Planet Mad

Am in the middle of what is just another manic Wednesday: breakfast duty, teaching, meeting, teaching, lunch duty, teaching, outdoor skills session, tea duty, junior pub quiz, evening duty, lock up. Luckily it's the last one for a few weeks - I'm on holiday this time next week, hurrah!!

Confrontation of the day (just to prove that life here's not all cushy):
[The scene is set in one of the school's large rooms, where Junior Pub Quiz is taking place. There have been 7 questions in the first round so far - we're about 20 minutes into the session]
[door opens and boy strolls in]
Me: Come here
[boy saunters over]
Me: You're late. Explain.
Boy: Well, I was clearing up from tea.
Me: Yes?
Boy: Someone stole my blazer
Me: And you stink of cigarette smoke because...?
Boy: Well I've just had a fag.
[other 25 pupils in the room look on in open-mouthed amazement]

Why don't kids realise that setting themselves up like that a) gives their teachers no option but to respond with punishment, and b) makes them look a total fuckwit in front of their peers. What's worse is that this school is not geared up to cope with kids like this - his behaviour would have seemed quite normal at my last school, but here it sticks out like a sore thumb - and he won't be treated in a way that will help him to get out of the crime/punishment cycle. It's really frustrating. Off to eat some chocolate fingers in an attempt to calm down.