The above is not a phase I would ever have imagined anyone saying about me and a bit like buses – it’s happened twice in the last two weeks. Let’s just say I feel a little bit like the “wicked witch” right now, which is disappointing as I always saw myself more in the role of “Dorothy”. Oh hang on! whoa there … don’t be thinking I want to be liked! It’s just my definition of “strict” and some of my students’ definition seems to be at odds.

I think I am quite laid back, especially with groups I’ve taught for a couple of years but I still expect perfection in terms of behaviour and attitude. I am a realist and know I’m not going to get 100% all of the time but if I aim high I know that we can achieve somewhere close to it. Rightly or wrongly, I believe that unless the students behave in my room, its not just their learning they’re affecting but also the others around them – even if they are not distracting anyone else, they are using up my time dealing with their behaviour that could be better spent helping someone else. 

The catalyst? A tie! Would you believe it? A flipping tie! So, a student arrived to my lesson without a tie – it would appear that this wasn’t mentioned by anyone else (maybe the student was trying to pull a “fast one””) so far that day. It was period 4 for pity sake! What I don’t understand is how a student can get to period 4 without a tie, and not have been tackled by anyone else. It almost makes me wonder why I bothered to mention it, and that can’t be a good thing! Some of you would say that surely what is important is, that he was there, in my lesson and learning –  sometimes I wish I believed that as I am sure I wouldn’t get so worked up about the “small stuff” like this.

So many times I have been told that “consistency” is the key to behaviour, but isn’t it just as (possibly more?) important that there is consistency across the whole-school and not just in my room. If I’m made to feel like Theodora tomorrow I’m going to try clicking my heels together and say “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home …. ”

**Mel nips off to find her red sparkly shoes**