the way back - nervous breakdown and all that

It would be fair to say that most of my posts on here have a somewhat negative slant. After all, the whole basis of the blog has been to expose a toxic head teacher, with the odd foray into unwanted academisation, and dealing with loss.  So, I have decided to write the last post of the year in honour of my ‘person of the year': Angeline Morrison .  First and foremost, Angeline is a fantastic singer/songwriter. My partner and I discovered her after an incredible album of hers came out last year - The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience. I encourage anyone who likes folk to get hold of a copy immediately if they do not have it already. Her voice is beautiful; the songs are masterfully written and arranged. However, it is far more than just a delight for the ears. The songs are both tender and full of depth. It is a concept album, exploring the trials, tribulations, and beauty of British Black History over the past couple of centuries: tales of sadness but also a...

I was running yesterday. At my current school, we had a health and safety review recently. It's funny how the mind works: halfway through my run, I remembered a particular incident at my previous school linked to health and safety.  One day, an unannounced fire drill took place. Nothing unusual there. Knowing where pupils are at any given time is something that teachers take very seriously. The alarm went off: I followed procedure to the letter. I quickly got the children ready and realised that I was a child short. She had gone to the toilet, or so I thought... Time is of the essence in an exercise like this, so I led my class out to the playground. And then I got quite cross. Said child eventually turned up on the playground too and the poor thing got quite the telling off. “Where have you been?” “Do you not realise what this could have meant if there had been a real fire?” Etc. The poor child was crestfallen. It was at this stage, and only at this stage that I wa...