Definately due another rant!

Not posted since 12th July and my has a lot happened since then! A few days after my last post I took myself of to Berlin for a few days and soaked up the sights, sounds and smells. Then a couple of weeks after that I went to Jerusalem. Had a fantastic time in so many respects. Since then, my life has revolved round one thing: Crompton House School - me and Chris are settled into 'Alan Towers' - the 'Pleasure Palace' - or whatever you want to call it. It certainly was disconcerting to arrive and find that, as a result of our heterosexuality, we were in the minority. In the spirit of equality, we neglected to drape a swastika out of our balcony-cum-pation (it's just not cricket) and are becoming well known amongst 'the boys' (we even had a drink on canal st. this week - I'd been to see Tony Benn but that's a different story) and of course the girls. Their favourite pastime is playing rugby.

Ah, I love the gays. Anyway CHS - as expected, my feet haven't touched the ground. All going reasonably well, a few issues here and there, PSHE lessons are a bugger for managing behaviour and I'm finding that there are so many more things to worry about when you're no longer an NQT. For a start, seeing pupils over an extended period of time, not to mention the quality of the school, means that tracking is a serious issue. I'm chasing up more pupils more than I ever have done before, not because they're crap (they've not got any competition from St. Aidans - RIP) but because I'm trying to be conscientious. Anyway, the main thing is that I'm enjoying it.

I've also enjoyed the politics - my enthusiasm hasn't yet quite rubbed off on the pupils:

AS Student - What lesson have you got now Sir?
Mr Owen - PSHE, Year 9
AS Student - I bet you wish you had us for Government and Politics...?
Mr Owen - Do I??! I could blab on about party systems all day
AS Student (under her breath) - Don't we know it...

So far so good anyway. Politically, I've been pretty active recently - went to some Labour Conference finge meetings recently (IDS, Polly Toynbee, Martin Narey, Liam Byne on Child Poverty and middle England's response and a Socialist Campaign Group Meeting with Tony Benn, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott et al.) and actually finally joined the party for a quid. Not bad! The boss is a Lib Dem councillor - I need to stop making my lessons so overtly partisan and, in particular, stop slating the Liberals for their unelectability!!!!!

So, busy busy...I'm sure it will all settle down, come half term at least!

Ciao!