I’m sat in the office writing lesson plans for tommorrow (only one year twelve class today – HURRAY!) and I’ve just realised how many inspirational quotes, you know the sort of thing ‘Only those who are willing to go too far will ever know how far they can truly go’, that there are in here. … Read More

The Smiths, my Uncle Arthur, Jacques, all jumbled in my head and my writing…after all of that and my ambition, is just creative writing class mess afterall. Alec Guinness does this justice if you want to listen: Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread … Read More

I am such a hypocrite. I have just called two girls puerile for having minds at exactly the level mine is at. I’m doing tactile sculpture with year ten. We’re making things out of modroc but we’re talking about what things feel like and linking it with modern day sculpture so I brought in one … Read More

I entered the room with the rows and rows and rows of desks all in neat lines and columns and my heart leapt into my mouth. The shivering, shaking, heart pounding nerves (much worse than I’d even got when I was at school) broke over me like waves, with cool water seeming to pour down … Read More

‘A Beltane Day, the air quick with may…’ Well, ok it’s not Beltane technically but it felt like it in Chloe’s ritual. Everything was alive and it was spring. The world is full of energy and it dances together in pulsing shimmering colour. Well, I felt better anyway. It was good at the Walpurgisnacht celebrations … Read More

I want out I want out I want out. I wasn’t smart enough for an academic career. I’m not committed enough for a teaching career. All I am is flaky, and I need out of here. I have two observations to get through and a final presentation. I want out. I’m going to crash, I’m … Read More

Why did I want to be a teacher? It certainly wasn’t because I love children. In fact, lets ge this straight, I can’t stand children (not unless I absolutely have to or they’re my cousin Charlotte). Now I define children as being from the age they first start screaming to the age that they can … Read More

Seems like everyone around here is talking children. Not so surprising really since one of the women in the department is pregnant and the others are all mothers. The girls in all the classes are fascinated by babies…being pregnant can really get the kids to shut up which is nice. It’s so strange, being fed … Read More

If you look at something you categorise it, I don’t really mean put it into a box but you say that is beautiful, that is wrong-looking, that is pretty, that is boring, whatever. So we look and we react to beauty. But we don’t just percieve with our eyes, we talk to people and smell … Read More

Why is beauty important? As Giggles has written, twice now, (damn her grasp of Latin it took me fifteen minutes and a dictionary to reply to her! and my endings aren’t right and I think one of the words is past historic tense) I think therefore I am, not I am beautiful therefore I am. … Read More