The Hapless Teacher's Handbook

In all of the United Kingdom there are a few locations that are guaranteed to raise a giggle. Birmingham, for example, just gets me every time; but few are more titter-worthy than the terrible triumvirate of Hull, Grimsby and Cleethorpes. In 1978 a Cleethorpes native (a Meggie in the local parlance) called Phil Ball completed his teacher training at a comprehensive (i.e. state) school in the town, before going on to the marginally superior outskirts of Hull in his first year of teaching. Near thirty years later he has composed an excellent, funny, insightful and even moving memoir of those early days in his career. In 1978 I was wearing short pants at Springfield First school just a mile or so up the road (having my arm broken by being pushed off the climbing frame on my first day) and, although I have a slightly different perspective on education at the time it certainly brings back a great sense of time and place. Having followed his footsteps as in educator (including some time subbing in the school in which he did his teaching practice) I can say that many things in schools may have changed (the insane amount of smoking amongst the staff for instance), but many things remain - the hassle and the troubles, but also the sense that you just might, once or twice, make a difference.