Last year I had a nightmare with my year sevens. They wouldn't listen, were rude and made me tear my hair out every single lesson. This year I have a much calmer group. It's only two weeks in so there is a 'honeymoon period' element to things but I feel very positive about how things are going and how well I've set out my classroom expectations.

I'm helped by the fact that there are not one but two teaching assistants in there with me because of two pupils with major learning difficulties. I'm not very experienced with working with TAs so I'm trying desperately hard to get it right. I know that some teachers can be a bit snooty and rude towards them so I'm really keen to not be like that. One of them said well done to me for how I'd helped one of the weak kids and got them working which left me beaming.

Today was another smooth and successful lesson with the pupils working hard and making progress. At the end of the lesson on the way out one little girl thanked me for the lesson. Bless.

Do you ever get the feeling that people are actively trying to catch you out? When I checked my pigeon hole this afternoon after a jam full (not literally unfortunately) day I found three messages:
1. 'Please confirm with * that your form's photos match the names on the sheet as requested last week.' My bad.
2. 'Mr Too-much-time-on-his-hands has complained that today a large group of pupils were stood outside his house' Well don't live outside a school then! Would all staff on duty around this area (ergo, me) please ensure that they check for little sods having fags and being all scally-like.'
3. 'Dear form tutor. I have noticed that you haven't handed out the ever-so-very important letters (What letters?) about parent-school-governor election shizzle. Why the hell not imbecile?'

Each message in isolation I wouldn't mind but there's only so much nagging you can take without wanting to scream. I then rang up the appropriate person regarding the first but found the phone answered by somebody else who said that they had a message to pass on to me. Oh, what have I done now?! This time it wasn't my fault. Apparently a member of my form is being bullied. Poor little kid, I know the feeling.