It's with a little surprise that I realise how a slow slide into jaded has crept into my tone on The Blackboard Jungle.

Bitter, penetrating disaffection.

I used to love this job. It's an easy job to do well, if you put some effort into it. Though rarely intellectually challenging, (and too frequently physically challenging), it's never ever bored me.

I don't sit at a desk. I don't file reports. I don't waste my employer's time surfing the net listlessly.

And there's something rather addictive about a job that has real value. That makes a solid difference in the world.

So I apologise for the subliminal tone of regret that's insinuated itself into the Jungle. I'm not entirely certain where it has come from.