A staff meeting and a half!!

Once a month we were required, in our contracts, to work until 7 pm. Sometimes this was allocated time in our classes updating displays, marking, preparing resources or meetings within our teaching teams. Other times there were specific things the management team wanted to discuss and inform us about and so it was a whole school staff meeting. There were even a couple of occasions throughout the year when this monthly meeting was cancelled altogether without the mention of it having to be made up at a later date. Win, win! It certainly wouldn’t have happened like that back home!

Anyway, the purpose of this particular monthly meeting was to discuss our class assessments and to be reminded of the assessment and report deadlines. The second part of the meeting was to go over the organisation for the Christmas Fare and Carol Service. Including practising the staff Christmas song, which was less than two weeks away now so we didn’t have long!

I was informed by another colleague that the staff Christmas song had become quite a tradition! Apparently, going back a few years, there were a few members of the secondary team who sang in some of the bars during the weekends and were quite keen to implement this into school with a staff sing-song! Some of those members of staff had since left the school, but it was something the management team thought worked well and was a nice thing for us to do as a staff team, to perform a Christmas Carol to the parents! Good luck to everyone hearing me sing a note was my initial thought when I was first told about this Christmas tradition! But it did seem like a nice gesture and gave it a school community feel.

It was arranged so that we were singing in groups between the English and Spanish sections and then the final verse altogether. Initially, I was quite nervous. One I don’t like speaking or performing in front of a large group of people, and Two I can’t sing for toffee! So this is certainly the sort of thing I would ordinarily shy away from. But, sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone, right?

So, after the assessment and important dates part of the meeting we all head over to the music room and stand around the piano. It already has quite a festive feel to it. We are handed a piece of paper with the song we will be singing. Nobody knew up until this point what we would be singing. I’m told that this is part of the tradition. The song is kept top secret until rehearsals!

It is a Christmas song that sings We Wish You A Merry Christmas in different languages. Which, given what type of school it is was quite fitting! We stand in our language section groups ready to begin. The music teacher had it all planned and explained that we were to sing our group chorus and then all sing the final chorus in Spanish and English in turn at the end to finish. I thought this was quite a nice way to showcase both languages of the school.

We begin with the first chorus, which is in Spanish. All the Spanish teachers were enthusiastic and in tune, fabulous! Then it comes around to us Brits! We each swallow hard (we’d discussed amongst ourselves at lunch that we were all well out of our comfort zones with this!) as we are cued in by the music teacher giving the nod as he plays the piano for us to begin. One of the infantil teachers looks up from their piece of paper and mouths that the chorus doesn’t fit the music. Another teacher replies out loud. ‘It doesn’t does it?’

All of a sudden, English head who was standing on the end of our group blurts out, with arms waving in the air and bit of paper flapping, ‘Stop, stop, we can’t sing this! The words don’t match the music!’ The piano stops as everyone turns to look at English head. ‘We need to change this so that it matches.’ She adds.

This starts a bit of a debate amongst people as they turn to the person next to them and start discussing how and which words fit best and why. A few, like myself, just stand in silence. Being a new member of staff, I felt it best to be seen and not heard! Others stand quietly and just roll their eyes waiting for the decision to be made on what will be changed in order for it to be ‘matching!’

Then the person who started the debate, i.e., English head, suddenly shouts over everyone at the top of her lungs, ‘RIGHT! Everyone be quiet and let him (aka music teacher) tell us how we need to do it. He needs to lead us and tell us how it needs to be done.’ No pressure then, poor guy! This is followed by whispering amongst people, which appears to anger English head. ‘WILL YOU BE QUIET!’ She roars then turns to look at the music teacher standing in front of the piano. This is immediately followed by sniggers from both English and Spanish colleagues. Childish yes, but she was quite comical!

So, everyone calm and composed, quiet and looking towards the piano at the music teacher. Nothing like putting someone on the spot! He was very good though, and had come up with two ideas for us to try and see which one we thought was best. To sing all of it or just part of the chorus and then that part of the chorus again at the end after we have sung the Spanish part. Seemed reasonable, but as there are still individuals chipping in their thoughts and still debating, it gets all too confusing and so all goes t#ts up!

