Confessions of a teacher: Because school isn't quite what you remember it to be... by Jane Salomon Read Free Book Online Page B

they are only five inspectors for nearly 200 staff. I hope I am in the latter category. Jack is a nervous wreck and keep tabs on the progress of the inspection when he doesn't have a class. He's already popped his head in twice this morning to tell us which corridors the inspectors are patrolling. I wish he wouldn't do that as we're still jumping with every intrusion. In any case, it looks like they're getting closer to our department.
     
     
    Sometime later that day I meet a slightly despondent Dora in the toilet, which has been surprisingly free of counselling sessions so far. As we wash our hands side by side, she asks me the question which is on every body's lips these days: "Have you been inspected?". I tell her I haven't yet and politely return the question. Dora has been inspected and now feels relieved. She tells me the inspector had a nice pleasant chat to her at the end but she heard that the poor NQT (that's Newly Qualified Teacher) in history was grilled for ten minutes at the end of his lesson with questions that could have him qualified for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. "And apart from that, how are you doing Dora?". I keep that question open enough that she can choose to give me a short or long answer. I'm getting good at this questioning business and I think I could give Bloom a run for his money. The 'how are you doing' question isn't even on his list. Dora chooses a mid-length answer as we both have a class next period and the bell is about to go. "I'm okay", she says. Then, after a silence: "Stan and I have decided to go our separate way". She tells me she's quite sad but relieved at the same time. It was for the best. Once again, I tell Dora she's welcome to talk to me if she needs to and this time, to my surprise, she tentatively suggests we go for a coffee some time. "For sure" I reply and we both head towards our next class which happen to be across from each other. I have the fifth year while she gets the mushroom class. The mushroom class has progressed greatly and have now moved on to tomato slicing and onion chopping. Me and the fifth year are really looking forward to today because we think we're going to witness the first attempt from the mushroom class at baking their very own pizza.
     
     
    Teaching can be quite therapeutic at times. Your personal life may be crumbling around you but when you enter the classroom everything has to look normal. Teachers are so well versed into pretending that everything is absolutely fine that they can even start believing it themselves. This is also why pupils can't imagine their teachers as individuals. As far as they're concerned, teachers are like brooms. They get locked in a cupboard at night and taken out the next morning. Whatever is going on in Dora's life, she is back to releasing sexual tension through her vegetables, to the great delight of the fifth year. It's not all bad, though. Thanks to Dora, I have learned how to make prawn cocktail. I didn't know that the sauce was a simple mixture of mayonnaise, tomato ketchup and a dash of lemon. Dave and I had it for dinner last month and it was very tasty. I think prawn cocktail followed by pizza may well be on the menu tonight. May be I should ask Dave if he thinks I'm running a successful home. Then I remember the state of the house and think better of it.
     
     

Return to normality.
     
     
    The four days inspection is over and I'm glad to say that have escaped the interrogation of Her Majesty's Inspectorate. In the ensuing weeks, there are some major developments in David Bloomberg's case. David had a long official meeting assisted by his Union Rep., something we told him before, should have been the case right from the start. After a short and tearful toilet counselling session, his head of department has gone off-sick with stress for the last two weeks. David can't divulge much about the meeting except that he produced a thirteen pages document with copies of e-mails and other correspondence that