It was the end of the month and I was going through the various reports from the different sections. As usual, I was missing one. You would think that the coach, with all his endless details and making of lists and plans for the teams, would remember to attend to his own plans and let me have the monthly report at the end of the month.
I didn't have the slightest doubt that he'd made the report. He just hadn't got around to passing it on to me. Why would he hurry? I'm just the principal. I don't play on any of the damn teams.
I gave him a call to make sure he was still in his office and told him I'd be around to collect the report. He offered to bring it, or to catch a student and send it, but I told him the exercise would do me good. And it would ensure that I actually got the report.
I strolled around and picked up the report and stuffed it into a pocket. Report safe, I sat around for a while, just shooting the breeze with Sam, discussing the teams and assessing realistic expectations of the forthcoming matches. Sam might talk up the team's chances when talking to the teams, but when talking to me he could be brutally frank. Still it seemed as though we could expect a reasonable good year.
While we were talking a bit of background noise had started. A couple of girls talking outside, and their voices were drifting into the office. Then their voices were louder, and quite acrimonious, and starting to draw our attention. When it degenerated even further, with some hot anger apparent, I decided it was time to step in.
Sam thought so, too, and he was getting to his feet to storm outside. I held up a hand.
"Let me, Sam," I said quietly. "It's fun to just appear and stand there, saying nothing, and watch their faces change when they see me. There'll be babbled excuses and then they'll bolt, sweating blood that I might say something."
I strolled over to the office door and stepped out. The situation abruptly changed. Instead of a couple of the female students sounding off, I saw Sonya, one of the senior students, and Miss Jacks, our student teacher, facing off, in each other's face.
The 'see the principal and bolt' scenario never got off the ground. They didn't even see me. They both took that moment to go for each other's throat.
Now you don't get to be a principal without learning a few practical things along the way. One of these things is to never get between too girls fighting. Wait until they're engrossed with what they're doing and then strike.
I gave a call to Sam to come and help and waited for the right moment. When it came I stepped forward and grabbed two heads by the hair, a very large handful in each hand, and tilted their heads back, dragging them apart. I pushed one of the antagonists, Miss Jack, over for Sam to catch.
Sonya and Miss Jacks turned towards me first off, teeth bared and claws out, and then saw who I was. I released Sonya and nodded to Sam, who released Miss Jacks. Miss Jacks started to speak, saw my face and shut up. Sonya actually managed to get a couple of words out, and then she saw my face.
"I am not discussing this here," I snapped. "Coach's office. Now!"
We all moved into Sam's office, and I quietly closed the door behind us.
I then started speaking very softly, slicing and dicing them until they were almost shaking in their shoes.
"The main question I suppose is what am I going to do about this little incident. You, Sonya, you're eighteen and nearing the end of your final year. Attacking a teacher is grounds for expulsion. Think how that would affect you. You'd have to transfer to another school, if you could find one that would take you. You'd probably wind up repeating the whole year and you'd have a big black mark against you.
As for you," I said, turning on Miss Jacks. "You're a student teacher and on probation. Attacking a student not only kills your probation but probably your whole career. Who's going to want to hire a teacher who physically attacks her students?"
I sat back and let the two young ladies digest the predicament they were now in. They didn't look too happy.
"It seems to me that I can neither ignore this incident, nor take official cognisance of it. If I officially take note of what happened, expulsion and firing are the likely outcomes, and I don't really want to do that. But, I can't just ignore it, so let's try to work out a solution here and now. Any suggestions?"
Sonya and Miss Jacks just looked at the floor. After a few moments of quiet, Sam spoke up.
