7th September

John Bailey aged 5 misbehaved during my reading lesson. I told the boy to stay and read during the lesson but the boy didn’t want to read. Instead, he threw the book across the room in temper.

I decided to punish him with a cane but he bit me in my left hand. I put the boy in the corner and he commenced to kick the cupboard and the nearby children. I tried to restrain him with a hand on his shoulder but in his mad passion to free himself he tore my new blouse. There was little alternative but to place John in the playground but the he started kicking the door. A man working in one of the nearby gardens told the boy’s father that I was mean to his child.

Mr. Bailey collected his son and left angrily. I talked to the headmaster the same day and asked for his help.

Dear diary,

What an awful day! I’m really upset and angry about the thing that happened to me. I don’t know where to begin! I was bored to death during my reading lesson so I started drawing into my book. Miss Grace noticed me (of course) and ordered me to stand up and read aloud. As I didn’t follow the lesson I had no idea what to read. That made my teacher mad and she hit me with a cane so I bit her. That made her really mad and she wanted me to stand in a corner. I started kicking the desks so she grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the class. That was not fair! I didn’t disturb the stupid lesson. I just wanted to draw! What on earth is wrong with that?