Sophia Madisonte

**Sophia Madisonte** was one of the students at Hope Green Secondary Modern School.

She left Hope Green on the night of her first day due to not being able to handle the harsh discipline enforced by the staff.

## Quotes

* **Miss Gibson:** *(sternly)* *You*, one more word out of you; demerit. Is that clear? *Is that clear?!*
* **Sophia Madisonte:** Yes, Miss.
* **Miss Gibson:** Thank you.

* **Miss Gibson:** In this school, when a teacher speaks to you, you do not answer back, except say "Yes, miss" or "Yes, sir". That is how this school operates. If you are unable to understand that, then maybe the person you need to be speaking to is the headmaster. You *do not* speak to adults in the way you just spoke to me. Are you unclear about it in any way at all?
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I'm not unclear about that, but I don't see why I should be polite to you if you're just rude to me constantly.
* **Miss Gibson:** You don't understand, then? This is what you're telling me? You don't understand?
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I understand....
* **Miss Gibson:** *(shouts)* Uh, you're doing it *right NOW!* I do not want to hear a *single word* from you!
* **Sophia Madisonte:**You're asking me questions. I'm going to answer, wen you want me to! If I don't answer you, I get shouted at, and then when I do answer, I get shouted at. So what am I meant to do with you?
* **Miss Gibson:** You stand-
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I can't win with you.
* **Miss Gibson:** You're right; you cannot win with me.
* **Sophia Madisonte:** Exactly! So why am even I bothering to try?
* **Miss Gibson:** *(loses patience)* Turn around and face that way, please.
* **Sophia Madisonte:** Is this really going to make a difference, in it I'm really learning my lesson here?
* **Miss Gibson:** Well... I think you'll find you will, young lady. *(turns around)*
* **Sophia Madisonte:** I won't learn my lesson, trust me. My school tried for 5 years, you ain't gonna change me.

**Mr. Fawcett:** *(when warning Sophia for talking back to Miss Gibson)* Let me make it absolutely clear, absolutely clear; when you're at this school, you follow the instructions of staff to the letter. Is that understood?
**Sophia Madisonte:** Yes, Sir.
**Mr. Fawcett:** There's no place in this school for making my staff's lives difficult.... *let alone impossible!* And don't forget it!
**Sophia Madisonte:** I won't forget it, Sir.
**Mr. Fawcett: (whispering)** You will *not*.

*(after Sophia disrupts Miss Dunn's needlework lesson)*
**Mr. Fawcett:** Come in.
**Sophia Madisonte:** May I close the door, sir?
**Mr. Fawcett:** Yes, please. *[Sophia does so]*
**Narrator:** After her disruptive behaviour in needlework, Sophia has been summoned to the headmaster's office.
**Mr. Fawcett:** Come stand by the desk, and put your hands behind you. And why am I seeing you?
**Sophia Madisonte:** Because I was rude to...
**Mr. Fawcett:** To...?
**Sophia Madisonte:** I don't know her name, Sir.
**Mr. Fawcett:** To a member of my staff?
**Sophia Madisonte:** Yeah.. *(Mr Fawcett glares at Sophia)* Sir.
**Mr. Fawcett:** I spoke to you upstairs about this, this morning, and what did I say?
**Sophia Madisonte:** You told me not to be rude.
**Mr. Fawcett:** I told you it was totally unacceptable in this school... Totally unacceptable: to answer back, backchat to teachers. Totally unacceptable to be rude to them. So am I going to see any more of this?
**Sophia Madisonte:** Hopefully not, Sir.
**Mr Fawcett: "**Hopefully not"?!
**Sophia Madisonte:** Well, it'd be rude to lie, can't say definitely not.
**Mr Fawcett:** Well, I don't think you'd better... think that you would get away with doing it again. Off you go.
*[Sophia exits the headmaster's office]*