Jun 22, '07 4:57 PM
for loretta's contacts
Friday, 22 June 2007
Work today was ‘the day from hell’
Yeah………..really it was. Where do I start? Well, today is Friday and I have only been back at work following a three week illness since Wednesday. Yep, three days back and my coping mechanisms are still not fully recuperated, I remain, even at my best, a little fragile. And even in optimum circumstances today was never going to see me anywhere near my elusive ‘best’. Last night was the first time I had ventured further than the local shop in almost a month. Last night I took a tentative step toward re-establishing something resembling a social life; possibly not the best idea with work looming as a complete non-negotiable this morning! But that is what I rather foolishly did.
Today dawned and I valiantly struggled to open an eye, to dress more or less appropriately and to gulp very hot and very black coffee by the gallon. It helped, a little. And then to work.
This is the one week of the whole year, when those 11 year old, cherub like, primary 7’s spend a couple of days with us, they experience the joys of transferring from primary to secondary school. For many delightful, darlings’ life as a P 7 finishes and life as a S1 begins in earnest. I was presented with a lanky, snotty, snivelling (and I noticed a little muddy) P7, who between sobs and gasps recanted a tale of woe which involved him being an innocent, utterly blameless, vulnerable child who was savagely beaten about the head for absolutely no apparent reason by a dastardly, evil, older pupil. Naturally there was a grain of truth in his sad tale; he did have a lump the size of a small golf ball neatly nestling behind his left ear, the kind of lump that elicits well deserved and genuine concern, plus ice packs of course. BUT…………after relentless and thorough investigation it transpired that said P7 was NOT the utterly blameless, vulnerable child he presented as, AND said dastardly, evil, older pupil, while obviously guilty of unwarranted violence, was not wholly to blame for the incident. While this little drama was unfolding, (complete with guidance teachers reassuring the P7 and members of management taking notes & statements), ALL in the first aid room which I was supposed to be manning; an urgent request came from the games hall (which just had to be at the other side of the school and up several flights of stairs), for a wheel chair!! So………..off we go with ice packs to investigate this urgent call and find a 14 year old lad with a lump on his ankle which looked suspiciously like a broken bone or two. And then there were two non-walking wounded in the first aid room. The 14 yr old leg was duly elevated, packed in ice and reported to the parent of the owner of the leg. Before the wheelchair, ice and rapidly growing lump on ankle could be collected and escorted to hospital yet another casualty arrived. This time a female arm that refused to move and was in dire need of a triangular bandage/sling. Not quite sure why the arm had suddenly lost all strength and movement, neither was the arms owner. But; the immobile, limp arm insisted on returning to class despite being incapable of holding a pen never mind making any attempt at writing. By this time a ‘who am I to argue’ mood had descended over me and off went the arm, with my blessings, proudly encased in my less than perfect, not quite professional sling. Another happy customer! BUT; before the female arm had even reached the end of the corridor yet another poor soul was presented to first aid for assessment.
Here was a lad, previously robust and boisterous, strenuously denying any misdemeanour, shocked at the suggestion that he ‘may’ have taken ‘something’ and yet; for some mysterious reason, was visibly turning the palest shade of grey. His speech was slurred, his eyes heavy, he was rapidly losing the will and/or ability to stand never mind walk and his expression was distant, glazed and vaguely euphoric. His mother was contacted but could not collect her offspring immediately; at which point management made a decision, an ambulance was called.
To recap…………….P7 with golf ball behind left ear had eventually been escorted back to his maths class, female arm was happy to return to physics providing a sling was provided, rapidly growing lump on ankle was sitting in a wheelchair awaiting mother and transport to hospital, and sickly, grey, euphoric lad was oblivious to everything but seated in wheelchair awaiting ambulance. At this very point in my glorious afternoon the fire alarm went off. OH yes it did!!! School evacuation plan put into operation, two lads in wheelchairs were then pushed out of the school and away from the imminent danger of bonfires burning in the lad’s toilets.
It transpired that several lads, some the cherub like P7’s, some a little older, had decided to build a small fire somewhere in the boys toilets, why we shall never know but they did. The lump on ankle was collected by concerned mother and transported immediately to hospital. The ambulance arrived, grey boy disappeared into its bowels where he was I believe, interrogated by paramedics. The whole school, pupils, teachers, staff and 130 excitable P7’s all assembled on the playing fields awaiting the all clear and eventual return to the building.
This was my ‘Day from hell’, it happened, it really did, even I could not invent this. So next time you think you are having a bad day, well maybe you should think about how much worse it COULD get. Oh am I glad it’s Friday! Have a nice weekend everyone.
Tags: 360 import, school, arbroath, scotland
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