The Classroom Called School

By Darren Bennett

The Classroom Called School is a collection of ideas and thoughts coming out of Darren's experience as a teacher, and a student.

In a light-hearted style, he delivers story after story of teachers and students who have taught him a lesson or two about this wonderful

profession.

As you read this book it is hoped that

• Language: English
• Publisher: DARREN BENNETT
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9780645851618

Book preview

THE CLASSROOM CALLED SCHOOL E-Book

Forty-three lessons I learned in the classroom ... as a teacher

DARREN BENNETT

This a funny, insightful and moving book that chronicles Darren’s journey from being a student to a teacher. Along the way, he shares several thoughts that helped him survive and thrive in this profession.

For twenty-five years Darren taught high school to students aged twelve to eighteen years. He had a passion for his subject and for the students he taught. His greatest joy was seeing students achieve their learning goals and succeed in their chosen fields of endeavour.

Not everything went to plan in his career though. There were frustrations and challenges aplenty, which built up over time and ultimately led to him leaving the profession.

His story of triumph, success, failure, and brokenness will resonate with many.

Through it all two things were clear.

Darren loved teaching. During his career, he inspired, encouraged, supported and taught his students to the best of his ability. As a result, students discovered talents and skills they never thought were possible.

He also has a passion for teacher well-being and made it his mission to learn all he could to help others in their teaching journey.

In an easy-to-read format, Darren delivers several ideas that will inspire, encourage and refresh you in your job as a teacher.

The Classroom Called School takes the reader behind the scenes into the classroom, the boardroom, and the staffroom as Darren reflects on what he learned in each of these environments. Presenting these ideas in a humorous way helped me better understand the material and further appreciate the critical role teachers play.

It was a joy to read this book.

Dorothy Bennett

Dip T (QUT), B. Ed (QUT).

Experienced Senior Teacher Level 2

Education Queensland

The Classroom Called School

Copyright © Darren Bennett 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the author’s prior written permission.

1st Edition

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-6458516-0-1

E-Book ISBN:978-0-6458516-1-8

Formatting by: Atticus.io

Published in 2023 by Darren Bennett

While the stories in this book are true, some names have been changed to protect the individual’s privacy.

