asy familiarity with the boys.” (PG 68 para.2) He told them to clear the mess up and open the windows to get rid of the smell. The girls we so stunned by his outburst that none of them dared to move or speak. When he returned to the classroom after break, Mr Braithwaite found it spotless. He saw that most of the girls were ashamed of what had happened. After this Mr Braithwaite spoke to his class the next morning. He told them of his teaching intentions and what they could expect and also what he expected of them. He told them of certain courtesies which he would expect. After this Mr Braithwaite found teaching easier. In the pupils’ weekly review, he had made more of an impression. The pupils wrote how they thought some of the courtesies Mr Braithwaite had implemented were stupid, but they also wrote how they were glad that he treated them like adults. Even though Mr Braithwaite had made the first breakthrough with his class, some of them were still unwilling to accept him. One, Denham, who was one of the leaders of the children, was always there to ‘take the Mickey’. Denham wanted to cause trouble and prove that Mr Braithwaite wasn’t good. On one Thursday afternoon after a day when the class seemed to have been distracted by something, Denham challenged Mr Braithwaite to box him in a PT lesson. It was an engineered incident, planned by Denham. Mr Braithwaite didn’t really fight back, thinking he could dodge the blows and then stop the fight. But it was obvious that this wouldn’t happen so he hit him and Denham collapsed on the floor. There was a stunned silence throughout the class. Mr Braithwaite helped Denham to sit against the wall, but he was only winded. After this Denham’s attitude changed and so did his followers’, he was not longer rebellious. Denham’s respect, because he was one of the class leaders, had now made it possible for the class to interact and work even ...
