The Chrismtas holidays have magical transformational powers. What was once a carefree year 11 is now a stressed out worrier with a twitch. What was a slightly concerned parent is now someone with insomnia, unable to sleep through thoughts of their teenager on the streets because they didn’t get their level 4 in maths.

This week I have had not one but three requests from parents of year 11s to have a sit down and “talk some sense” into their teen. It seems there is a great need for help in this area, so I thought I’d write some tips to help. If you’re a parent/carer/guardian of a teen who’s a bit too chill for their upcoming exams, hold on to the end and I may be able to help some more.

Over the Christmas holidays, the place I usually hold the Cambridge Japanese Circle, a weekly conversation club for Japanese and English speakers, with a 130-member strong group, was closed. Instead I held it at our family home, sitting beside a roaring fire and a real Christmas tree.

My Japanese friends had brought me gifts, which was unexpected. It’s been a while since I lived in Japan and I couldn’t remember what the etiquette was for receiving gifts…something about refusing three times?

There is a whole group of careers that are related to schools, but don’t exist IN schools.

There are people who sell solutions and products to schools; perhaps edutech things, CPD or toolkits. These jobs are really tough because schools just don’t have money to spend on things, even if they know deep down that what you’ll selling will make their lives easier.

There are other people who have been given funding to do stuff in schools for free, but need the schools’ cooporation to deliver these things. These jobs are probably even more tough because you’re asking the school for the one thing more valuable than their money – their time.

Recently, I have been in conversation with a rental scam artist. Well, several, in fact, but one that was pretty convincing for a time.

He was advertising a one bed flat in Cambridge, for £640 a month. Anyone who knows anything about Cambridge would know that the price in itself is worthy of causing suspicion. Daughter of a frugal father, I still messaged the poster to see what the deal is. [Read more…]