And we’re back!

Yep, it’s January which only means one thing: back to work.

With any luck, the first day this term was an interminable inset day, where you can perhaps play back to work bingo and get all the important questions out of the way. How many times did you hear any of this:

• How was your break?
• Feels like we’ve never been away doesn’t it?
• I’m still hungover from New years!
• I’m exhausted and it’s only 9 a.m.
• I struggled to get up this morning.
• I hear they’re giving snow for next week.
• Happy New Year! It’s great to be back….¹
• I’ve been ill since we broke up.
• We had my in-laws over, so you can imagine how that was.²
• I bumped into Johnny’s³ dad in a pub on Christmas Eve and he called me a cunt.⁴
• I didn’t do much, just slept really⁵.
• I’m doing dry January to give my liver a break.⁶
• I don’t even know what day it is.⁷

So you check your emails, and find three increasingly furious emails from a parent about an issue from the last day of term they emailed you about at 6 pm on that last day. Next SLT do their spiel about how it’s time for a behaviour reset, and run through all the behaviour policy, again, even though we all know it and follow it until it hits… SLT. Someone will then stand up and talk about year 11 and 13 and say how long it is until the exams start⁸ and how every second counts. Then they’ll remove half term and Easter, plus the days for Art, Music and other practical subjects and you’ll be left with approximately 0.5 lessons with your year 11 class that absolutely, positively, must all get at least grade 4. Happy times.

At this point, motivation might be low, so here’s a true story to remind you of why we put ourselves through this.

Years ago, when I worked in Greenwich (South East London) I would commute every day from Kingston (South West London). One night after work, a couple of us went for a beer, which of course turned into two, then three. This made me late for my train, so I had to sprint⁹ to make it.

I made it, bursting onto the train and took a seat, breathing heavily. After a couple of minutes, I became aware of a really built bloke staring at me from the door. This was a really intense stare, so I began to panic. Had I hit him as I barged onto the train? Bugger.

Anyway, he came over and sat right next to me, which Londoners will recognise as a big no-no, squeezing his massive frame onto the tiny seat. He continued to stare at me, then said, “It is you isn’t it?”

I really fucking hope not, was all my drink addled brain could come up with.

“Mr Watkins, right? You used to teach me Maths. It’s me, Tom.”

And like that, the years peeled away from his face and I recognised the boy he used to be. He told me about the time he was having a hard time in school, with other students picking on him. My first school was a boys school, and Tom had joined us late having left the local private school. The other students thought he was posh (he wasn’t, he just had a vocabulary) so that made him a prime target.

Anyway, he said that I told him something that has stuck with him for the whole of his life, and has become a mantra he lives by. Now I don’t remember saying this, but he swears I did.

I told him “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Then I waited until he was leaving the room, and when he reached the doorway I said, “Tom, it’s all small stuff.”

He thanked me profusely until we reached Waterloo East where I had to get off. I waved goodbye to him and walked away feeling a mixture of pride and embarrassment. I’d clearly made a difference to that young man’s life, but here’s the rub.

The line is from the incredibly cheesy film Free Willy. I cringe at the thought of Tom discovering his life philosophy was told to a kid about a whale by Mr Blonde from Reservoir Dogs.

Anyway, there’s only another 492 days left in January. It’ll soon be over.

Until next time.

1. This one not so much. ↩︎
2. No, Sandra, I can’t as I don’t know anything about your inlaws. ↩︎
3. Other students names available. ↩︎
4. Bit extreme this one… ↩︎
5. Usually the ECT without kids. ↩︎
6. I don’t understand this one. January is already long and dull enough – why make it worse? ↩︎
7. It’s Monday you insufferable nobhead. We all know this as we’re here, rather than at home in our pyjamas eating cheese and chocolate. Yes, at the same time, don’t judge me. ↩︎
8. 124 days fact fans. ↩︎
9. I was a younger man then. ↩︎