JDS Insights: October 2012

Holiday...can you tell? This month I was another year older. My ambivalence towards ageing increases with each year that passes. But the holiday was a chance to relax and drink in another perspective. And also forget. So I did. Read the block of text below and have a think about what emerges. ------- Onward toContinue reading "JDS Insights: October 2012"

JDS Insights: September 2012

What if he was *my* chemistry teacher? September: the days draw in, darkness descends and we return to school. Summer is over. The longer I've taught, the more attuned I've become to the rhythm and routine of the year. September is a month that really marks the beginning of the cycle; another year begins. ThisContinue reading "JDS Insights: September 2012"

JDS Insights: August 2012

This year's summer holiday was not really any different to others. I read, I explored my writing a bit more, I shopped, I spent time in coffee shops...the usual. As well as that - we celebrated ten years of being together and five years of marriage. I can't believe it's gone so quickly. It didContinue reading "JDS Insights: August 2012"

JDS Insights: July 2012

Hilariously twisted, maniacally funny and disturbingly lucid. That was then. This is now. It's December. It's nearly Christmas and here I am writing about July. Sometimes I wonder is it better never than late? July was a memorable month for the country. Who could forget Olympics? The Olympic Ceremonies represented London and this country: horriblyContinue reading "JDS Insights: July 2012"

JDS Insights: June 2012

No screens! Following on from the wonders of exams, June is full of report-writing for teachers. Most of mine had been done a little earlier because the pupils I teach tend to go on exam leave before the rest of the school. It *should* have felt more like the summer was approaching, winding down timeContinue reading "JDS Insights: June 2012"

How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?

How much do you know about yourself? In the film Fight Club Tyler Durden poses the question, “How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?” By that measure I knew very little about myself. I knew nothing of what it actually meant to have someone ‘front me up’ orContinue reading "How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?"

Class of 2012: Home Truths

Tonight - Touch The Sky Each year another set of Year 13 students steps beyond the castle walls and escapes to university to begin Life After School. Each year group likes to think that they will be remembered fondly in teachers hearts and minds. Truthfully, year groups have a tendency to blur into one another.Continue reading "Class of 2012: Home Truths"

JDS Insights: May 2012

It's in your head... For a teacher May is a month brought sharply into focus because of those little things called exams. The particularly depressing weather through the month didn't really help matters - in my mind it was supposed to be warmer, sunnier and feeling like the end of the year was approaching. InsteadContinue reading "JDS Insights: May 2012"

JDS Insights: April 2012

I had an interesting time this month. I received a cheque in the post from Google for £60. It's taken me a few years but it was generated from this blog. It did make me think: could I write some stuff here that could generate enough interest to make some money? It's an interesting questionContinue reading "JDS Insights: April 2012"