The Spanish part, however, still going well. They’ve got it down to a tee! The fact that they have probably angers English head all the more! English head and Spanish head don’t exactly have the most professional relationship at the best of times! They seem to be in their own little competition over who can be the ‘best head’ most of the time.

The Spanish teachers are having so much fun singing and perfecting their part, that they then decide to help us Brits out! So when it comes to the English chorus they also sing with us. This only angers English head somewhat more, which is obvious in her facial expression as she looks as though her head will explode at any moment, quite literally! I was just glad to be three people down the row away from her, especially when she made each of her points with her arms waving about everywhere!

Ok, it’s gone a little wrong. But hey, what are rehearsals for?

At this point, English head really does blow a gasket! She turns to the Spanish section and literally bellows, ‘YOU BE QUIET! If I can’t sing the Spanish part then you can’t sing the English part!’ No sooner does she say it, she realises that she’s said it in English and so repeats herself in Spanish just as angrily! With this, and good for them I thought, the Spanish retaliated by swaying in unison and upping the volume of their performance practice. They’re enjoying the song and it’s Christmas! Be happy as my partner teacher often says when I’m worried about getting something wrong in class, which is often!

As can be imagined, English head is outraged by this total disregard and rebellious act to her instruction. She is visibly furious! She turns to Spanish head, ‘Why are they singing the bits they are not supposed to and not listening to me?’ Spanish head can only respond by shrugging her shoulders with her arms out in the air as she continues to sing, swaying to the music as she does so. She must realise she’s being asked a question, and being challenged by English head, but she doesn’t understand a word of English! So, English head then repeats herself in Spanish, allowing Spanish head to respond to the question. This leads to the two of them having quite a heated exchange of words about who is singing which parts and why. Well, I can only assume, as this heated exchange is in Spanish, and my Spanish speaking English colleagues are too busy listening in on this heated exchange themselves to translate! But, with the finger pointing, talking with hand gestures, red faced, raised voices it was quite an intense angry exchange of words even if I didn’t really have a clue what those exchange of words were!

And all the while, the piano is still playing and the Spanish are still singing! I kid you not! At this point, I find myself having another pondering why moment. Wondering what I’ve let myself in for with all this carry-on!

By now, with all of the commotion, no one has a clue what is going on! Or what we are supposed to be singing. Least of all, poor music teacher!

After things had eventually calmed down, we made another attempt at practising our Christmas song. One of the Spanish teachers, who can only be described as Miss Lovely from Horrid Henry, is always smiling no matter what the circumstances and has a very bubbly personality, so always sends out lots of positive, good vibes. The poor woman must have been just as confused as the rest of us and thought we were at the part where we all sang the chorus together. So when the music teacher gives the English their cue, she also begins to sing. To which, English head turns in her direction and snaps, ‘Will you be quiet, it’s not your turn yet!’ In all her loveliness, Spanish teacher jumps back in surprise at being snapped at so bluntly and rudely, but then just puts her hand over her mouth and gives a little giggle!

English head is on another one of her tangents as she continues, ‘And why are we all wasting so much time? The whole thing should be sung in English anyway! The parents send their children here to learn English so everything we do should be in that language!’

I instantly feel shocked and appalled by English head’s arrogant outburst. There is a very awkward silence in the room after that. I don’t look at anyone just find myself staring at the floor. I get the feeling that I’m not the only one that was totally unimpressed by that comment! How rude and disrespectful to our Spanish colleagues! I really don’t know how she gets away with it! Her behaviour and demeanour are frankly terrible at times.

The music teacher finally breaks the silence by suggesting we have one final practice before calling it a night. Everyone stands ready in front of the piano waiting for the music teacher to begin playing the piano. At this point, English head storms out of the room as we begin to sing. Another one of the Spanish teachers turns to Spanish head and whispers something, shrugging her shoulders with a concerned look on her face as she does so. Spanish head replies by shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders swinging her arms up in the air in the process as if to say, ‘Let her go’ before continuing to join in with practising the song.  

A few seconds later, English head returns to the room, picks up her song sheet from where she threw it in temper before exiting and bizarrely joins in with the singing. This time, we finished the song and all, apart from English head that is, agree that it sounded much better than the very first practice of the evening.

And with that, we all make a mass exit back to the staffroom to collect our coats and bags and finally make our way home for the evening. We’ve certainly practised and as they say, I’m sure it will be alright on the night! And it was!