PUFFIN BOOKS

Don’t Tell the Teacher

Gervase Phinn is a teacher, freelance lecturer, author, poet, educational consultant, school inspector, visiting professor of education and, last but by no means least, father of four. Most of his time is spent in schools with teachers and children.

He is the author of the bestselling books for adults The Other Side of the Dale, Over Hill and Dale, Head Over Heels in the Dales and Up and Down in the Dales, three volumes of children’s poetry and three fiction books for young children.

Books by Gervase Phinn

For children

IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE
THE DAY MY TEACHER WENT BATTY
DON’T TELL THE TEACHER
FAMILY PHANTOMS

BAD BECKY
BAD BECKY IN TROUBLE
DOMINIC’S DISCOVERY

For adults

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DALE
OVER HILL AND DALE
HEAD OVER HEELS IN THE DALES
UP AND DOWN IN THE DALES

THE SCHOOL INSPECTOR CALLS

A WAYNE IN A MANGER

Gervase Phinn

Don’t Tell the
Teacher

Illustrated by Chris Mould

PUFFIN

‘So There!’ on page 53 is taken from
Up and Down in the Dales (Michael Joseph, 2004).

PUFFIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

penguin.com

First published 2006
3

Text copyright © Gervase Phinn, 2006
Illustrations copyright © Chris Mould, 2006
All rights reserved

The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-14-192973-6

For Nina and Richard

Contents

Early Sighting

Supply Teacher

My Best Friend

A Close Companion

Bully

School Inspector

Dad and the Dog

You Are Not Going Out Like That!

Late Home

School Trip

Dream On

A Trip to the Zoo

Who Said What

A Letter from Lizzie

Grandpa

New Kid

Home

Down Menagerie Street

Teacher’s Pet

Art Lesson

Up and Down

The Carousel

Dominic’s Discovery

Question

In a Dark Dark Town

Conn’s Conkers!

Communication

Leroy’s Laugh

Infant Nativity Play

Celebration

Driving

In the Bathroom

Speech Day

Creative Writing

New Boy

Letter to a Bully

Henry Smails

In Trouble

The Inspector Man

Teacher

Using Your Imagination

So There!

Letter Home

Examiner

Kinds of Poem

Index of First lines

Early Sighting

Matthew saw a grey squirrel,
Poking a curious face
Though the branches of the tree,
Which stood outside the classroom window.
‘Look!’ he said to Andrew,
‘Let’s tell the teacher.’