Jordan's Red Car

“Welcome Dean Parkin” said Jordan when I arrived a few minutes early in the half-empty classroom. “Thank you very much” I said. He smiled and pointed, “No, that’s what it says on the board.”

He was a real character. Every time I asked the class anything he was first with his hand up. And each time I passed him, he was keen to tell me something about his lorry-driving Dad, his house, the rabbits, his dog, the three cats, the chickens or his Dad’s air rifle (‘he really wants to shoot pigeons’).

"Guess how old my Xbox is?” Jordan asked me. "Brand new?" I replied. "No, it’s REALLY old but they put good batteries in the old ones, so it lasts for ages!" I liked his thinking.

The teacher told me Jordan’s writing had been really improving – he just took his time doing it and with five minutes of the session to go I realised he’d only got as far as his red car and Bella the Labrador. “Right”, I said, “I want something about all those other things you’ve told me.” And once he started, he couldn’t stop.

I realise now that I never did ask him about his red car – was it a radio-controlled toy, a computer game, or his Dad’s actual car? But I quite like all the things it could be and what it meant to Jordan.

MY DOG BITES

I lost my old Xbox for one month,

found it, lost it, got it back

and play on it for ages.

I’ve got two rabbits

and when we stroke them

they run away. They are adorable!

Bella the Labrador

plays with my Dad

and tries to bite his hand.

The chickens are very feisty

and love scraps and lay eggs.

At seven at night

the rain starts shaking down.

Playing with my red car,

I am happy. The sun is shining

on my red car right now.

Jordan, Year 6

Colneis Junior School, Felixstowe