Contents

Dedication

Bennettism's

1.Introduction

2.Lesson 1

2. I WANT TO BE A TEACHER

3.Lesson 2

3. SEE YOU IN THE HALLWAYS

4.Lesson 3

4. HOME ECONOMICS

5.Lesson 4

5. PRAC

6.Lesson 5

6. YOU CARRY THE PIG

7.Lesson 6

7. DEBITS ON THE LEFT - CREDITS ON THE RIGHT

8.Lesson 7

8. I CAN’T TEACH GRAPHICS

9.Lesson 8

9. DOOMED

10.Lesson 9

10. THAT’S ENOUGH

11.Lesson 10

11. SPORTS DAY

12.Lesson 11

12. IT IS NOW RETIRED

13.Lesson 12

13. JACK

14.Lesson 13

14. BIRD KILLER

15.Lesson 14

15. SCHLICK YOU’RE ON

16.Lesson 15

16. THE PRIME MINISTER

17.Lesson 16

17. SHOP CLASS

18.Lesson 17

18. LEECHES

19.Lesson 18

19. FISHING

20.Lesson 19

20. CAMPING

21.Lesson 20

21. MY LAST CAMP

22.Lesson 21

22. TIM THE TOOLMAN

23.Lesson 22

23. THE SNOW TOUR

24.Lesson 23

24. IT GREW BACK

25.Lesson 24

25. HAVE A LAUGH

26.Lesson 25

26. JERRY AND NIC

27.Lesson 26

27. NINE STUDENTS

28.Lesson 27

28. BE CURIOUS

29.Lesson 28

29. LISTEN

30.Lesson 29

30. THE RED CARPET

31.Lesson 30

31. NO

32.Lesson 31

32. I’VE LOST MY PHONE

33.Lesson 32

33. HOW BAD ARE THE LIONS

34.Lesson 33

34. THANK YOU MR YU

35.Lesson 34

35. THE PERFECT LAWN

36.Lesson 35

36. THE RAFT RACE

37.Lesson 36

37. THE CONE OF SILENCE

38.Lesson 37

38. SIX WORDS

39.Lesson 38

39. THE DREADED MEETING

40.Lesson 39

40. SIDE-TRACKED

41.Lesson 40

41. HAPPY HOLIDAYS

42.Lesson 41

42. PIERRE

43.Lesson 42

43. MY HAPPY PLACE

44.Lesson 43

44. NECESSARY ENDINGS

45.Conclusion

45. ONLY TEACHERS UNDERSTAND

Acknowledgments

About the author

Contact Darren

Dedication

I dedicate this book to you. To the hard-working teachers who give their all day in and day out. This includes my wife Dorothy, who has been a classroom music teacher in a primary school for well over thirty years. She has dedicated her life to this wonderful but challenging profession. Dorothy, like you, spends an inordinate amount of time planning and preparing lessons, attending to administration, following up on a never-ending stream of emails, dealing with classroom misbehaviour, writing reports and the list goes on. Why does she do it? Because deep in her heart she loves children. She is passionate about her subject matter. She wants her students to succeed in life.

I suspect this is why many of you teach as well. You don’t do this job because of the accolades, you don’t go into teaching for the large salary or even the holidays. You do this job because you wanted to make a difference in the world. You wanted to find a job that was fulfilling and exciting. My wife and I have discovered that teaching is all that and more, however, it can be extremely hard at times.

It is not for the fainthearted.

Thank you.

Bennettism's

The custom of writing witty quotes, sayings or words said in the class started in 2009. Every year, the students collected any humorous remarks they heard. These would be called Bennettisms. Each chapter in this book begins with a Bennettism.

Introduction

Ihad the great joy of teaching high school students for twenty-five years as a business and accounting teacher. What’s more, I had the honour of leading the Faculty of Business and Technology for twenty years.

During all those years, I have had the immense pleasure of witnessing numerous students fulfilling their aspirations and realizing their dreams. To know I’ve helped shape their future was immensely satisfying. I appreciated the friendships I made with colleagues and parents. It was also a privilege for me to be able to offer mentorship and support to younger teachers.

Nevertheless, there were challenges aplenty. The workload pressure was often relentless. There were meetings where I thought I would turn into a zombie. Some students were a source of extreme frustration, and there were certain colleagues with whom I had difficulties.

Throughout my career and in all the ups and downs, I learned a great deal about this wonderful and unique profession and I want to pass on some of those lessons to you.

I have a genuine passion for supporting teachers and I am fully committed to providing you with the best resources and ideas to help you succeed. However, this book is not your average read. Whilst each chapter contains ideas and tips, within its pages, you will find a compilation of amusing stories, witty remarks, and humorous mishaps as I explore the lighter side of teaching.

As you read I hope you will smile, feel uplifted, encouraged, refreshed, perhaps even inspired, but most of all honoured.

Happy reading.

Lesson 1

I WANT TO BE A TEACHER

Mr Bennett is speaking to the class, ‘I know a bit of Wing Chun Kung Fu. You think I’m joking?’ Mr Bennett then trips over a few cords and stumbles. The class bursts out laughing.

Iknocked as gently as I could on the wooden door. A middle-aged lady with blonde matted hair and blue eyes opened the door and peered out.

‘Hello, my name is Darren and I’m from Avco Finance. I am here to discuss your loan with Avco. Do you realise that you are over sixty days late on your loan repayment?’

The lady responded in an irritated tone, ‘Do you realise this is Christmas Eve?’

‘I’m so sorry about this.’

She stormed off and returned with a wad of notes, handing them to me.

I said, ‘Thank you and Merry Christmas.’

‘Yeh, right.’

I left feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge.

I went back to the office where a selection of food and drinks were laid out to celebrate the Christmas break and the successful month we had had. The regional manager showed up to express his congratulations to the whole team.

I wasn’t celebrating.

The only thought incessantly rolling through my mind was, I cannot do this job for one more second. I needed to find a new career and fast.

Surely a role existed to fit my particular talents.

After leaving school in 1979, I worked as a payroll clerk for the federal Department of Housing, a disc jockey in a nightclub, a photographer at a restaurant, a pinball parlour manager and a waiter at a plush restaurant ... this is all before graduating at twenty-three years of age with a business degree in 1985.

After graduating, I got a job detailing cars. This lasted four months.

