Gym halls are still gym halls.

Being a teacher it's easy to forget that some people actually left school and got proper jobs. Technically I never let - 6th year to college then straight back in, though on the other side of the staffroom door.

And so when talking to real people I have to watch not to talk about playtime, homework or dinner halls as this generally gets a friendly yet pitying response, part sympathy and part condescension.

On the up side I got a friendly visit from a former pupil and a Facebook friend request from another today. This is good for two reasons - I am dead nosey about what happens to them after they leave (yes, your teachers DO remember you, after all these years) and it lets me know they don't hate me; a comforting minimum success criteria after 15 years in the classroom.

Ugh, I can't believe I said "success criteria"...