Top Trumps

Last week I tried to hide in my classroom, oh how I tried, but my ever-so-helpful colleagues whilst pretending to be busy (they were banging the keyboards randomly) told the cover manager exactly where I was! Result: one more cover lesson! I thought English was boring, French was alright but this was the worst lesson I've had to give yet - Sex Ed!!
I had another surprise this week, this time from a sixth form class. They had spent the lesson scribbling down notes on reciprocal trigonometric functions. Or so I thought. A few of the more enterprising had created a deck of Top Trumps cards. You know the sort, different characters with different attributes. This deck was based on the class...and not just the students. After confiscating them it seems I rated top in fields including 'Looks' and 'Maths Power' but scored low marks in 'Grumpiness' and 'Sobriety'.

Where there's smoke...

I can't help but think previously mentioned university student who has been shadowing me this week has an inaccurate picture of life in the public sector. A few classes of mine are on study leave and as a result I was teaching a whopping one hour today. I did spend a fair bit of time in the staffroom with some colleagues discussing how best to cut vanilla cake and make fire using only natural means but I can only assure him that there are 'targets' and 'stress' in the public sector just like the lean efficient private sector. Right Anton? Back me up!

British P Power

Ventured a bit further than Stockport for a night out and made a few interesting observations:
1) I'm not sure if people are getting friendlier or I just attract the more bizarre elements in pubs. I went to the bar and when I got back there was some stoned Welshman adamant on getting my friend to clap in a flamenco style. I wanted to find out how he lived his life (I know I shouldn't have) and when he had finished his clapping lesson revealed he was a train driver. That explains a lot.
2) I got ID'd, which I take as a compliment as well as a minor irritation. It's also really handy when you've got your driver's licence to hand unless of course the useless twonks at the DVLA have MISLAID YOUR LICENCE AGAIN.
3) Toilet attendants in the gents?! They seem to be cropping up more and more. Funnily enough I don't go to the gents solely to get aftershave or moisturise, so I just to try and avoid them.