This story has some elements of truth.
A dear friend of mine was subject to a school investigation in the UK and told me that the worst part for her was being isolated from her friends and colleagues. She was told she would be dismissed if she had contact with them. She felt guilty until she was proven innocent. Although exonerated of any wrongdoing and with no stain on her record, it took her many years to get over the shock of being escorted from the premises and unable to defend herself. There may be no mark on her record, but there is a mark on her mental health and her capacity to trust.
Another friend was on a lengthy trial and found it hard to return to his everyday life after such an extended absence.
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, which inspects educational establishments in the UK.
There is no sex in this story, and I am reliably informed that Loving fiancees are allowed in the Loving Wives category.
Please note that after my last story was stolen and recorded for YouTube by Aurora Stories, this work is copyrighted, and I do not give permission for any part of it to be used elsewhere.
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Teaching was all I'd ever wanted to do. I was the first in my family to go to college. In the late eighties, a man wanting to teach young children raised some eyebrows. I had to fight to be able to do it, believing firmly that children should have a mixture of males and females throughout their school careers.
So, there I was 30 years ago, in my second year of teaching in a large Victorian school that had recently celebrated its centenary. The school had open fires in the classrooms until the late seventies. The windows in the classrooms may have made them bright, but they were so high that no child could see out of them. At six feet three inches, I was the only teacher who could see out. I was also the only male teacher in the infant department.
I'd had a fantastic first year. Not only had I passed my newly qualified teacher year with flying colours, but I had also bought my first home, and more importantly, I'd found love with Yvonne. She was petite with pale skin and vibrant red hair. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever known. She initially placed me in the friend zone, but I eventually won her over at the staff Christmas dance. We were together after that, and although we kept our distance at work, everyone knew we were a couple, including the parents.
I was proud of my relationship with the parents at school. I tried to be open and honest with them, and they responded to that because they knew I cared about their children. I liked them. That may seem like a prerequisite for being a teacher. But believe me, I have met many teachers during my career who didn't like children at all.
Of course, one of the cheekier dads, Mr Legerton, had to shout, "Hey, Mr. Ford, give Miss Barr one for me!"
It was all in good part, though and thankfully, went over the children's heads.
The truth was that I hadn't had the pleasure of giving Miss Barr one despite our recent engagement. Yvonne was a good Catholic girl who was anxious to wait till the wedding night for us to be together. I, of course, as a red-blooded 24-year-old man, was then anxious to get married as quickly as possible.
We pleasured each other in other ways, kissing and caressing, but it wasn't the same. At times, I started to feel that she thrived on my frustration. When I visited her flat, she wore less and less, and I was sure it was to drive me insane. In her little vest top with no bra, she was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. I often spent most of the evening sitting with a cushion on my lap. I could see the amusement in her eyes. She loved the effect she had on me, the vixen.
So, I was happy in my work, engaged to a girl I loved very much, albeit sexually frustrated, but it was still a golden time. Then the letter arrived: jury service. My school was not pleased, and neither was I. I'd have a round trip of forty miles a day and no one could tell me how long I would be needed. I've never reacted well to change. I liked my life as it was. I loved my class. I loved seeing my friends and colleagues every day. I loved knowing that Yvonne was close by.
The school would have to get a supply teacher in for me. He was called Graeme. I met him to do the handover, but I wasn't impressed. He didn't seem interested in the children that much. Physically, he was the complete opposite of me. I was tall and blonde and he was dark, short and squat, with tufts of hair escaping from his polo shirt. He didn't seem to be listening to me at all. The only time he perked up was when Yvonne arrived to tell me she'd see me later for our date at the cinema. I introduced them.
Graeme smiled and said, "I'm David's replacement."
She laughed and said, "No one could replace David. You're only here to hold the fort until he gets back."
"I'll try my best," he smiled.
After she left, he said, "Lovely girl, you've got there, David; you're a lucky man."
Before I left on my last day, I kept a copy of all my records, which in those days were contained in a big old-fashioned mark book--pages of class overviews and individual for the children. I made sure I photocopied it all before I left, partly for comparison later but also because I felt uncomfortable leaving my only copy with a virtual stranger. There was something about Graeme that got my hackles up.
I had only been on jury duty for two days when I got the bad news that I was on a big trial expected to last six months. Some people would be thrilled to be on a murder trial. I wasn't; it was the worst news I could get. Not only would I be away from my beloved job for all that time, missing Christmas with the children, but I wouldn't be able to see as much as Yvonne as I had been.
At first, things were OK. The trial was gruelling and I felt out of my depth, but I was with a good bunch of people. They tried to look after us at the court as much as possible, even allowing us to leave quietly so no one from the press could see us. The case was such a high profile that we were picked up by a coach from different drop-offs for our safety. They were keen that no one tried to coerce any jury members or worse.
Yvonne was always as happy to see me as I was to see her. We had a wonderful Christmas together, making plans for the wedding, but I missed her when I went back on duty and she went back to school. She stopped talking about school a lot. She said it upset me too much and wasn't keen when I asked how my class was doing; she said I had to let it go for now.
By February, it was three months into the trial, and the travelling and lack of fresh air in the courts started getting me down. Of course, it didn't help that the courts didn't close for the February half-term like school did, so I even missed that time with Yvonne. She wasn't happy about that. Neither was I. She went to visit an old college friend in the Lake District. When I asked her about her trip, she said it was cold. Very cold.
She was very cold towards me after that, too. I kept telling her that it wasn't my fault, and she agreed, but it didn't alter the fact that I felt she was angry with me. I tried to make it up to her in other ways. I made a special effort with date nights and little presents for her. Silly things that I knew she would like. I could tell that she liked them. I only hoped that things would return to normal after the trial.
Just before Easter, the trial ended after four months earlier than expected. The accused was found guilty of all charges, and I was a free man again, even if he wasn't.
I told the school the news and that I'd look forward to returning on Monday for the last week before the Easter holidays started. I was so keen to return to everyday life and see the children that I was back in my classroom bright and early at 7:45 a.m. Only it didn't seem like my classroom anymore. Graeme had changed everything. I understood that it had been his class for six months, but he'd done his best to remove all traces of me. A look at my stock cupboard showed he had been quite happy to use my personal things, though--the stuff I had bought with my own money.
At 8:00 AM, I was shocked when he appeared laughing with the Deputy Head, Pam. I must have looked surprised and said,
"Why are you here, Graeme? I'm back now."
Pam looked uncomfortable and said, "Perhaps you could come into the office, David. I know that Mr Harrison would like a word with you. Perhaps you'd like to bring Lynn with you, too?"
"Why would I want to bring Lynn with me?" I asked.
"Well, as your union rep, it may be wise."
