ABSTRACT
It is eight o clock on a Thursday morning in June. Already the classroom is filled with children holding their bags and comparing the snacks that are packed in them. Parents and other adults stand around self-consciously; some of them know each other and begin chatting. The teacher is also self-conscious. She is holding sheaves of photocopied papers which she is distributing to the adults, while keeping a wary eye on the buzz of excitement that fills the room, while liaising with colleagues who appear from time to time to make last-minute arrangements, and to wonder out loud if the buses will arrive in time.
