Chapter 18

The following day, the kids who had been chosen as the student mentors began arriving right after Kevin and Denise got to the school. Jeremy and Amelia had recruited a number of candidates to apply for the slots and Denise had chosen those who she felt were the best for the role—eight sixth-formers to make four mentor teams. After everyone had assembled in the classroom and introductions were done, Denise reviewed the jobs which the mentors would be doing.

“Guys,” she said, “your jobs are very fluid, but fall into two areas. First, the teacher will use you to demonstrate how we want the kids to sit and work together; we’ll show you what you need to know. Second, you’ll work with kids who need individual attention and again we’ll show you this as well. You were chosen because you seem to be charismatic and empathic; both characteristics are essential for what you’ll be doing. Now, for the next hour, our teachers will lead you through the exercises where you’ll be assisting them. You’ll learn how we want the kids to sit and if they need to be shown, you’ll show them how. Now, pair off and sit on the mats here.”

The student-teacher group began leading the mentors through the bonding exercises while Amelia and Jeremy demonstrated the postures and positions they needed to learn.

“We don’t want you to get involved with the pupils unless a teacher asks you to,” Denise mentioned at one point. “We want the kids totally concentrating on their partners. I can tell you’re enjoying your own concentration on your partner now, right?”

She got a strong affirmative in reply.

“So don’t break their moods; just demonstrate the things the teacher asks you to do.”

At the end of the session, the mentor trainees were very enthusiastic.

“That was brill,” one girl gushed. The others agreed.

Another girl asked, “So this lot is gonna replace that sodding Naked Program, you told us?”

“Yes, those exercises and a whole bunch more activities, too,” Denise said. “The other part of your job is the most critical, now. I think you’ve probably come across some kids who are reluctant to be touched or held like we just showed you.”

They all agreed that they knew of kids who were like that.

“Your jobs will be to take those kids away from the group, and in a more private setting, work with them to try to overcome their reluctance. Amelia and Jeremy have learned some of the methods to do that which we found work, based on past trials of this program, and they’ll take over your orientation now. I’m sure that I don’t have to remind you, but I will anyway, that for this project, they are to be considered your teachers too.”

Denise and the others left at that point and Amelia and Jeremy took over, showing the mentors how to use the project’s techniques of dealing with touch-shy children.

The next three days were spent in much the same way. Amelia and Jeremy worked with the mentors, role-playing a number of touch-shy situations and showing them the exercises for basic meditating and projecting emotion, while Kevin’s and Denise’s group brain-stormed the development of additional physical problem-solving activities which could be done indoors and ones which could be developed to be run outdoors. They devised role-playing activities to illustrate handling of moral dilemmas. They spent a lot of time on designing the classes where the massage techniques were to be used, trying to test the limits of how far the pupils could be allowed to go in intimate touching—doing that planning, which involved lots of touching, proved to be particularly enjoyable for the group.

After several more days of work, the teachers’ group had a term’s worth of classes programmed with classes to be given three days per week; two double periods and one single period. As they had planned, year eights and nines would take the classes first, and since the year nines were equivalent to the middle school groups that Kevin and Denise had worked with in the States, they would be able to gauge these students’ reaction to the program as compared to the students in Atlanta and adjust methods or content if needed.

Kevin and Denise were was amazed at how quickly the promised grant funds had been provided to the school and to Denise’s university; during the week that they were doing their project orientation, renovation work had began in the school to set up two classrooms for the project and included video-recording capability and an observation room with one-way mirrors set up between the rooms to be used for new teachers to observe the classes without causing a distraction.

Then within a week of the beginning of spring term classes, the Avery Program was started with the year-eight children. For the first week, most of the university teacher education students were present for at least some of the class sessions and either Kevin or Denise were available or present on site as well, until the startup jitters had passed.

The teachers and Kevin and Denise were delighted to find that the children loved the classes and were so enthusiastic about them that they had the rest of the school’s children jealous and clamoring to be included too.

By early March, the project was well underway with the year-eight class and the project team had now turned their attention to starting the classes with the year-nine class. Jeremy, together with Dr Dorothy Connors, one of the two university faculty program leaders, were watching Susan and Simon as they led one year-nine class through the bonding exercises when a Norwich teacher came into the observation room.

“Mr Hanford asked me to tell you to expect some VIPs in a few minutes,” she whispered. “The PM is here with the education secretary and two others.”

“Oh, goodness, the prime minister?” Connors exclaimed. “Whatever are they here for?”

The teacher chuckled a little. “Haven’t you noticed that this project’s turned out to be a big deal? The year-eight pupils have been raving to their families about how brilliant it’s been for them and the word’s spread that something wonderful is happening at Norwich. You know we’ve already been visited by a number of MPs and Mr Hanford told the staff that they were impressed by what they saw.”

