Reasons why I teach juniors

Number 46

Stories

Juniors can tell great stories - dramatic, impossible, imaginative, hilarious stories. And it's not just that the stories are a treat, it's brilliant how often the other children never question them. If Fred says that he climbed Mt Everest on the weekend, the other members of the class will not blink an eyelid and some may even venture that they climbed two Mt Everests on the weekend.

Here's an example of a conversation that I had with a Year 1 child who is in my Literacy group as I was walking around on duty.

Child: My dog is a zombie
Me: Really, that must get tricky sometimes. I guess you'd have to watch that he didn't eat your brains.
Child: He did.
Me: Crikey!
Child: Then he ate a lot of me
Me: How are you walking around now?
Child: Oh, my dad stitched me up

A couple of other children from the same group were also walking with us. Not one of them questioned the story but rather spoke of the various ways to deal with zombies.

I told them that they should write about it as it would make for very entertaining reading.