As a teacher I want to be seen as knowledgeable, authoritative and mature. But I can't seem to shake of the whole sweet/nice young man image. It drives me mad. One of my year tens was telling me that his parents had been talking about how pleasant I'd seemed at parents evening. The fact that his dad was huge and his mum was rather attractive might have something to do with this. Generally I find it to be not too smart to be curt and rude to people who could crush me with one finger and I'll be honest, I'm more likely to be all smiles towards an attractice woman than towards an ugly old man with warts. It's the basis of evolution. Sort of.

I then had one of his classmates saying how they'd been talking to their auntie whose son is in my form about how sweet I am. Just before half term two year elevens told me about their English teacher saying how nice I am. Which I guess is... nice, and I am glad to be appreciated, but I wish other teachers would go on about how clever I am or that I'm a blackbelt in karate so it's not a good idea to mess with me. Admittedly that last one isn't true but it'd be nice if they did.

I just want to be taken seriously.

In my house I've recently been overrun with mice. When I say overrun I mean I have found evidence of at least one mouse being present oweing to the fact that something has taken a taste for my shoes. In my view even that's one mouse too many so I set out a humane mousetrap.

This morning I heard a scuffling noise inside it and found that I'd caught the little guy. I'd heard that mice will find their way back to your house if you release them within two miles (rat nav?) so I took him with me in my car on my way to school. It must have been a strange sight for anyone driving past: me leaning out of my car and releasing this little rodent. Possibly they thought I was a pigeon fancier who was too tight to buy actual pigeons so was making do with mice.

I'm setting the trap again tonight but am hoping that there won't be anymore visitors. I've even put a cliched lump of cheese in it.