This World Book Day, spare a thought for the teachers

’Twas the night before World Book Day, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring… apart from a rather frazzled headteacher, desperately trying to put the finishing touches to tomorrow’s costume.

It’s close to midnight and the house is in disarray as I search for a copy of the book. We own at least three copies of Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’ so it shouldn’t be that difficult but somehow, at that moment, it remained elusive.  

Until I remember that I’ve already packed it.

We like to get the children to bring in a copy of the book in which their character appears so that they can associate one with the other instead of simply being a character in a film or on TV. Besides, I need my copy as I will be reading excerpts to some of the classes during the day.

I check that everything else is ready – the hat, the tie, the skirt. ‘Is it perhaps a little short?’ I wondered for a second before shaking my head. ‘Too late, it will have to do!’ 

I’ve managed to cobble together this outfit from my daughter’s old school uniform, a few safety pins, a borrowed blazer from one of the larger boys at school, and a rather fetching hairpiece from my sister who is into amateur dramatics.

World Book Day has now been around for quite a number of years, created by UNESCO in 1995 and adopted in the UK in 1997, as a way of encouraging reading for pleasure and celebrating books.

All children receive a £1 National Book Token which can be used towards the purchase of any book in a shop or Book Fair. There are also special editions of books available at just £1.

Originally there was little or no dressing up involved. A special assembly, perhaps, followed by a Book Fair. Somehow, however, over the years, it snowballed into an all-singing, all-dancing, costumed event.

I’m sure this was dreamt up by a retailer with a huge number of kids’ costumes left over from Halloween, but maybe I’m just being cynical…

The children are loving it all, recognising stories old and new

And I’d love to know which bright spark decided it would be fun if the teachers dressed up too? It’s just something else to be added to the long list of things to do in an already hectic day where the children are wildly excited all day long and the sight of some of their more serious teachers dressed up causes much hilarity.

I’m not averse to a bit of dressing up – my witch’s costume from the Halloween Fun Day last year still gives some children (and adults) nightmares. Maybe the papier mache mask was a step too far, but I digress.

However, that was a purely optional event and held on a weekend so it didn’t interfere with the school day. There was no pressure, especially as the children were there with their own families. Any teachers who attended (and most of them did) could simply enjoy watching the children have fun.

And World Book Day is certainly fun too, even if I’m in school by 7.30am, checking that we have staff for the early morning club, as well as liaising with Head of Games over the state of the football pitch for this week’s fixtures, trawling through the cloakrooms for abandoned clothes, shoes and chewed-up pieces of homework, then attending a couple of planning meetings before the pupils descend. 

The rest of the staff are all in by 8am, prepping worksheets and classrooms, despite knowing full well that the chances of students doing any work are pretty slim today.

The date for World Book Day differs each year but it tends to be a week or so after half term, when the children are settling into a routine again and just before Comic Relief. We all long for some normality. Each term is short enough without yet another day of mayhem and merriment!

The bell rings for Assembly and each class troops in, accompanied by Mary Poppins, Cruella de Vil and Mr Tick the Teacher (from the Happy Families series – an inspired choice!)

As the hall fills up with Harry Potters, Gruffalos and Elsas, the children are loving it all, recognising stories old and new, desperate for their turn to parade around the hall in front of the judges’ panel to compete for the winning costume in their class.

The panel – which consists of Governors, Chair of the PTA and a bemused local author, drafted in at the last moment to add some pizazz – are clearly impressed by the efforts made and are busily making notes as each class passes by.

There’s much conferring over the winning costumes. Out of the three Dennis the Menace outfits, there’s one which has clearly been purchased, one put together rather cleverly by the parents and a third where the child has created it himself with sticky backed plastic and wool. 

All great but in the end, they are all passed over for Paddington Bear – wearing a teddy bear onesie and producing marmalade sandwiches from under their hat – and Rapunzel, with a very long plait of wool for hair. Simple but effective.

It looks as though Mary Poppins, who is on playground duty, is about to take flight

We’ve tried to soften the blow with lovely bookmarks for everyone but two smaller children are inconsolable. I take them off to feed the fish in my fish tank which cheers them up, especially as I have a ‘Nemo’ that closely resembles one of the children’s costumes.

It already feels like we’ve all put in a full day’s work but it’s not even 10am. The excitement has to be contained and the noise reduced from headache-inducing levels to a gentle background throb for another five hours.

For the rest of the day, the three Dennis’ live up to their character and getting up to mischief, while the brother and sister duo dressed exquisitely as Beauty and the Beast really don’t want to don wellies and head out for playtime.

It’s turned rather windy and it looks as though Mary Poppins, who is on playground duty, is about to take flight. I rub my temples to try and rid myself of the headache that has suddenly come on.

At least this year, the Year 5 boys haven’t decided to do a re-enactment of ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ on the parapet above the school office, I remind myself.

The afternoon is spent setting up the Book Fair and come 3.30pm, the main hall is filled with dancing Angelinas, Worst Witches, Gangsta Grannies and Demon Dentists.

Then, a five-year-old ‘Charlie’ from the Chocolate Factory corners me and starts to sing a song from the film. As I look at his earnest face and listen to his warbling voice, suddenly all of the planning, the dressing up, the effort – yes, even the headache – all worthwhile.

So next time you are frantically looking for something for your child to wear to World Book Day, spare a thought for the teachers, who not only have to plan special lessons and keep the children’s excitement at bay but in all likelihood have to organise a costume for themselves. 

Not to mention their own children’s costumes for their respective schools’ celebrations.

At the end of the day, teachers have been offered money for new books for each class, so we’re all happily making selections from the Book Fair, aided by the children. 

I start to browse through the lower shelves for some titles for the library, when one of my classroom assistants sidles up to me. ‘I wouldn’t bend down too far in that skirt, Mrs S,’ she whispers conspiratorially. ‘It’s a little bit short!’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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