It was April 1st.,and my tutor-group were 13-year-olds. I went to school prepared for anything. The teacher of teenagers needs to be ahead of the game!
As it happened, I was well-prepared.

It was Friday, and we were all expected to be with our tutor-groups.
This was a time to sort out unfinished business- to check journals and homework, and generally tidy up relationships.
I was looking forward to it, and I had a PLAN......

Register over, I chose a volunteer to give out new exercise books(always welcome) and asked the boys and girls to write their names on the front and put the date on the first page. Then I announced that in tutor periods this term I had decided to teach them Spanish,whenever we could fit it in. German and French were taught in school, but not Spanish.

We talked a bit about travel experiences, and they were all really keen to begin.
I wrote a spanish verse on the board. We would copy it and then translate.

In best writing they began:

Si senor, der dego,
Forte loris inaro:
Daarno loris, daar trux,
Fulo cowsan ensan dux.

Carefully they wrote,and when all had finished I asked who would be brave enough to try to read it.
One of the boys hesitantly began, and light slowly began to dawn.

"Well done!" I said. "Perhaps I'd better read it now,for the pronunciation."
So I did.

"Si signor, der dey go,
Forty lorries in a row:
Dey'r no lorries,dey are trucks,
Full o' cows an' 'ens an' ducks".

"Did you all write the date ? April Fool,3T!"

Which was followed by a chorus of "Oh, MISS!"

Dont worry,we didn't waste the exercise books!