Back to school for Mr Krause

The Aucklander deputy editor, Nicholas Krause, puts his hand up to become a Principal for a Day and wonders just how real school heads cope
It would be less than truthful to say I wasn't nervous having to go to the principal's office the other day. Perhaps if I'd been the scholarly type all those years ago, I wouldn't be jumpy now, sitting in there . . . alone. Sweaty hands. Tapping foot. And in she came. Catherine Rivers, principal of St Mark's Catholic School in Pakuranga, is tall, dapper and wears a striking red jacket which reminds me, for some unknown reason, of the coats worn by British soldiers from the late 17th century. I'm scared now. I'm thinking of an excuse to bail. My fears are unfounded. Mrs Rivers, as the children will all announce in unison on many occasions, turns out to be, er, quite nice. I am asked for my thoughts on a programme for me for the day, my day as principal. Principal Nicholas Krause. It has a certain ring to it. Headmaster Krause. Must tell my mum. I arrived at school at around 8.15am. I'm dismayed to learn Mrs Rivers has been going since 7ish and is already onto her second meeting. My first official task is to address Rooms 1 and 8 for half an hour. Peanuts. I've got kids. Whatever. These guys are tough. After my ripping yarns about the dangers of journalism, they bury me in a flurry of hard questions. Perhaps I can gain control at the next session with Rooms 9 and 10. Nope. I want to go home. It's only 10.05am. Morning tea in the staff room. Excellent. Really need a cuppa. A longtime, much-loved reliever is leaving today to open a cafe in Meadowbank and I enjoy her cake with the staff. Mrs Rivers says some nice things and then I'm straight into working on some of the students' essays. These kids are good. Very good. They even fetch stuff, like chairs. (Memo to self: mention this to my lot at home.) Principal Krause and Mrs Rivers, who is now shadowing me, begin classroom visits. All the classes greet me. ''Good morning, Mr Krause. God bless you.'' I feel special. The tour takes some time and it is great to see the teachers at work with the little ones. We finish with the music class, which is full of beans and quite invigorating. I consider joining in the dancing and think better of it. I have lunch and so does Mrs Rivers (who sometimes will only have toasted Vogels and Vegemite at 3pm if things are manic). We meet a representative of a school maintenance company. Mrs Rivers later flicks over oodles of figures . . . school budgetary projections for coming years. I am assigned a pile of certificates to sign for the students (these will probably be worth something in future years). My head begins to hurt. Mercifully, my day is winding down and it's not even 2pm. Cup of tea and a lie down seem appealing. (Mrs Rivers and the staff can stay to 5pm or 6pm and sometimes later.) I don't know how they do it. God bless you, St Mark's. Principals for a Day is run by the City of Manukau Education Trust. For more information: Call Dr Jo Howse, 021 673 579, or email jhowse@manukau.ac.