Teachers sometimes have to develop a bit of a trench warfare mentality. The soldiers in the Great War cracked jokes because of what they were up against, and for many teachers making irreverent comments is part of a "safety valve".

Most of them say in the profession because they want to make a difference to people's lives, in spite of all the crap that's thrown at them.

Having started the thread off, there's some great discussion on here but can we PLEASE, PLEASE not get personal!!!