Deary me

1. Teachers. There used to be an advertisement campaign "you never forget a good teacher". Well you also never forget a bad teacher, and my bog standard comp was full of both. There was the militant cow who liked screaming at kids because no doubt it made her feel all powerful and hard. There was the ex nun who was a self declared anarchist and preferred to talk politics than teach us maths.............then there was the biology teacher who I once discovered as a 6th former locked in the supplies cupboard hiding marking the pupils mock exams - defying his union who had told him not to, because he knew not to do this would damage their chances in the fast approaching real exams.

There was the young left wing history teacher, who despite appearances was a top bloke, who despaired because he could get no backup to discipline the rowdy elements, so resorted to old fashioned male "respect dominance", and if that failed, just gave up.......he couldn't do anything else.

In the 80's as a last resort, teachers could get the headteacher to cane the most disruptive. There was an organisation called STOPP - teachers against corporal punishment. After their conferences they all went back to their private schools, their village primary schools, and their "good" comprehensives in leafy middle class suburbs...........leaving teachers in the sharp end schools to despair.

Don't make the mistake of thinking teachers have it easy. So much teaching now is more like riot control, as they've had nearly every sanction taken off them. Many qualify as teachers - many leave thinking "sod this"