Flora Watkins

10 literary teachers who are worse than you

  • From Spectator Life

When my early efforts at homeschooling faltered amidst bitter recriminations and shouts of ‘You are literally the worst teacher in the world!’ (from a six year-old), my husband stepped up. Rubbing his hands, he declared, ‘This is going to be just like Dead Poets Society.

Yet cries of ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ were not forthcoming. Within five minutes came the sound of doors slamming and roars of ‘Will you SIT DOWN and SHUT UP!’

We aren’t meant to teach our own children and attempting anything alongside that other business of trying to earn a living is farcical. But however badly you’re faring, one look at this lot should reassure that you’re doing just fine.

Miss Trunchbull, Crunchem Hall Primary School in Matilda by Roald Dahl (1988)

Ah, it’s the same at the start of every week, isn’t it? All good intentions of being kindly and soft-spoken like Miss Honey — then the bastard link for Phonics won’t work because your Zoom (which worked fine yesterday) is now out of date and suddenly you’re Agatha Trunchbull.

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