You get bored of the same kids week-in and week-out. You know that Susie will work hard and complete the work you set within two minutes, just as you know that Bobby will call-out and ignore everything you say to him. You get stuck in a rut. You turn up, you teach, you go home. Days and weeks merge in to one.

In June I went camping with the year sevens and it blew the routine apart. All of a sudden I came across kids I'd not seen before and they seemed so polite. It was like they were from a completely different school. It was so refreshing to not be yelling at some little brat to sit down and shut up or to worry about anyone chewing. I didn't even mind showing off my ineptitude at climbing, though was a bit embarrassed that all the kids were better than me. All-in-all it was nice to be reminded that teaching doesn't always have to be about curriculum and tests and discipline and blah blah blah.