The owner had one finger and a thumb due to a terrible accident in a sawmill years earlier. I distinctly remember that final meeting when he apologised that there wasn’t enough work for me. He put his hand out to shake mine as a final gesture. It looked like a gun being pointed at me. I grabbed his finger and said my goodbyes.

I then joined Woolworths as a trainee manager and became second in charge of a store for a year. I wasn’t prepared to live at work though, which is what I needed to do to be successful as a manager in the supermarket game.

Soon after, I became a reverend and worked in a church for over a year. Even though I loved this job, my family couldn’t make it on 200 dollars a week, so I had to find something else.

In November 1989, I obtained a job at a finance company. Initially, I quite enjoyed the role but over time it became another job that I disliked and even despised.

I had two key roles.

First, to sell loans to people at a ridiculous interest rate of thirty-three percent.

Second, to ring or visit these same loan recipients if they were more than a few days overdue.

I was nothing more than a glorified debt collector.

There’s nothing like a job you hate to stir you into action to either find a new job or do more study.

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In my time at Avco, I did a lot of soul-searching and I mean a lot. The big question I needed to answer was, what could I do that suited my passion and ability mix that earned me an income?

On 6 November 1992, three years after commencing at Avco, I sat down at the breakfast table poured milk on my Weetbix and said to Dorothy (my wife), ‘I have decided on a path regarding my future.’

She looked up, awaiting my next words.

‘Tell me.’

‘I want to become a teacher.’

Dorothy almost choked on her porridge.

‘Okay.’

‘It should be a good fit for me. I love speaking. I have a business degree and enjoy working with youth. I can do this.’

My wife had some influence there. She had already been teaching high school music for over eight years and loved her job. Daily, she would recount what she did and the more I listened the more I liked it.

I have heard it said that quite often we walk in a fog of sorts. Not knowing what we want in life or what we should do. Since university, I’d spent the best part of twelve years attempting to figure out what my life and job should look like.

The life I had wasn’t what I wanted up to that point.

My many and varied jobs forced me to ask myself some serious questions:

What do I want in life?

What am I good at?

What do others say I’m good at?

What could I do if I applied myself?

What was holding me back from doing something wonderful?

I knew I could do better.

I wanted my degree to count for something.

I wanted to make a difference in life.

I wanted to work in a noble profession.

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Perhaps you are in a season of uncertainty, or you are unhappy with your current position, job or career.

Can I encourage you to do whatever it takes to move the rudder in the direction you want to go.

Life is too short.

Don’t wait any longer.

Someone once said, ‘You will never get what you want until you know what you want.’

So true.

In 1992, I finally knew what I wanted.

I wanted to become a high school teacher.

Lesson 2

SEE YOU IN THE HALLWAYS

Mr Bennett picked up the classroom phone and dialled a number, ‘Hi, this is Darren. Oh, wait, I need to hang up as I forgot the reason I’m calling.’ The class laughs. Five minutes later he calls back, ‘I remember now’.

Ineeded to go back to university and complete a one-year full-time Graduate Diploma in Education. I applied in December 1992 to do the course the following year at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane but my application was rejected. I didn’t have enough specialist subjects in my undergraduate degree relating to accounting and economics, my chosen teaching areas.

I wasn’t sure where to go next with this. I kept working for Avco Finance for another few months until a friend offered me an opportunity to learn the real estate game. After six months of doing this, I realised that I wasn’t suited to this role either.

In December 1993, I applied to do the course a second time, determined to get in, and prepared to do whatever it took. In my desperation, I called the Dean of Education at the university to ask him to consider my application. He said that he would look at it but that’s all he could do.

I replied with guile, ‘I will see you sir in the hallways of QUT next year.’

After a chuckle from his end, he hung up but before he did he said, ‘We’ll see.’

I thought, What possessed me to be so audacious?

In January 1994, I received a phone call from one of the senior lecturers at QUT. She said, ‘I have been reviewing your application and I note that you have enough expertise in accounting, but your second area is a concern. As you did a business and hospitality degree, I think the only way you can be admitted to this course is if you agree to do home economics as your second subject.’

I immediately said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it,’ not processing what I agreed to.

I hung up and celebrated.

I was heading back to university to become a teacher of home economics. Not ideal but I was in.

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In February, we