Best & Worst

Best and Worst. Teachers tell us about their highs and lows.

Best: the breakthrough interview

I organised a 'Raising Horizons' seminar at the school as part of Black History Month and managed to invite some excellent speakers. Each speaker was to be interviewed by Year 10 Gifted and Talented students.

One of these students, Nathan, was very bright and had moments of brilliance — I particularly remember a rap he wrote for me about the Great War. But he didn't really enjoy school and could be disruptive in class.

I asked him to interview Roy Williams, an ex-pupil who'd become an award-winning playwright. When I read the transcript of the interview, I knew that something special had taken place. The two seemed to have known each other for ages and there was a real sense of shared experience.

After this, Nathan's motivation and commitment in class soared as he realised school could be a stepping stone to becoming a successful lyricist. He even started attending Roy's workshop for young writers at the Royal Court Theatre. He's now planning to study music at university and his peers not only think he's 'safe', but also a great writer. Respect. 

To read the Raising Horizons interviews, visit www.comptonhistory.com

Worst: an A level shocker

The day the 1997 A level results came out was a terrible shock.

One of my students, Anna, was a fantastic historian — a 'straight A' candidate. I will always remember one lesson where she just took my breath away with the observations she was making.

When she opened the envelope containing her results, her jaw dropped and she burst into tears. She had two As in her other subjects, but she only had a D for history. I couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe it, no one could believe it. She lost her place at Sheffield University, which she had set her heart on. I rang up my old university (Sussex) and they agreed to accept her, but I knew that this was still very disappointing for her.

That summer the papers were re-marked and still the grade was unchanged. I will go to my grave knowing that this was really unfair.

There was a happy ending, though; three years later, I heard from her sister that Anna had been awarded first class honours in history. We all felt totally vindicated.

If you have a best and worst moment to share, email or write to us at the address on the You Write page. A £50 book token will be given for each Best & Worst published.

This content was published in July 2004 and may not reflect current policy