While she was speaking, Amelia, who had been in the classroom working with the two mentors, slipped into the observation room.

“They’re okay now; it’s been sorted,” she whispered to Jeremy.

The teacher looked at her curiously. “Something wrong?”

Jeremy explained, “There’s a really traditional Muslim girl in this group. We’re trying to see how we can help her to accept being touched by a boy during the bonding exercises. Amelia noticed that the mentors seemed to be pushing her a little too aggressively and had an idea so she went in to tell them. Say, Amelia, the PM’s at the school now and is coming here for a show.”

“Really? Oh my!” she exclaimed. “Brilliant; are we that popular?” she giggled.

“Looks that way,” the teacher said. “As much as I’d love to stay, I have to go now.”

Five minutes later, Mr Hanford entered the room, ushering in a distinguished-looking woman with graying hair, followed by three men.

Jeremy turned away from the one-way mirror and grinned at her. “Hallo, Mrs Grayson,” he said quietly. “Welcome, but please, everyone, keep your voices low.”

“Ah, Jamie—no Jeremy! Jeremy Porter, well, it’s certainly odd seeing you here and not at your embassy. My goodness, are you involved at this school too? I seem to recall an incident last spring with you at Central School...”

“Yes ma’am. But I switched schools to come here. Dad told me that Mr Wixom had rung you, so you must remember what I thought of the Naked in School Program when I was at Central. I’m sure Mr Hanford filled you in about what we’re doing here at Norwich to replace the Program and I’m chuffed to be part of this project. My friend here is Amelia Hadad, a project co-leader, and this is Dr Dorothy Connors from the London Ed School faculty.”

“Hello, Dr Connors. I’ve heard a lot of very good things being done by your students here; you must be proud of them.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister. We are certainly proud of our student teachers, but the credit must go to Miss Roberts and her team of magicians. They’ve taught our students most admirably.”

“Indeed,” Grayson said. “So, Jeremy. You’re part of the project’s leadership? My curiosity is piqued; I’d love to hear more about how a sixth-form pupil became involved in such a major undertaking. We’re getting such good reports from all sides of how this project’s progressing, so much so that I had to come see for myself.”

“Ahem,” Hanford tried to interrupt politely. “Let’s introduce everyone, please. Then our guests can watch for a bit. We can resume the discussion later, I think. Do you agree, Prime Minister?”

“Certainly, Mr Hanford,” she said, smiling at Jeremy.

The prime minister’s companions were Mr Roderick Cassidy, MP, education secretary, and Dr Stuart Gardner and Mr Lionel Coventry of the Department for Education.

They turned to watch the class and spent about fifteen minutes with Jeremy or Amelia answering the group’s occasional questions.

Jeremy looked at his watch as the period-change bell rang; Dr Connors excused herself as she had to leave.

“Mrs Grayson, did you want to see one of the problem-solving classes too?” Jeremy asked. “There’s one starting now with the year eights. The kids really love those classes ‘cause they’re intense and high activity.”

“Lead on, Jeremy; that is, if your head teacher concurs,” she told him, smiling at Hanford.

“By all means,” Hanford grinned. “Mr Porter all but runs this place now, it seems.”

They walked to the gym and up to its balcony and as they walked, Hanford whispered to Jeremy, “Son, please address her as ‘prime minister.’”

He whispered back, “I see her at embassy affairs and she’s told me to call her Mrs Grayson, sir.”

Hanford nodded, “That’s fine, then.”

As they reached the balcony, the class entered the room. Then they watched as the class was divided into teams and began working on their problem-solving exercises. The observing group chuckled and then laughed aloud as they watched when the kids’ initial frenzied movements died down when the children realized that speed or brute force wouldn’t solve their problem. Watching the children’s reactions when they finally grasped the problem’s solution was even more entertaining; even more so was seeing their joy when the kids celebrated their successes.

“I can see now why the children report their love for these activities,” the prime minister laughed as she watched one exuberant celebratory display. “Watching them is actually making me feel like a kid. Jeremy, could your group put together a program like this for us older folks?” she chuckled.

“Ma’am, what an interesting idea,” Jeremy nodded. “Perhaps one of your ministers might be able to suggest a sponsoring agency?”

“Ha, ha, very good, son,” she laughed. “You came right back at me, turning my suggestion into a problem for me to solve—a true diplomat’s response. I’m impressed. Head Teacher, is there somewhere where we can chat? I’d like to talk further with your two young school ambassadors here.”

“Yes ma’am, we can use our conference room. If you’ll follow me?”

After the group was settled in the conference room, the prime minister looked at Hanford.

