Learning From Experience

When walking through what you assume to be an open glass door check that there isn't any actual glass in the place you assume there isn't. I didn't, and am now nursing a terrific headache and a cut & bruise over my left eyebrow. It seems that when walking at pace I lead with my head. Fortunately the glass door didn't break, even if it felt like my head did.

Amazingly a number of students who witnessed the collision (certainly some must have heard it - it being of the resounding variety) didn't find it funny enough to laugh, but actually offered sympathy. Young people are obviously far more civilised now than of old. When I was a student I'm pretty sure I'd have enjoyed the spectacle of teacher meeting glass door more than a little. In fact, I recall the wonderful Jack Connolly colliding with a half-open window when going incendiary doing one of Lear's speeches on the heath, half knocking-off his spectacles, and still keeping going, much to our merriment, admiration and general delight.

So this joins the other piece of advice every male teacher should take to heart: always check your zip before embarking on an assembly. Fortunately I learnt that one without having to undergo the requisite experience.

One last, odd little detail. Following said collision I walked around with bloodied brow for a good twenty minutes without exciting a single comment from anyone. (I was so busy at that point I just didn't have time to clean the cut.) I suppose it was taken for granted that a teacher on his way to a drama rehearsal might well go to extremes to get into character.