Woops!

Tom Crispin said:

I took a group of nine 10-year-old children on a night ride - the
culmination of eleven 2-hour cycling lessons spread over two years.
The children are all experienced cyclists.

Oxleas Wood is a 3-mile ride from the school, and it rises to perhaps
100m. Leaving school at 4pm we got the the top of the woods at about
4.30 where we refuelled with a doughnut while waiting for darkness to
fall.

At 4.45 we delved into the murky darkness under the tree canopy and
explored the woods for about 30 minutes. Then a quick spin around
Severndroog Castle, and a tentative plunge down the hill towards the
South Circular Road.

Leading the group, I fell.

Into the mud.

My back wheel just went from under me.

The following children fell...

...about laughing.

How undignified!

I later claimed I was demonstrating a quick dismount. I don't think I
got away with the lie.

Tell them that this is the last and most important lesson, and what do
they think it is? Sudden, bad things happen to even the most
experienced of us, and be prepared. Or at least learn how to fall!

Tom Crispin said:

Leading the group, I fell. Into the mud.

My back wheel just went from under me.
The following children fell about laughing.

IMHO you should have been honest with them, they would respect you more.

Martin.

Tom Crispin said:

Quoted message said:

Leading the group, I fell. Into the mud.

My back wheel just went from under me.
The following children fell about laughing.

and Martin Dann responded:

Quoted message said:

IMHO you should have been honest with them, they would respect you more.

Do you have no sense of fun? Kids *love* joining in with an obvious
lie. It shows that the adult has a sense of humour and strengthens the
bond between adult and child.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

In article <[email hidden]>, Tom Crispin
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I took a group of nine 10-year-old children on a night ride - the
culmination of eleven 2-hour cycling lessons spread over two years.
The children are all experienced cyclists.

Oxleas Wood is a 3-mile ride from the school, and it rises to perhaps
100m. Leaving school at 4pm we got the the top of the woods at about
4.30 where we refuelled with a doughnut while waiting for darkness to
fall.

At 4.45 we delved into the murky darkness under the tree canopy and
explored the woods for about 30 minutes. Then a quick spin around
Severndroog Castle, and a tentative plunge down the hill towards the
South Circular Road.

Leading the group, I fell.

Into the mud.

My back wheel just went from under me.

The following children fell...

...about laughing.

How undignified!

I later claimed I was demonstrating a quick dismount. I don't think I
got away with the lie.

So is there going to be some major [censored]-taking at school, or are they
generally well behaved young ladies and gentlemen?

Danny Colyer said:

Tom Crispin said:

Quoted message said:

Leading the group, I fell. Into the mud.

My back wheel just went from under me.
The following children fell about laughing.

and Martin Dann responded:

Quoted message said:

IMHO you should have been honest with them, they would respect you more.

Do you have no sense of fun? Kids *love* joining in with an obvious
lie. It shows that the adult has a sense of humour and strengthens the
bond between adult and child.

Thanks, Danny. I was a bit lost as to how I should respond to Martin.

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:23:55 -0000, Rob Morley <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Tom Crispin
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I took a group of nine 10-year-old children on a night ride - the
culmination of eleven 2-hour cycling lessons spread over two years.
The children are all experienced cyclists.

Oxleas Wood is a 3-mile ride from the school, and it rises to perhaps
100m. Leaving school at 4pm we got the the top of the woods at about
4.30 where we refuelled with a doughnut while waiting for darkness to
fall.

At 4.45 we delved into the murky darkness under the tree canopy and
explored the woods for about 30 minutes. Then a quick spin around
Severndroog Castle, and a tentative plunge down the hill towards the
South Circular Road.

Leading the group, I fell.

Into the mud.

My back wheel just went from under me.

The following children fell...

...about laughing.

How undignified!

I later claimed I was demonstrating a quick dismount. I don't think I
got away with the lie.

So is there going to be some major [censored]-taking at school, or are they
generally well behaved young ladies and gentlemen?

I know the children well enough, and am known well enough, to be able
to join in the merriment.

I'm more concerned about Leavers' Assembly in July. Five years ago
the current Year 6 class was my Year 2 class. One morning, after
playtime, I flumped into my chair and it collapsed under me leaving me
on the floor and some very surprised 6-year-olds - until they fell
about laughing.

In Leavers' Assembly the children have an opportunity to recall some
of the more amusing memories of their time at school. I can hear it
now. "I remember the time in Year 2 when Mr Crispin sat on his chair
and ..." It is customary for parents attending the assembly to
politely laugh at the most unfunny of recollections.

On 01/10/2007 19:52:29 Tom Crispin said:

I took a group of nine 10-year-old children on a night ride - the
culmination of eleven 2-hour cycling lessons spread over two years. The
children are all experienced cyclists.

Quoted message said:

Oxleas Wood is a 3-mile ride from the school, and it rises to perhaps
100m. Leaving school at 4pm we got the the top of the woods at about 4.30
where we refuelled with a doughnut while waiting for darkness to fall.

Quoted message said:

At 4.45 we delved into the murky darkness under the tree canopy and
explored the woods for about 30 minutes. Then a quick spin around
Severndroog Castle, and a tentative plunge down the hill towards the South
Circular Road.

Quoted message said:

Leading the group, I fell.

Quoted message said:

Into the mud.

Quoted message said:

My back wheel just went from under me.

Quoted message said:

The following children fell...

Quoted message said:

....about laughing.

Ah, Murphy's Law never more aptly demonstrated.

Quoted message said:

How undignified!

Quoted message said:

I later claimed I was demonstrating a quick dismount. I don't think I got
away with the lie.

--

Buck

Give a little person a little power and create a big problem.

http://www.catrike.co.uk

In article <[email hidden]>, Tom Crispin
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:23:55 -0000, Rob Morley <[email hidden]>
wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So is there going to be some major [censored]-taking at school, or are they
generally well behaved young ladies and gentlemen?

I know the children well enough, and am known well enough, to be able
to join in the merriment.

I imagined so - I was thinking more of merriment than persecution. :-)

Quoted message said:

I'm more concerned about Leavers' Assembly in July. Five years ago
the current Year 6 class was my Year 2 class. One morning, after
playtime, I flumped into my chair and it collapsed under me leaving me
on the floor and some very surprised 6-year-olds - until they fell
about laughing.

In Leavers' Assembly the children have an opportunity to recall some
of the more amusing memories of their time at school. I can hear it
now. "I remember the time in Year 2 when Mr Crispin sat on his chair
and ..." It is customary for parents attending the assembly to
politely laugh at the most unfunny of recollections.

At least it's not the sort of occasion when they roll out some old
duffer from the class of '49 to regale the gathering with something that
was only marginally interesting even then.

Actually, Mr. Teacher, Sir, shouldn't "Woops" (sic) have an 'h' in it? :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

Actually, Mr. Teacher, Sir, shouldn't "Woops" (sic) have an 'h' in it? :-)

I wasn't wearing a h***** - if I had my head may have made contact
with the mud.