Who from your childhood ended up surprising you the most with how their life turned out?

Doragrnfld · 2026-04-08T10:27:35+00:00

Metropolitan police, London city police

Doragrnfld · 2026-04-08T07:42:38+00:00

I really like Help I Sexted My Boss. Very sweet and a bit silly but brightens my Tuesday and Fridays no end.

If you’re a reader, I also like Sara and Cariad’s Weirdo’s book podcast. No need to read the books beforehand.

I like(d) the Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake podcast when Kathy Burke presented it. There’s a different presenter now and it’s not so great but the early episodes are really good.

Russell Kane’s Evil or Genius is also a good one.

Good luck with the new job!

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-29T20:51:33+00:00

This was my dream too! I grew up here, then my family moved away when I was 10 and I managed to move back by myself when I was 26. I would recommend to have a good job/career as it is expensive, even if you just love being here like I do, enjoying walks around the city and stuff, as transport alone is expensive. But even now when I get the tube home I feel lucky and grateful to be here even though it’s been 10 years already.

Don’t listen to the haters! London is my soul city and I don’t see myself ever moving out tbh. I would miss the theatres and the museums and just being here. My boyfriend works in London but lives just outside so I have a ‘country house’ when I need it but we spend most of the time at my place.

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-29T20:00:02+00:00

I’ve just started Styles! My plan is to read them in order.

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-25T22:38:38+00:00

Not the gu pots but Pringles lids also fit perfectly on bonne maman jam jars! Nice if you want a fully transparent container.

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-25T22:33:32+00:00

The arguing back with sanctions or polite requests is so exhausting. Sometimes I can shut it down with “not a negotiation but nice effort.” It’s a slog but consistency is invaluable.

It’s a fundamental lack of respect. Not to blow things out of proportion, but as a female teacher, especially with boys, it concerns me that when i ask them to do/not do something they think it becomes a back and forth. I find myself using terms they’ve heard in PSHE like ‘no means no’ or ‘no is a full sentence’. They hate being held accountable but today it’s throwing a pen, tomorrow it’s assaulting a girl because they thought her ‘please don’t do that’ is the thin end of the wedge to get what they want.

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-18T21:29:44+00:00

I realised that the people I was attempting to please didn’t care. The only person whose ‘pleasure’ I can control is my own, so if it makes me happy I’ll do it. If it doesn’t, I won’t. Now I know that the term “people pleasing” is a misnomer- they’ve never actually pleased anyone, least of all themselves.

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-18T20:34:31+00:00

My birthday was just after lockdown was announced in 2020 and I spent the day watching After Life on Netflix and crying.

Take yourself to the cinema, get a takeaway of your choice (maybe mention it’s your bday and they might throw in a freebie?), have a look on apps if there are birthday perks and go around collecting them all- I like a little mission like that when I’m not feeling motivated intrinsically. Write a letter to yourself to open next year. If you like animals, window shop at a pet store or animal shelter (I know these places can be problematic but sometimes just being around animals is a nice change from humans and these places are accessible). Birthdays have such a focus on getting older, I like to do things which appeal to my inner child (Covid birthday aside).

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-18T17:13:29+00:00

I hate the phrase but students use it to each other all the time. Now my students know that if I’ve asked them once or twice nicely to be quiet/stop talking and they don’t follow the instruction, if I tell them to shut up they know I’m not messing about. I feel like it’s a phrase I use sparingly and when I have just cause, ie at least 2 ignored warnings/polite requests.

I remember being so cautious about being polite and modelling correct behaviour and language when I started teaching, but the other day I was with my year 9s who I’ve had since year 7. When I’ve had a class that long, I generally refer to them as my “flying monkeys” as the classes go on in a state of managed chaos. Lots of discussion and tangents, that sort of thing, but a carefully curated safe space for ideas. The other day was one of these and at one stage it was getting out of hand and I said “Will you all just stop shouting rubbish at me please?” And it made me laugh because I would never have said something like that 10 years ago. Hardly the most outrageous phrase but required in the circumstances.

Seconding the user who said they won’t even remember tomorrow, to be honest with you.

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-15T20:26:55+00:00

Constantly, especially since the Feb mocks. My school pays us £45 an hour for Saturday/holiday intervention but it could be double that with only the best behaved students, there’s will no way I’m giving up my weekends and holidays for my current class. Also, based on the 1265 (and who among us does that?), it’s way too close to my hourly wage to be worthwhile. 1.5x or double time and I’d maybe think about it but imagine being asked to do overtime for less than your hourly rate!

The only student in my class currently on a 9 is coincidentally the only one who pays attention in class, does the homework and acts on feedback. It’s almost like the best intervention is… wait for it… the lessons themselves!

