ABSTRACT
The problem of working with school students who exhibit difficult or challenging behaviour so often turns into a game of pass-the-parcel. Our memory of this time-honoured childhood game provides a number of parallels to this area of work. The game itself holds interest as we wait with anticipation to receive the parcel — but are then only too eager to pass it on. During out brief ownership of the parcel, we struggle to make a small impression on stripping off the wrappings. Eventually, someone else (never us) succeeds in removing the final wrapping and revealing the hidden contents — which so frequently turn out to be disappointing and quickly forgotten as we move on to another, and potentially more interesting, game.
