you think it's absurd? well, all of that, really. it's a bit funny. i think people imagine that i walk up and down the corridors with whips and chains, when actually i'm often in my office, meeting teachers. what does strict mean is, what i'd say. it means immersing children in love and keeping your standards high with regard to your expectations, both in terms of discipline and in terms of what you can teach them. that's what strict is. and the children always prefer the strictest teachers at school. think about who you liked at school. it was the ones that had the highest expectations of you. there's expectations, yes, but strict in some other ways, isn't it? in the sense, it's often said that the children queue up in silence in the corridors. yeah. to go to classrooms. and if so, why is that important? well, especially in the inner city... i understand that not every school needs that. but in the inner city, the alternative is children getting into fights in the corridors, screaming and shouting and running and shoving. places where the shy children