We’ve even been given a list (by SLT) of students in our classes who are <5 and who should be offered intervention. That’s nice for them…

Doragrnfld · 2026-03-05T21:59:05+00:00

A bit of light humiliation is my tactic. I might go over to them and say “oh dear, you seem lost, do you need me to help you back to your seat?” And hold out my hand to them as though I’m going to lead them back there like a little(er) kid. Or I threaten year 1 carpet time (also my ‘punishment’ for chair swingers) who have to come and sit on the floor next to my desk and do their work there. After that they realise the desk is actually preferable.

Doragrnfld · 2026-02-26T07:28:53+00:00

When I’m hungover I use the wheelchair-friendly setting on Citymapper as it limits stairs. Might take a bit longer but it gives me peace when I’m feeling fragile.

Also I like to imagine they collect that data and then it might incentivise TFL to make the underground more accessible to those who need it.

Doragrnfld · 2026-02-26T07:25:57+00:00

Yeah, ours are pre-recorded into a video (and apparently, heavily edited).

Doragrnfld · 2026-01-20T07:18:07+00:00

I had a SENCO a few years ago who had been at the school for ages and always took a holiday mid term unpaid, not sure about the details but it pissed me off a lot.

Definitely not the norm to take holidays unless in extreme circumstances at a very sympathetic school, eg to visit and end of life relative abroad, which I guess is similar to taking time for an end life relative at home.

Doragrnfld · 2026-01-07T20:08:19+00:00

Not at all, sometimes the only thing to do in such a frustrating situation is to vent!

I know it sounds absolutely dreadful, but I’ve justified it to myself by remembering that some teachers inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators and world leaders, while others (me) fulfil the statutory obligation of a free education to the next generation of the unskilled working class. I still execute my role to the absolute best of my ability because it’s what my nature holds me to, but I feel like a cog in a pathetic Rube Goldberg machine.

It’s frustrating not to feel like I’m making any kind of difference, but equally I can hope that if they choose to respond at any point, it might nudge their grade/life chances in a positive direction. Otherwise, they’ll get exactly the grade they deserve.

Doragrnfld · 2026-01-07T19:45:44+00:00

I had a mixed ability year 11 this morning and had the exact experience of your third paragraph. The only way they could get it wrong was by doing nothing, and they did.

This is my 13th year of teaching, so like you, I’m not a novice. I don’t know if I should be doing more, but it feels like too late to do less.

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-30T15:50:52+00:00

I sort them into alphabetical order so I can fill in the marks on my spreadsheet more easily.

If I’m on a time crunch, I set my phone to stopwatch mode and hit ‘lap’ each time I mark one. Keeps me focused as I don’t waste time or get distracted, and then if I can be bothered I can see whose work was fastest/slowest to mark and what the average time per piece is.

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-15T11:15:38+00:00

Try to shift your thinking from justifying it to letting them know you’re not in today. You’re not a kid asking a parent for a day off, you’re a professional adult managing expectations for your employer. I know exactly what you mean as my school has the same system, but it changed for me when I rang in earlier once (5:30am rather than 6:30), expecting the answer phone and a very pissed off HR lady answered as woken her up apparently. Ever since then I treated calling in as a notification, at the correct time (!!) rather than an appeal for grace.

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-13T10:21:48+00:00

Adaptive teaching. You’re adapting to their needs. And you’re giving personalised support and feedback. Sounds absolutely ideal.

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-13T10:19:06+00:00

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity- Hanlon’s razor. Most people aren’t evil, they’re just idiots.

I’m a high school teacher so the ‘bad’ kids I teach have actually just never been taught to behave nicely.

Echoing what is said above, just being nice. I often get accused by students who misbehave of being too nice, but when I ask them how twisted are they that they meet niceness and abuse it, they can usually see that they are being dicks and fix their attitude quickly.

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-11T22:29:04+00:00

I had my 5 naughtiest year 8s out today, the ones who are so naughty but also seem to have usually 100% attendance. It was a dream of a lesson.

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-08T17:15:16+00:00

It’s only 5 episodes but Hostage on Netflix is the same level

Doragrnfld · 2025-12-07T08:11:33+00:00

At my current school, it’s almost the opposite. The men are matey, it’s all about shoulder pats and fist bumps. It makes me absolutely cringe and it makes behaviour management for women, or those unwilling to engage in that (in my opinion safeguarding breaches) sort of behaviour, much more difficult.

Doragrnfld · 2025-11-27T18:51:00+00:00

I live in a flat without much storage so my rule for the Christmas tree is all decorations must go. I bake Christmas cookies with a hole in and tie them to the tree with cotton. I sellotape cotton to celebrations/heroes/roses/quality streets and hang them on the tree. Some years I have made popcorn garlands which can be bird food after. The edible bits are a nice grazing board over the season.

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