08/10/2025
📚 Coming soon: 'Chalk Full of Laughs' by Robert Favretto – 45 years of classroom chaos, captured perfectly.
We couldn't wait to share the joy, so here's one of the brilliant stories you'll find inside...
'Jay and The Wild West Angels'
The crisp morning bell echoed across the playground, heralding the start of another bustling school day. Once again, the prep students clung to their parents with tearful embraces and reluctant kisses. They scattered about the asphalt like colourful songbirds, chirping excitedly and fluttering from group to group, tiny fingers reaching out to clasp the hands of familiar friends as they formed their wobbly lines.
Standing before them, I waited with the practised patience of a seasoned teacher, watching as their boundless energy gradually settled. Sunlight streamed through the nearby gum trees, casting dappled shadows across their upturned faces. With a warm smile, I addressed them, ‘Good morning, my little cherubs.’
Their expressions transformed into masks of adorable confusion, eyebrows furrowed and heads slightly tilted.
‘I’m sorry,’ I acknowledged, noting their bewilderment, ‘but you probably have no idea what a cherub is.’ Just as the words left my lips, a small arm shot up from the back of the line, waving with the immediate urgency of newfound knowledge.
‘I know what a cherub is!’ Jay announced, his voice ringing with confidence.
‘Really?’ I responded, genuinely curious about what insight this five-year-old might offer.
‘Yes!’ Jay declared triumphantly, his chest puffing with pride.
‘He’s the man in charge of the cowboys!’
As I stifled a chuckle, realising he’d likely confused ‘cherub’ with ‘sheriff ’, I was reminded that teaching is as much about learning from my students as it is about guiding them. Their unique perspectives and unexpected wisdom bring joy and surprise to every day
Order Chalk Full of Laughs here 👉https://ambapress.com.au/products/chalk-full-of-laughs
