207. Lazy teachers (4/6)

 We are finally escorted to the meeting room and warned not to all sit at the back. I don't want to be seen as the surly (lazy) teenager so I sit right at the front and stare intently at the screen. There is a slide up with a huge title saying Nouveau Bac 2021 but I soon get bored of this and go back to doodles of burgers and chips. 

The woman in charge (who is she?) starts by saying that she is really truly sorry about all the late notices. I am not sure this is the way to address this grumpy group yet her approach is different. Instead of trying to force a free lunch down our throats she is trying to explain things. She uses words such as 'communication problems' and 'staff issues' and again 'systems crashing'. Still her audience is not yielding and she ploughs on.

'This is also due to an accumulation of small problems ...'

The tense silence is palpable and finally she gives up with a shrug of the shoulders.

'Anyway I don't even know what the problem is ...'

She smiles and people laugh and joke. This honest approach is preferable, it is also much quicker. If this drags on any longer we will need a free supper too.  

'OK! This ... is a commission d'harmonisation. (Yes reader here we are in search of harmony, no less) So ... we are going to make sure that all students are treated equally and fairly ... En masse, not for each individual student of course, that is for tomorrow... And then you will enter the new grades and ... if we have the codes ... and this afternoon we will do Premières if we have the software working ...'

People are beginning to yawn now, the coffee effect is running out. She is walking backwards to point at the new slide and bumps into a desk to which she says 'sorry'. I manage to suppress a laugh. The bumping in the desk triggers up something in her mind and she realises she has forgotten to introduced herself! More apologies. I am tired. I want to go home. I have a whole fast-food menu on my note pad. I could maybe move on to ice-cream sundaes ... or cocktails ...

Yet she goes on. And on. My brain catches words here and there.

'Fair ... if ... codes ... you are in charge here ... grades ... mass not individual ... stricter ... grades ... not a give-away type of exam ... codes ... if we get the codes ... yesterday the software was down ... we will give you the codes ... open two files ... and ... codes ... fair ... difficult year ... in groups of three ... '

I raised my head here. Did I hear groups of three? I did. Everyone is chatting now and about to get up but ... her phones rings. She picks up. We wait in expectation. Someone somewhere is uncharge of this and will surely give us some clear instructions as to why we have been dragged from our sofas.

'Yes ... oh! ... OK ... Right ... Of course.'

People are huffing and puffing and shaking their heads.

'This is a phone call to tell us that the system is down for Premières ... and so we cannot do it this afternoon ... You'll be called again for maybe next week ... The codes will ...'

No-one is listening. The teachers are heading - in groups of three - towards the rooms. 

'Wait a minute!' One man with a loud booming voice yells from the back of the room, already at the door. 

'Where are we going? What rooms? '

Confusion reigns. People are back to moaning to each other about how chaotic this is ... emergency group therapy groups are gathering in the crowded corridor while Mrs I and Mr Who's-this-Guy are concerting and wondering how they can escort a dozens of groups to their allocated classrooms. Are they going to make us wait in the corridor? Recruit ushers amongst the few stranded students still in the building? I cannot take this anymore. I take my phone out, put on an important look and step outside in the bright sunshine. Words are still reaching my ears but I don't care. I doubt they have counted their troops.

'We will take you there. Stay here. ... Oh and the codes are written on the board.'

I reach the rainforest hall and I swear I heard someone shout:

'CUT! ... CUT! ... Well done everyone! Excellent! ... 10 minute break till the next shot.'