My Fellow Teachers

Before teaching, I had a number of jobs back in Scotland, mostly working in kitchens. The staff turnover in bars and restaurants is high so I've worked with loads of people. As far as staff go, I'd have to rate my fellow teachers quite far down the list compared to my fellow kitchen workers or bar staff.

They're just so damn dull. I've no idea whether or not my lot are typical, but I'm sure most schools have a little more life-force to their staff-force.

I'm actually warming to the very unfairly titled paedo teacher. He may be as ugly as he is uninteresting, but he's a good teacher, a good man and inoffensively mild. The most cynical man in the world, John, has now gone - it's still a little strange not having the air of abject gloom that he brought to the staff room.

The Korean teachers are alright. I liked Ally as she was upbeat and friendly, but she's leaving soon. Clara is very quiet which is more shyness than anything else. Sharon seems more severe, but when approached has always been helpful, even if I sometimes get the impression she thinks I'm an idiot. There's one who I can't even remember the name of, who just blends into the background. There's Lisa (I think) who's very pretty and friendly, even though her English is limited.

Daniel the new teacher (Korean) has quickly become my least favourite person in the building. He's just a pillock. A twit. A ninny. A twerp. All these outdated terms apply. I don't think he likes me much either. He makes bad jokes which are either just really bad jokes or a veiled conveyance of irritation with me. Like telling me my desk is untidy. Dammit, I just tidied it on Thursday you turd. It's better than it's ever been since I started this job to a chaos of a desk. And when he's looking for a book and it turns out I have it, he makes me feel as though I'm careless and reckless for having possession of the book and not letting him know. It's one of these things where you really have to just witness him a few times. He's not a bad guy by any means, but if a truck ran over his head or he found his mother gunned down in her kitchen, bleeding her last, I wouldn't weep.

There's a new English teacher too. From a distance he looks quite swish, but close up he looks a bit goofier, so that's ok. I don't want better looking staff than me around. I think he's just temporary for two weeks until the start of term in March.

Start of term is make or break for me, by the way. I have a feeling they're going to screw me with new lessons. I do about 40 a week as it is, which is a lot, and if they try and shunt it up to 45 then I'm going to say something.

Ok, that's it for now. I was meant to be doing a test this lesson, but the Korean teacher isn't about so I've no idea what to do, so I just took the kids to the computers.