one lunchtime after another trying to catch up but I can’t. And the teacher talks to me and we discuss the problem, and he says I don’t have to do all the work. (Now I can sleep peacefully again.)

127. We do Art.

128. You race to the water fountain and get there second. The person who gets there first usually has the warm water in the pipes. And you can say things to him like, ‘Oh! You beat me again. Oh well, I’ll beat you next time.’ But you never do!

129. My mum turns up at school and I organise for my best friend to come over for a play. It is all so unexpected and it happens so quickly. One moment I am looking forward to television, homework, sandwiches and chores, and the next moment I am looking at computer games, fun times and cakes.

130.The teacher plays a 10 minute game of silent ball.

(Copy copyright: I love school when the Mona Lisa is around.)