Strelitzia entered into Vernon's office. He turned to her and smiled then said. "How are you finding our school. I hope you have had an enjoyable first few days."

"They have been enjoyable so far, although I haven't had the opportunity to teach yet."

"Well, teaching is what makes it all worth it" agreed Vernon. "I hope you don't have any problems that bring you here."

"Well actually" started Strelitzia "I saw that I have been made the life orientation teacher for the grade nines, but I came here to teach natural sciences to the younger grades and biology and physics to the older grades.."

"Yes, we were short of a life orientation teacher and seeing as you don't have any extra-mural activities, I thought that you would be free to teach them."

"I appreciate that you were short a teacher, but I didn't agree to teach them life orientation. I am not qualified for the position. I have not studied psychology or anything related to the subject."

"You said in the interview that you weren't squeamish when about discussing the mechanics of sex."

This statement threw Strelitzia off for a moment. Vernon used her temporary silence to say "Here at Devilsmore High we expect everybody to be a team player. We expect everybody to work hard. There are no excuses for laziness here."

"What does the mechanics of sex have to do with what I am saying, sir," asked Strelitzia.

Vernon stopped his lecturing and then said "Do you even know what life orientation is?"

Strelitzia had finished her own high school experience only five years previously and had received a respectable grade for the class. Even so most of the time her classmates had treated life orientation or life skills or guidance or whatever the flavour of the day had decided to call the subject as a chance to goof off and not pay attention.

"Of course, I know what life orientation is" she responded.

"What you need to do is tell those kids to never ever have sex not under any circumstances." Strelitzia finally understood why Vernon had made his previous comment. "I cannot have a girl getting pregnant. It will ruin the reputation of the school and I cannot have that." He was pointing a finger at Strelitzia's chest and was red in the face.

"Oh, I see what you mean. In the interview when I answered the question, I answered as a biology teacher, as a person who is going to teach about the reproductive system. I understand that teenagers are going to use every opportunity that they get to learn more about the topic so I am willing to answer any question they may have but..."

Vernon tried to interrupt here, and Strelitzia continued on because she realised that what she was saying is important "... I think that L.O. comes at the subject from a very different angle. Some might say a more important angle. It considers the emotional, the societal and the cultural aspects and pressures of sex. I did not train in that. I came to be a science teacher."

Vernon opened his mouth, but Strelitzia continued on "... besides there is more to Life Orientation than sex education."

"You have been hired to teach and I don't want to hear any more excuses about society. I just want you to do your job."

"I don't feel qualified as a twenty-three-year-old to tell teenagers what they should do with their lives." Strelitzia tried as a last attempt to get Vernon to see reason. At this Vernon started laughing.

"You think that you aren't qualified to give fifteen-year-olds advice. They know absolutely nothing and they listen even less."

Over the next couple of days, Strelitzia tried once or twice to get Vernon to allow her to teach another Gr 9 Natural science class (which would have meant one more lesson per week) but to no avail. He still insisted on her teaching life orientation. Furthermore, he called her lazy whenever she brought it up.

Carrissa Moon the head life orientation teacher listened sympathetically but refused to put a word in with Vernon. She started coordinating their lesson plans amongst the teachers so that the various classes would be roughly in the same place as one another. She too emphasised that no student should fall pregnant on Strelitzia's watch. Vernon would be very angry if that were to happen.

Helena seemed to think that there was nothing odd about being asked to teach subjects that she didn't sign up for.

"Look last year I had to teach art to the Gr 8s. Did I know what I was doing? Not at all, but I got them all to draw fruit bowls and then they wrote essays about the influence of Japanese culture on western cartoons."

"Why that?" asked Strelitzia.

"It sounded cultural and they seemed interested." Helena paused. "Anime, they all love anime. I guess that was it. They all love anime."

"I love anime too" agreed Strelitzia but Helena gave Strelitzia a look like she thought that Strelitzia was slightly weird. "Don't you?" asked Strelitzia in confusion.

"I suppose they might be good, but I haven't ever really watched it."

"Not even after you gave the students that project?"

"Nope, I have other things to do. I don't really have a lot of free time since I started working at Devilsmore High.

That was something that Strelitzia heard a lot. People were too busy working at Devilsmore High to get anything done.

If Strelitzia thought that Vernon would talk about Rugby less once the students arrived, she was sorely mistaken. It was true that in the first assembly, he gave a speech whereby he told the student body that this was an academic school and that was why everybody attended the institution. But the seats of the first row of the hall were filled with the bodies of the largest boys in the school. These young men had made the first team the year before. Some of them wore striking white blazers in contrast to the rest of the school which all wore the same bottled green uniform.

She wondered as she looked across the rest of the students whether or not it was possible to get full colours for anything other than rugby. She had not been allowed to start the choir as she had hoped. She supposed that it was better that way because after all, it was her first year of teaching. Her time was better spent focussing on being the best teacher that she could possibly be.

Her eyes glanced across at Maria Jones, the head teacher of the science department. When she met her, she understood that this was a person that she could respect. Vernon had told her that Maria Jones was one of the best teachers in the country. Strelitzia was always sceptical after hearing the words best or worst, but after watching Maria Jones, she found herself agreeing with Vernon.

Maria Jones was an older woman in her late fifties. She had steel grey hair that she wore in a bun, and there was a pencil through the bun, which just gave away a hint of quirkiness or good humour. She wore shoes that Strelitzia thought of as sensible. However, they were far more elegant than anything that Strelitzia herself would wear. She had on a plain blue shirt but it had ruffles around the neck to distinguish it and make every person know that she was not wearing a t-shirt.

"I have been at Devilsmore High for over thirty years" she had told Strelitzia the previous day while holding a folder filled with papers. "And let me tell you. I have seen a thing or two in my time. It is not only the students who do things that you would expect of no person. Let me tell you People always make you wonder"