Otley All Saints CE Primary School Blog

William’s heart was racing.  The picture on the board slowly crept out into a 3D figure.  William watched as the figure stepped out of the board.  It was a girl.  She was wearing a ragged dress with an apron, she had no shoes and was in a grubby state.  Her hair was frizzy and she looked sad.  The girl’s eyes were wide with wonder.
“Where am I?” asked the girl.
“Get away from me!” shouted William nervously.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“William,” answered William, “who are you?”
“Betty,” she said weakly.
“Would you mind telling me how you got out of a blackboard?”
Betty shrugged.  “One minute I was cleaning the board for my master and then next minute I ended up here.”

The day dragged.  Things had gone from bad to worse.  He’d been caught daydreaming, he’d got annoyed with some irritating boy and kicked him in the shin, he’d called out without putting his hand up and got lost after PE and was late for History.  He wasn’t settling in at all.
All the other children had left.  William moped to Mrs Grey’s classroom.  His face looked like thunder. 
“William I’m really disappointed in you,” said Mrs Grey softly.  “You can rub that blackboard clean for me.”
Mrs Grey picked her coffee up and left the room in silence.  William walked miserably over to the dusty blackboard and picked up the old threadbare duster.  He began to rub the writing from the board.  Slowly today’s lessons disappeared from the board.  In its place, neatly written letters gradually appeared. 
William gasped.  He looked round the classroom but there was nobody to be seen.  Each letter began to swirl into the centre of the board like a low mist, forming what looked like a handprint.  Then a face.  Then a body – a child’s body.

As William slowly approached the glass door of his new classroom, he saw his new teacher for the first time. 
“Hello, William, I’m Mrs Grey your new teacher”, said the lady, “I’ll show you to your seat.”
William looked around his new classroom.  There were desks set out in rows of four that faced the enormous, dusty blackboard.  “Oh great!” thought William “they haven’t even got a Smartboard.”
As Mrs Grey started calling the register, William fell into a deep daydream.  William was thinking about home and his mum.  He was thinking about his old school with the Smartboard.  He wasn’t thinking about the register.
“William!” screeched Mrs Grey angrily.  “Pay attention!”
William leapt and went tumbling from his chair.  The other children burst out laughing and William’s face burned red like fire.
“William Griffiths!  Stay behind after school and you can rub the blackboard clean.  Maybe next time you’ll concentrate better.  And the rest of you, stop laughing immediately.”

A cold Autumn morning was just beginning and a white sheet of frost covered the earth like a soft blanket.  William was in his bathroom getting ready, thinking about his new school.  He moped down the stairs and into the kitchen where his cold toast was waiting for him.
From the scorching tea-pot, he clumsily poured a hot cup of golden tea.  Steam rose from the cup as he slurped his morning drink.
“Stop slurping your tea!” demanded Mum angrily.
“Fine!” snapped William as he thundered out of the room and slammed the tatty brown door of 33 St. Patrick’s Road behind him.
With his head bowed, he stomped along the road towards his new school.  This was the worst day of William Griffith’s life.  All around everyone seemed to be cheerful.  Girls were skipping and boys were kicking a can, laughing and cheering.
William thought about how he had left the house that morning.  He wished he could go back in time and not mope down the stairs.  Not slurp his tea. Not be clumsy.  Not shout at his mum. Not slam the door.
How he wished that he could be back at home now, curled up on the sofa, watching TV, friends with his mum again, fussing around him and bringing him lucozade and grapes.
But he wasn’t.  He was approaching his new school gates.  Nervous, confused and lonely.