Mr Golden
What did you have for breakfast today?
Cheese on toast and a cup of tea.
How do you normally travel to School?
I drive. I learnt to drive quite late and reckon the atmosphere owes me some carbon.
Tell us the name of the School you attended.
Chingford Junior and Senior High Schools, Walthamstow College. All in north London.
Who was your favourite teacher and why?
In the 1970s schools in London were grim. I got most of my education from home and from 1970s and 80s television, which was full of interesting programmes like 'Horizon', James Burke's 'Connections', regular opera and music broadcasts, 'The Ascent of Man' and many, many more. Walthamstow music library and Radio Three came in handy later on.
Finish this sentence:"Teaching is like...."
teaching, but with statistics.
What are you reading at the moment?
'Cat's Cradle' by Kurt Vonnegut
Do you like music?
I love music. I spend my life listening to the best music ever written. My tutor group disagrees.
What was the name of the last film you saw and how was it?
'Sawdust and Tinsel' by Ingmar Bergman. I watched it on DVD last night. I saw a clip of it on the South Bank Show when I was 13. That sort of chance doesn't exist in the diet of empty rubbish modern TV feeds us.
Favourite place visited?
I like cities. London is hard to beat. I love the old eastern district of Berlin too. For a favourite place, I'd choose the Lincoln Centre in New York.
What else do you do in your spare time?
Go to operas, ballets, concerts, football matches and art galleries. Play one or two sports. Cook and eat good food. Solve cryptic crosswords. Mess around with Photoshop. Update the school website. Read reviews of books I then don't have to trouble myself reading. Voice opinions on books I haven't read, in the pub.
Have you got an x-box?
This whole world bemuses and bores me. The closest I have is an egg box.
What is the best bit about working at George Dixon International School?
The grounds. It's like traversing the Serengeti just to pick up a tika wrap.
What is your favourite dish in the canteen?
The Christmas meal. I'm a sucker for a bit of christmas cheer, in the form of processed meats.
Which well known person, dead or alive, would you like to have as a guest in your class?
Alive, Richard Dawkins, dead - though alive in my class -, Voltaire.
Tell us a joke
Jokes are no substitute for wit.
