OUR headteacher retires at Christmas. It is almost impossible to imagine the place without her. She has been on the staff since the school opened, as teacher, deputy and head. Never one to shut herself away in her office, known to everyone by her first name, she has been the heart and soul of the school. Her laugh will linger on long after she has left the building. She has also been a good friend to me and never a critical one.
This is beginning to sound like an obituary and our beloved head is very much alive and kicking. She plans to start a nursery and is expecting her first grandchild in January. As an experienced grandmother of 15 months standing, I am in a position to give advice on policies towards spoiling, present-giving and not criticising one’s daughter-in-law, even in a friendly way.
It is fitting, therefore, that our last public duty together should be running the toy stall at the school’s Christmas fair. Stallholders traditionally get first pick and we shall both be on the look-out for bargains for our grandchildren. Could be the end of a beautiful friendship.
Joan Dalton
