Phew. Made it. The half-term break is nearly over but yours truly has spent it working, catching up on all manner of paperwork, prepping lessons for next week, making sure my kids are entered for their exams, checking last years retention and achievements, quality and so on. We should be getting an OFSTED inspection this year so everyone here is panicking a bit.

Its been a busy 7 weeks since the start of term and only another seven to Christmas. My groups have settled down nearly and are starting to learn now. We have just started Key Skills testing, we have had kids on outward bound week and some really good outside speakers in to put Public Services and Sport in context.

Just think on Tuesday it's November the first. Seven weeks to Christmas and half the academic year will be done. The hard part has been done now. I can lighten up a bit from now with the kids and start to enjoy it. Still, I'm getting a bit too old for this job and really want out ASAP. It gets tougher every year and i'm not enjoying it like I did, when every lesson was a buzz and an adrenaline rush. All I get nowadays are migraines and trips to Boots to buy more Anadin Extras.

Heads down were going in for round two.

Love

Billy
xxx

Yes Tony it's time to go. So us teachers have decided to help you out as you ride off into the sunset.
After all the pain of reform, reform, reform all the teachers in schools and colleges have had a little whip round and chipped in to buy you a little two-wheeled present. It's a second-hand one but all we could afford
We really hope you like it. Looked after, it could give you years of service.

We teachers are saving up again now to buy a tandem for Ruth kelly and that nice Steven Adonis (unelected) who you Mr Blair, put in charge of the education department. What have they done the pair of them apart from write lots and lots of meaningless papers non of which teachers quite understand.

When you eventually do retire Tony, why not think about re-training to become one of us - bet you hadn't thought of that. With all your experience, you could quickly rise up the ranks and be a head in no time at all. If you join next year mind you'll have to work until your'e 90 as the new changes come into play for teachers pensions, so better make a move soon.

Sorry to rant on about this but Blair and his cronies have really arsed up the schools and colleges in this country and the sooner he's gone the better for all.

Here lies Education, buried in a landslide of White papers.
It was once fun to work as a teacher until all the reforms came along.
Reforms - more frequent than a number 73 bus.
The more the reforms came and the more the staff left.
So, sod off Blair.
Sod off Kelly and thanks for nothing.

(Billy I didn't know you were a poetician - Ed.)

BBD

Reform, reform, reform. More pain on the way for the troops in schools and colleges announced today to a public who bored with it all. Why can't Blair piss off and retire and let's get someone else in to set the priorities in another area that needs sorting out. Education has had reform after reform since 1997 and staff are sick to the back teeth and tired of it.

Why is it always education that has to be reformed? Why can't the Government be reformed instead? After eight years of Labour we've seen more White Papers than you could paper the House of Commons with, more painful reforms than the Tories managed in eighteen years.

So to Tony and Ruth - shove off, we don't want your reforms.

BBD