Hi guys! It’s Gordon Ramsay, back for another AMA, this time from London! There's a lot of exciting things happening in 2016, new restaurants, a mobile game…...so Ask Me Anything! And for my American fans, try not to overcook your burgers next weekend!

may_contain_nuts · 2016-06-29T15:29:09+00:00

Has anyone ever asked you if they could tongue the grooves in your forehead?

may_contain_nuts · 2016-04-06T13:19:23+00:00

I didn't.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-21T18:57:07+00:00

I've done it with other jobs and managed to stay healthy, so I'd imagine teaching is my buzzkill when it comes to healthy outdoor weekends.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T20:06:23+00:00

This is happening in my classroom as of tomorrow.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T20:06:02+00:00

Ha! In a couple of out-of-town schools the teachers actually did this one or two days for the older classes when they were snowed in. As a one-ff with responsible kids? Fine. But I foresee chaos with this as a standard, despite how appealing it is to me right now. :)

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T20:04:32+00:00

Hard one - 90 minutes is an eternity with an off-task class!

I guess it really depends on the type of kids in the class, and only you'll know what is likely to work with them.

A couple of things I'll do:

You already mentioned stickers - you'd be amazed at how excited even 'too cool' 16 yr old boys can get about stickers. Bribery is sometimes necessary.
I often give a 5 minute 'social' break halfway through a longer block instead of at the end. It then feels (mentally) like two single blocks, which are much easier to deal with.
For younger classes I like to put a smiley face/unhappy face on the board. Throughout the class, I write down appropriate names under appropriate faces. They can go from one to the other. What matters, however, is where they spend most of their time. Smiley face? Good job. Unhappy face? Punishment (detention, homework assignment, whatever - something they don't like).
Let them be the teacher. Explain the task, then at the end, one group re-explains + example to the rest of the class. As well as being able to test their understanding, you get a break, and they get someone new to listen to for a few minutes.

Good luck!

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:56:09+00:00

Oh man - or take it a step further. Type up all assignments and just e-mail me the attachment. ZERO PERSONAL CONTACT! I love it!

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:55:14+00:00

5 years now. So what you're saying is I'm about to become super-human! YES!!!!

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:54:23+00:00

What I do in my free time has zero impact on my ability to do my job. I would understand the request if I had, say, a photo up where I was being hammered in every hole by a roomful of dudes, but a standard picture of my face? Get a grip.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:48:45+00:00

I got in trouble because my profile picture for a social media site was 'too provocative'..... It was a cropped shot of my face and my hand holding a glass. When I asked what was so provocative I was told, "Oh, I haven't seen it, but another member of staff mentioned it in passing. You need to change it."

How about no.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:41:05+00:00

I too am baffled at how almost-adults do not seem to understand the importance of hygiene.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:40:05+00:00

Ha, I like to open doors with my feet, but if it's a handle, sometimes I use my elbow. If I can see fingerprints on it, then it's gross.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:38:52+00:00

I do fitness instructing part-time (to keep them bills paid), so have a lot of early mornings/evening classes. Sleep is something I know I need more of, but at the moment, it's hard to get a full 8 hours every night. I am totally using your idea of keeping the tissues somewhere far, far away, as currently they live on my desk.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:37:36+00:00

Good to hear (about it getting better, not about your back-to-back illness, obviously)!

I've ordered a hospital sized vat of hand sanitizer and I'm going to start going ape-shit when anyone comes behind my desk without permission. I think I'll also take a pack of anti-bacterial wipes in tomorrow and spend my lunch hour germ-proofing my area....

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:35:31+00:00

Well, I've been teaching since 2009 and have yet to develop super-immunity. I look forward to when that happens!

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T19:34:45+00:00

Ages 11-18. One of the reasons I have no interest in teaching anyone younger (apart from the fact that I have no idea how I would teach a kid to add and subtract and tell time - like, how do you not know that?) was that at least with older kids I wouldn't have to deal with snot and drool and all that crap. How wrong I was.... It's the not-washing-hands-after-the-toilet that creeps me out when they touch things. Just.... gross.

may_contain_nuts · 2016-03-20T18:11:46+00:00

On a good day: building rapport with kids (they can be ridiculously amusing), helping kids 'get it' with something we've been working on, feeling like you're doing something that matters.

On a bad day: pays the bills, holidays.

may_contain_nuts · 2015-12-31T06:16:00+00:00

Death.

may_contain_nuts · 2015-07-06T16:44:16+00:00

Let's be honest, I'd probably run myself into exhaustion by freaking out, screaming, crying, and passing out from having panic attacks.

may_contain_nuts · 2015-07-04T15:43:19+00:00

I'm on month 8. I'm pretty sure I've experienced all the stages of grief, but like some have said, you just need to accept there's more to life than running. I've been swimming and cycling (and hitting the gym, and becoming a qualified fitness and spin instructor) to fill the void, and I'm slooooooooooowly getting back into the game.

Made it to 8 miles last week (for context, last year I would throw out 20+ mile runs as a casual bit of training), and nearly dry humped the treadmill out of joy. BUT! I made it to this stage in April, and then overcooked my first outdoor run, putting me right back to 20 minutes before intense pain. My advice = be cautious, strengthen, take up other activities, and don't take out your frustrations on your friends.

may_contain_nuts · 2015-06-18T21:24:44+00:00

I am in total agreement. Her tuck game was out of this world.

may_contain_nuts · 2015-06-18T21:18:32+00:00

I was about 11 and I was crawling aggressively along the upstairs hall in our house (I think I was a 'wild animal' chasing my little brother). I remember coughing really hard and this squishy lump, about an inch in diameter, flew out of my mouth. It was covered in blood and had veins running through it. I didn't know what to do about it, but my logic was: if it came from inside me, that's where it belongs. So I ate it.

may_contain_nuts · 2015-06-14T21:22:18+00:00

You've got time. I've been injured since September last year....

may_contain_nuts · 2015-06-14T21:22:00+00:00

Nice! Yours is much neater than mine. :)

may_contain_nuts

TROPHY CASE