My First Day at School

A poem by Paul Dorset

 

I knew it was special as I opened my eyes
And carefully climbed out of bed.
I tried to remember what day was today.
Just exactly what had mummy said?
She'd said to be quick, no hanging around
Wash my face, clean my teeth, brush my hair.
And then to go straight to the bedroom.
Use the clothes on the back of my chair.


For breakfast we always had Cornflakes
Washed down with a lovely big drink.
But today we seemed in a hurry
And the dishes were left in the sink.
We got in the car and I sat in the back
To be plonked there had seemed very cruel.
But just then was when I remembered
Today was my first day at school!


Yes, today was my first day at school.
How could I forget such an outing?
I squeezed mum's hand tight as we went in the gate
And I listened to all of the shouting.
We went into school and we walked to my class
Lots of small children were there,
I had my own hook to hang up my coat
And I had my own table and chair.

Teacher told us her name was Miss Jenny
I told her that my name was John.
Then we got some grey paper, a brush and some paint
And I looked up but mummy was gone.
What fun we had had with the painting
I'd drawn pictures of pirates and ships
Then we went to a room to eat up our lunch
And I got Fish Fingers and Chips!


We played in the playground for ages
I made friends and we all chattered lots
Then it was time to go in for the story
About a giant with big yellow spots!
He had a strange face that had great big blue eyes
And a very long winding red nose
Then we all did some singing, and jumped up and down
And wiggled our fingers and toes.


I put on my coat and I waited
Until it was our turn to leave
My mum saw me coming, came over to me
And gave a small tug on my sleeve.
I really enjoyed all that schooling
And I told her just what I'd liked best
But tomorrow I don't think I'm going
I'm tired and I'll want a big rest.


Mum laughed and she laughed for ages
I thought that she'd never end
But when she came to her senses
She told me the truth, as a friend.
'Your school is a place for your learning
It's also for fun and for play
But school's not a place for just once a week
You'll be going to go there each day!'