The black cat effect ...

Image from Microsoft clipart.

On Friday morning a black cat climbed in through my classroom window and had a walk around the room. The cat was in no hurry to leave and because of the desk positions I couldn’t get close enough to grab it. Whenever I got to a position where I thought the cat would come to me a squeal from somewhere else in the class caused it to change direction. Of course, it caused mayhem with my Y5 RE class before it decided to leave of its own accord!

This is obviously a drawback of having windows in the classroom! For the past ten years, ever since a new lab was built where my windows used to be, my lab has been windowless!

For the first time in 33 years my timetable includes a subject other than science, and it came about because I had an hour to fill. I’m really enjoying this lesson but the preparation for this one hour of RE takes as long as three hours of science! I know a thing or two about the bible - difficult not to coming from the Welsh Valleys, where the pubs were outnumbered by the chapels! Today's RE is much more multicultural and self-reflective. 

We decided that the black cat meant that we were all going to get lucky. I'm unsure where this kind of superstition fits in to the bigger picture of the RE curriculum as I'm taking it a week at a time! It certainly doesn't fit with the Five Pillars of Islam...

This afternoon we were walking around Le Petit-Pressigny, marking our territory, when we bumped into the three beautiful black cats of our neighbour. Sorry no photographs!

Looks like we're in line for a great holiday and some serious good luck. Fingers crossed ...