Staffroom: Sniffles all round the staffroom. Great rinsing and re-rinsing of coffee mugs.

Bill locks his mug in his press. He never got over the introduction of the sign of peace in church services.

It was a toss-up between losing his religion or buying gloves. Reluctantly he bought the gloves.

January being the month of sneezes and sniffles makes it a very uncomfortable month for Bill.

It is also a busy month for Mary, the guidance counsellor. For her, January is the CAO month. No matter how well she has her sixth years prepared, they drive her scatty.

After all the open days and admissions officers from the various colleges coming in to talk with them, the silly questions surface.

Though she starts the month by declaring "there is no such thing as a silly question when it means getting your CAO form correct", she feels she is heading for a breakdown.

"What is the difference between BESS in Trinity and commerce in UCD?" asks Tommy Smith, the bane of her life.

"Where were you when I had talks on both of these courses?"

"I was in bed with the doctor."

Titters all round.

Tom, the school steward, announces another vote.

"What is the union up to?" demands a disillusioned Mary.

"Are they going to keep us voting until they get what they want?"

There is a general unease about the possibility of a ban on substitution.

The principal has made it known that all unsupervised classes will be sent home.

The thought of whole classes hanging round the local shops and, worse still, cavorting with the local convent maidens is just too much for Jane.

"We are finding it hard enough to maintain our good image in the locality without courting disaster," she proclaims.

The staffroom falls silent.