We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank as real-life English high school teacher Erin Gruwell. Although the film is much more nuanced than the similar Dangerous Minds, it does also make some very unrealistic expectations of what makes an excellent teacher. (No, we won't be taking on third jobs and buying hundreds of dollars worth of books ourselves).

We also talk the pitfalls of condescending pupils with 'relevant' lessons on rap or football, the big no-no of asking pupils to represent their race, and the depressingly common phenomenon of unsupportive male partners.