This is one memorable moment from my first teaching job at a secondary school in Carlisle. I spent 3 years here teaching children who hadn't even visited the Lake District, let alone another country - so you can imagine how well German lessons went down. (Did you know that Carlisle has the highest proportion of people who are born and die in the same place?)
Anyway, the kids were ok, but more importantly the staff were brilliant. You could sit anywhere in the staff room and feel welcome. PE teachers talked to English teachers. Linguists mingled with scientists. And on a Friday night we all walked round to the pub for a few beers. The head of house kept a box of wine in his bottom drawer for emergencies (you can see this was a little while ago now).
The deputy head, Tony, was an lovely bloke, and morning briefings were always enlivened with a story or two. One morning he updated us on how the year 10s were getting on in the work experience, included Darren (no idea actually what his name was anymore, but let's go with that). Darren was a pain in the proverbial: arrogant, mouthy, knew it all. He was doing work experience in a garage as a mechanic, and on his first day was sent off to the suppliers to get a part. A fallopian tube. Oh how we loved those mechanics. (I believe 'a long weight' is also a common request')
It was funnier if you were there, but hey, it still tickles me all these years later. Sadly my second school - an outstanding specimen, was nowhere near as friendly, no-one went to the staffroom as we all had our own subject offices in a new build. And definitely no wine in drawers :(
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