Teachers have trouble convincing cynics that despite school finishing at 3.30 they are busy people. When syllabus and assessment changes are added, the load can be even worse. Diaries and case studies reveal all.

If you left school without much in the way of formal qualifications, how do you get back to study? Bridging courses may help. The success of one such course in South Australia was carefully examined.

Does reading have to be carefully protected against the avalanche of Television? Is driving as much a threat to reading-for-enjoyment as TV? These, and other arguments in the 'literacy' war, are discussed, in lively print.

A skilled detector of the art of putting things off reveals the techniques of 14-year-old Wayne and his partners, and shows how the clever teacher gets them working.

What makes a really good teacher? Two case studies from the same high school show how different in style, presentation, personality, preparation and background, good teachers can be.

A primary school invited parents to be more than just teachers' aides; parents with particular skills came and taught. Some were more successful than others, but teachers' fears of losing control and of poor teaching were unfounded.

Methods of assessment are themselves assessed: norm based, mastery based and interview techniques have been researched. Problems with each are faced and alternatives discussed.

Australia had the idea first, New Zealand has seen it take off: child sized equipment and modified rules develop skills and give great fun.

Dutch children do 20% better than their parents on IQ Tests, and Japanese in the USA seem to do better than Americans. But schools don't report a flood of geniuses, exam scores fall. These and other puzzles are addressed.

At what point is a school big enough? Some small schools provide a better range of subjects than big ones, but tiny schools will always be expensive to run.