13-05-2025
From A-list parties to the classroom: my new life as a teacher
A few years ago, on my birthday, I received a card from my class. 'Dear Mr Pewsey,' it read in felt pen. 'We are sorry for everything that we do.' The year 6 cohort of 10 and 11-year-olds was a menagerie of different behaviour challenges, and in those early trainee days I was repeatedly struck dumb by the disrespect thrown at me from all corners of the room. I was, at least, warmed by the group's effort to acknowledge that the way they spoke to me was upsetting.
'But — can I just check?' I asked the group. 'There's no suggestion here that you're going to try to change …' One of the children, the class straight-talker, shrugged and smiled widely.
'We can't change,' she