“Mr Hanford, I agree with my sources; even from my quick visit I can see that this project is becoming a great success, particularly after seeing your pupils’ enthusiasm. I’ve looked over the project’s objectives and based on opinions of our experts in the Department for Education, all of the requirements of the Human Sexuality Promotion Act are met by this initiative. But I’m fascinated by young Mr Porter’s involvement here. Jeremy, how did you come to get involved here after what happened at Central School?”

Jeremy smiled. “A whole bunch of amazing coincidences, Mrs Grayson. Where can I start? Okay, I guess after the awful stuff that happened at Central, ending with the head teacher’s car being firebombed, my folks switched me to this school. Then the LEA decided that the Program had to be run here, and that’s how I met Amelia and learned that her guardians—that is, while she’s in London this year—were Kevin Coris and Denise Roberts, who are long-time friends of my family. Kevin’s mother was a U.S. diplomat and close friends with my father...”

“Wait, wait. My head is swimming. That’s the Miss Roberts who’s running this? Denise Roberts? And Kevin Coris.”

She looked at Mr Cassidy, her education secretary, who had his head buried in his hands, shaking it slowly in dismay.

“I see I’m not the only one who knows those names,” she said carefully, looking at Cassidy. “Tell me, I believe that they are Yanks, yes?” she asked Jeremy.

“Yes, ma’am...” Jeremy said uncertainly. “What’s wrong?”

“And they were involved with dismantling the Program in the Colonies ... erm, the U.S.?”

“OH! Is that what you mean! Yes, that’s right, they did, but they also proposed this project—the Avery-Denison Program—to the National Program Committee. Amelia and I had been writing about human rights issues and they drafted us to help in the Program Committee presentation. Kevin’s known me for more than nine years; he was almost part of my family when I was growing. And I met Denise several years ago when she and Kevin were in South Korea on an educational exchange mission through the State Department.”

The prime minister was looking pained. “Jeremy, please slow down ... I need to assimilate this ... So we owe the success of this new project to two people who just happened to come to the U.K. after dismantling the Program in their home country and then came here to do the same. I see.” Then her mouth twitched into a smile. “It was reported to me that your friend Denise, in a half-hour meeting with her university dean, single-handedly wiped out eighteen months of work of the Department for Education on the development of the university curriculum for new teachers learning how to supervise the Naked in School Program.”

Now Mr Cassidy was looking even more pained but the two aides were trying to suppress grins.

The PM chuckled wryly. “All of that happened just before your president was in Europe for an economic summit, so when I was there with him, I gave him an earful about the Colonies exporting their rebellion to the homelands.”

“Yes, but Mrs Prime Minister,” Amelia broke in, “that Program was so awful, many kids were hurt in it, and Denise and I showed your Program Committee how high a social and economic cost England would have if you kept running it.”

“Yes, Amelia, I saw that report,” she smiled. “Several MPs descended on my office the day after they attended that meeting with the Committee at this school and demanded to know the reasoning behind the DfE deciding not to undertake a similar social and cost analysis before sending the Act up to Parliament for adoption. I was stunned when I saw the numbers from that study that the Committee was told about.

“Enough of that, now. Just how are you and Jeremy—you’re both in sixth form?—what makes you qualified to be co-leaders in a project of such potential importance? I’m not challenging you; I’m just very curious and amazed that two secondary school pupils could contribute to such an endeavor, let alone help lead it.”

Amelia looked down at her hands. “Ma’am, Denise thought I would be perfect as a mentor trainer...”

She had to explain what the mentors did.

“ ... and she said that I had a lot of empathic feelings that my acting skills allowed me to project—I’m in this school for its theater program—and I know how to get other kids to relate to me too. Denise and Kevin created the mentor role when they were in high school and I guess they saw I had the same ... um ... personality type? And Jeremy is, well, he’s got this way of looking into your being and making you feel good about yourself, I guess ... Jeremy? Help?”

Jeremy smiled at her. “You’re doing okay, Amelia. Yes, Mrs Grayson, actually Kevin taught me my Eastern meditation skills; he was my taekwondo instructor back in South Korea and I learned how to use those skills to focus myself to project my—call it ‘aura’—to others.” He grinned. “It works well when I’m trying to convince someone that my point of view should be considered.”

Hanford snorted. “Is that how I find that I frequently let your cheeky behavior pass? No one other than you gets away with some of the things you persuade me to do.”

“I guess the secret’s out, sir,” Jeremy grinned. “But it was all to a good cause, don’t you agree?”

The prime minister was watching the exchange, then she shook her head.

“I see it. Jeremy, you’re so very self-assured and confident—so very much like your father; I know he’s extremely proud of you. Amelia, you’re a simply charming young lady and I really do feel drawn to you in some way; you have a presence about you, a modest and endearing charisma, I’d describe it. The way you explain the mentor role, I can see exactly how you’d fit doing that. But trying to teach others to do that?”