In Bereishit Adam is told to look after the Earth. Even in the Garden of Eden he is told to work in it and protect it. Waste DetectiveMr Miller comes in the classroom. It is nine forty five on Friday morning. The boys at the back are fighting. Emma and Rebecca are having a tug-of war with a skipping rope. Darren has just thrown a ball across the classroom to Jamie. The ball misses and lands amongst a group of girls in the corner who are busy swapping packets of crisps and tubes of sweets. One or two kids are doodling intricate designs on the front of their exercise books. Benji and Jeremy are lying on the floor reading a comic together. Sarah is idly pulling off the leaves of a plant on the window sill near her desk. The children in the front row are quietly waiting, ready to start the lesson. Mr Miller is just about to tell the class to settle down, when he notices the whiteboard. It is covered in a thick layer of patterns, pictures, scribbles and designs. Not a patch of white is visible. The atmosphere around the board is heavy with the smell of board markers. The boys at the back continue fighting. Emma and Rebecca return to their seats. Rebecca clutches the skipping rope triumphantly. The girls in the corner are munching sweets. Jamie is arguing with one of them. He wants his ball back. Benjie and Jeremy close their comic and get up. The front row are still sitting quietly waiting for the lesson to begin. "Sit down and be quiet everyone!" David comes out dangling an exercise book at his side. "I need a new one, Sir." Mr Miller examines the book. The outside is covered in aeroplanes and there are lots of blank pages inside. One of the girls has accidentally knocked over an open crisp packet. The crisps spill out in all directions. Emma and Rebecca are still fighting over the skipping rope. The handle has just broken off! "Will you all sit down and be quiet!" yells the teacher. "Susie; no eating in my class. Put that sweet in the bin!" "Benjie, clean the board please!" "Jonathan, go to the office and get two more board pens." The lesson begins. |
