Planet Mad

Last week was GCSE mock week. This week it's the Upper Sixth's turn. Off they all traipse to the main school hall to sit shivering from sub-zero temperatures and the excessive demands being made on their braincells. This leaves us teachers with bonus free lessons, and admittedly with a huge pile of marking too. The best of all bonus free lessons, though, must be the first lesson of the day: a leisurely start with a cup of tea and some constructive marking; or, even better, a lie-in. What made today's bonus free lesson even better than most was its timing - not first lesson but second, on a day in which the first period is free. I've been bouncing all day as a result.