Wednesday, 2 September 2009

The story of a Clockwork Mouse



This little clockwork mouse is not my original clockwork mouse. My original one was confiscated by a Chemistry teacher called Mr Jackson (Diddyman, behind his back) about forty five years ago.

Our chemistry lessons at school were held in a lab with long benches. I used to wind up my clockwork mouse and send it along the bench. Whenever Mr Jackson was attracted by the noise someone would drop a book on top of the mouse thereby stopping and silencing it as well as hiding it from view. One day we pushed our luck and he got fed up. He came along the row lifting everything to try to trace the elusive noise. It happened to be under one of my books at the time and when he lifted it the mouse ran out.

For some reason he was not amused and as well as some appropriate punishment he confiscated the mouse. Years later I met him and reminded him of the incident pointing out he owed me a clockwork mouse. He was hardly any more amused then than he had been earlier! No sense of humour these chemistry teachers.

So when I came across this one in later life I couldn’t resist buying it for myself. I think Richard played with it once or twice as a child and we did try interesting the cats in it but they just run away. Real mice don’t make whirring noises!

 

6 comments:

  1. I see you still hold a bit of a grudge there for your chemistry teacher. Uh.

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  2. "when he lifted it the mouse ran out"

    ROFL - hahahahahahahah!!!!!!

    I am a teacher ya know, and if a kid had done that to me, I would have jumped and screamed. See, i would have expected it, I just wouldn't have known where to expect it, hence a scream.

    However, I am a language teacher (English and German) and I would have laughed about it - with the kids.

    I never was a 'stuffy old' teacher. My sense of humor kept me from going crazy.

    If only the tricks the kids played nowadays were as innocent.

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  3. p.s. I have since resigned, and am pursuing other career paths.
    :)

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  4. I remember I had one or two of these 'mice', along my early life.
    Nothing of interest to tell of it though, but your story conjures up reminders of other misdemeanours we got up to to tease our teachers; as you say, not many had a sense of humour.
    Interesting to read below of all the old coins in your collection, and also the reason for the cataloging; now theres a thought, yes, when we are gone all these sorts of tales go too. Made me think.
    Love Granny

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  5. That is a wonderful story! I love it! I think you should send a mouse to his house, anonymously of course! You would never know what his expression would be when he opened the package but...just imagining what his reaction was would seal the deal for me! But of course I am a little stinker!...hehe

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  6. I suspecxt, Linda, that Mr Jackson has probably passed on to that great blackboard in the sky by now. Otherwise, I would have been tempted.

    I'm not sure I hold a grudge at all, Lakeviewer! If it were not for him the clockwork mouse would have been consgned to the dustbin years ago and certainly never replaced with a new one. As it is now it has become a fun part of my history.

    Jen, teachers who are fun tend to have fewer tricks played on them any way. Not only are their lessons more interesting but children tend to feel less like upsetting them.

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