Apathy Jack writes:

Some of you may remember the posts I’ve made where I alluded to the corruption, incompetence and, well, just plain evil of my Head of Department. I didn’t make a big deal of it (here and here, I think are the only places) because it was actually a serious thing. I genuinely didn’t feel like talking about it.

However, just for those of you keeping count of the comings and goings at Hoodrat Academy for Higher Learning: After a two-term long investigation into the running and management of Hoodrat’s English department, my HOD has tendered her resignation.

Really, I could go on at length about this. Everything I write on Brain Stab is true, but to a lesser or occasionally greater degree it’s all spun in a way designed to make my life sound like a David E Kelly show about teachers. The stuff with my HOD wouldn’t have taken careful phrasing. The part I played in getting the investigation launched - and in getting fuel added to its fire – actually smacks of scheming and plotting and unprofessional behaviour. I’m not sure I’ll get around to telling that story in its completeness. (Except if I’m hanging out with you in the next week away from a public internet site – then you may have trouble stopping me from telling it...)

Life is interesting in it's little ways...


Oh, and for those of you who are missing the Isn’t-Jack-A-Great-Teacher-Always-Martyring-Himself-Like-That teaching stories: Today I went into work, arranged a meeting of the remaining members of the department to talk about starting the year in the wake of the boss’ sudden departure; then went into university campus to have lunch with a friend who works there, where I ran into an ex-student who was trying to fix some enrolment problems, then three other ex-students, all of whom I berated to varying degrees about their lives and their academic careers; Upon leaving, I texted the first, telling her that the glitch in her enrolment was fixed; then spent a while on the phone to an ex-student who is alone in Australia and having a hard time dealing with the vagaries of life.

I then got a text from the student with the enrolment glitch:

I just clicked! How did you know about my course and my details!!!!!!

I know everything, remember? Also, I had lunch with a guy who works in the area of enrolments, and he looked you up.

So you decided to check up on me over lunch, how nice. I’d hate for you to have lunch with him after exams.


And for those of you missing the Haha-Jack-Has-No-Coping-Skills-Look-At-Him-As-He-Suffers posts, then, um, I guess my phone bill’s going to be pretty high at the end of the month, and, uh... I shaved off my big redneck sideburns yesterday because it was getting a bit hot to keep them.

I really liked those sideburns...