“Do the honours please, Joanna, if you’d be so kind.”
“Oh Clare! I really don’t know about that.”
“Is there a problem, Joanna?” I ask, all innocent.
“I’ve never slippered a girl before in my life, Joanna.
I mean, I wouldn’t know….
That is, I just have no experience.”
“I did suspect, Joanna, to be honest.” I need to say this just right.
“Look, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I have heard there are one or two girls getting away with murder in your classes.
In fact, even they are surprised you haven’t disciplined them.”
“Disciplined them?”
Joanna was looking distinctly worried.
She knew as well as I did that her ability to maintain order in her classes was one of the things she would be assessed on.
“You don’t mean slippered them?”
