View From The Top

Just watched The Hunger Games. I really enjoyed it and will be off to see the 2nd one over the holidays.

Someone must have one sat in a cupboard unused and unwanted. I'll happily take it off your hands. I'll even pay the postage!

Jesus wept. They are so dumb it's scary.

Not much really gets my goat. However, the stupid bints on FB that post things about their animals as if they were kids (usually bints without kids it must be said) does get on my t1ts. Also drivers who haven't a brain big enough to work out that cyclists would appreciate it if you passed them with room to spare and that, just perhaps, many of us already pay excise on our own cars so we are quite entitled to use the roads.

Lazio v Roma. Mental and loud.

It happens now to some extent.

The Outstanding ones do. As well as run school trips, school teams etc. Certainly happens in our house (mainly the missus). I'm in a week of Easter for GCSE sessions and go back in the summer a week before the students. Don't have to do it, but I do it because my students deserve my best efforts. Plenty like me but it's easier to slag teachers off.

I'd agree with that in the case of some arts degrees but only a dumb f**k would think anyone with a good maths or science degree isn't teaching simply because they want to. Most teachers I know have always wanted to do the job or have re-trained after redundancy. The true problem is that aren't enough OFSTED outstanding teachers willing to go to work in the really sh*t schools thus the conveyor belt of poor staff or NQT's get churned through. Most of the middle class will have kids at Good or Outstanding schools and teachers only want to leave them for promotions. By the time teachers have really learnt their trade and are consistently Good or Outstanding they no longer want to change the world and battle with all the issues in failing schools. Even I've turned the opportunity down in the last year and I've always enjoyed the challenge in the past. It's an issue and I'm not sure how we solve it.

It's because their life choices haven't turn out as well as they liked they resent others.

Last year the Easter holidays in Staffordshire and The Black Country didn't match. Loads of teachers I know who worked in Wolves but lived in Staffs took their kids out of school for a week to take advantage of cheap holidays. As I've said before, I know most teachers understand why parents want to take their kids out and would love cheap holidays themselves.

Training days are allocated by central government as per the Education Act. Would you do training in your holiday? No? Why should teachers then?

The vast majority can't. Nor do they seem to be able to teach them manners or how to use a knife and fork.

F**k off. It's not the teachers who shut the schools.

Looks like we are going to drive as there will be 5 of us and do it over a couple of days both ways. I will, no doubt, be asking advice of best places to stop etc when we are further into the planning stage.

I don't either but they certainly think he's off. Corky knows some Stoke coaching staff so he's sniffing about.

Very good. I actually wish it was from someone I knew instead of Stokie tittletattle.

"Better than what we've got".

I work in Stoke, for my sins.

Stokies today seemed to think we'd made an approach for him in Jan'. Can't see it myself but it would be a fantastic signing.

It will vary school to school and headteacher to headteacher but as long as it doesn't clash with SATs or GCSE's etc you may get away with it. Us teachers know how crippling school holiday prices are so we defiantly sympathise.

He's at Derby isn't he?

Or is Brisbane-Sydney-Brisbane cheaper and easier by hire car?

Is it better to pre-book internal flights on Oz from the UK or just book up when you get there? No experience of flying in Oz. They'd be for Brisbane-Sydney-Brisbane.

I disagree. The reason they are a pile of sh*t is that the FL are all over them like a rash and that isn't going to change any time soon. My pet PSTer, whom I see socially ever couple of weeks or so, is a realist and can't quote workout they the fans haven't picked up on the position they are actually in.