13/
But then a student finally solves a problem they’ve been stuck on for weeks.
And for about 30 seconds, you remember why the job exists at all.
10.03.2026 06:31
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13/
But then a student finally solves a problem they’ve been stuck on for weeks.
And for about 30 seconds, you remember why the job exists at all.
12/
Teaching like this isn’t glamorous.
It’s maintenance.
Routine.
Holding the line.
11/
And behind the scenes?
Lunch orders.
Cash-ups.
Risk assessments.
Training modules.
The quiet admin that keeps the whole machine from falling apart.
10/
At the same time, I’ve got 12 job applications out to other schools.
Sometimes the best way to survive a system is to move to a different outpost.
9/
Phones controlled.
Music controlled.
Consequences that actually happen.
Structure isn’t cruelty.
Structure is safety.
8/
My rule for behaviour systems:
Start strict.
You can always soften later.
But if students think the walls are fake, the whole place collapses.
7/
I even built a cat-themed maths worksheet.
Because sometimes the fastest way to teach algebra is to disguise it as a meme.
6/
Sticker rewards.
IXL drills.
Tiny incentives that look silly from the outside but can completely change a student’s day.
5/
Meanwhile, I’m still teaching maths.
Geometry.
Transformations.
Gradients.
Because structure matters—even when everything else feels chaotic.
4/
Then someone drops a slur in class.
Everything stops.
Everyone waits to see if the adults will actually do something.
That moment tells students more about the system than any lesson ever will.
3/
Students test the system constantly.
Swearing.
Refusing to move.
Phones out.
Not because they hate you.
Because they’re asking a question:
“Do the rules actually exist?”
2/
If you want to understand struggling schools, here’s the reality:
You’re not just teaching maths.
You’re managing storms.
1/
A lot of people think teaching is lesson plans and grading.
Some weeks, it’s closer to running a bunker while the walls are being tested.
Last week was one of those weeks.
www.patreon.com/posts/week-6...
I'm a fan of musicals, but I wasn't crazy about Moulin Rouge. Why? Well, because of the hyper-kinetic editing style used in the first part of the film. With a cut every 1 second, my brain just couldn't simply relax and enjoy any form of proper pacing throughout the film.
In Washington State, a gift card can never expire; it's treated the same as cash.
www.patreon.com/posts/lines-...
It's . . . interesting. But still not as good as the tuxedo cat.
www.patreon.com/posts/week-4...
First proper nosy round the new place; fences down, roads almost drivable, kitchen looking suspiciously like it’s finished.
Spent chasing the builder and solicitor to pull completion forward. Flooring, movers and cat logistics are now all tripping the light fantastic on a tighter schedule.
www.patreon.com/posts/sneak-...
www.patreon.com/posts/rebuil...
www.patreon.com/posts/fragme...
Listen
There's another national anthem playing
Not the one you cheer at the ballpark
Where's my prize?
It's the other national anthem
Saying, if you want to hear
It says, "bullshit"
It says. "never"
It says, "sorry"
Loud and clear
It says, "listen
To the tune that keeps sounding
In the distance
If you can afford to do so, then do it. No one ever said on their deathbed, "I wish I spent more time at work."
Kudos to Stephen Boyd, who played his character of Messala as a gay ex-lover of Ben-Hur (while Charlton Heston remained clueless).
