I'm back!

I've been gone for a bit...I'm teaching year 6 at the moment. I'm searching for a positive to teaching the kids to pass tests. Once I've found it, I'll let the whole world know! Busy, busy busy...Government's talking about testing 6 year olds too. Silly idea! They get tested one year later anyway and Tests+6 year olds = tantrums+ pissed off teachers. Easter hols soon xx

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Teacher Support

I read some data the other day that education makes very little difference on how much success you have in life...made me think but surely it is necessary to be able to add up and read to have success? I also read 90% of what children learn is from their peers - an interesting fact too...and makes sense too as my whole sex education was from my peers - much to my parents' relief.
So I am very happy that it's the end of term and I get some relaxation. I was enjoying the last couple of weeks of the Christmas curriculum. There is always the debate when the Christmas curriculum should start and some teachers ca not bring themselves to do anything that isn't a proper lesson. I chose to compromise and do a pass the parcel with maths questions between each layer. The kids were not very happy as they were expecting a sweet between each layer. However most of my Christmas maths questions involved counting sweets.
It was also nice the last day of term the children bringing me gifts. I got them all a small gift too, of course there was one brat who said, 'is that all we get?' I also had another gift: a nasty anonymous letter from one of the parents. I was upset at first as I was accused of doing things I didn't do but the other staff and head teacher were so supportive that it actually had the reverse effect of upsetting me on my last day of work, which had been its spteful intention. Some of the other teachers had had them to but I guess I just have to work harder at improving relationships with parents. Yet at the same time sometimes 'having a pop' at the teacher is just their way of covering up their poor parenting skills.
Its the holidays now - so time to relax! xx

Philosophical question: Is it ever possible to avoid hurting somebody?

After having my philosophy training, I couldn’t wait to teach it, as is often the case after a training session. As is also often the case, it went disastrously wrong and my enthusiasm bubble was instantly burst. I originally thought it went well. I shared the stimulus of the Father Christmas Coca Cola advert. Some children knew the history of it and I was proud of their knowledge. They then went on to develop philosophical questions such as; Is it right to use a positive role model to advertise something that can be bad for you? Are things ever as good as you expect them to be? Is it really better to give than receive? Are we really hoping to receive when we give? I was pleased with the kids. They all appeared to be enthused and engaged in the lesson. I raved about it in the staff room. Then my bubble was cruelly burst by a barrage of parental complaints. One of the children had developed the question: Does magic exist? I thought it was a good question. I didn’t offer any opinion of my own. The children discussed it and used all the vocabulary I had taught them. I was so pleased. I vowed to myself to teach philosophy more often. Until the head called me out, ‘I’ve had a complaint from one of the parents.’ Oh no!

It had come up in our discussion whether Father Christmas existed or not. I let the children have their opinions and reinforced there was no right or wrong opinion. One little boy told us how he had caught his dad eating the mince pies he had left for santa. The complaint from the parent had been that her daughter thought Father Christmas really did exist and I had burst her bubble. I hadn’t meant to. Now, I feel gutted for the kid. I feel her pain.

I remember that pain. I discovered gifts in the boot of my dad’s car. I didn’t say anything but it was obvious Santa didn’t exist when it was the gifts from my dad’s car which appeared in the stocking. Balls! Don’t you hate it when you’re full of enthusiasm with every good intention and it goes wrong???

xxx

Philosophical Questions

So I haven’t written for a bit. I’ve been having the teaching wobblies. Then I realised I had PMT. PMT and teaching don’t mix very well. In fact, it its one of the worst combinations ever. When I’m having the wobblies, I realise it is just that time of the month when I go insane and everything upsets me. I had a parent ring up complaining saying, ‘you said don’t you dare speak to me like that to my child.’ I knew I’d been grumpy with my PMT but with the PMT I start to doubt myself...I was thinking I was out of order...but then I realised I was completely within my rights to say that.

So I’ve been on a ‘Philosophy for children’ course today. Great stuff and very enjoyable!!! I recommend it! I actually learnt more for myself than to actually teach it but I’ve got another session tomorrow. I realised I’m always stressing myself out to get the kids the best grades; and I normally succeed with this but at the end of the day the philosophy and PSHE may have a much greater positive impact on their lives; and on mine! As I will teach relaxing thoughtful lessons rather than cramming as much in as possible and stressing myself out. Imagine the kids coming up with questions such as; ‘why do we always want what we don’t have?’...’why do we REALLY want to give rather than receive?’...’what is right or wrong?’...’what makes a good Christmas?’...’Why is family considered important?’...’what is happiness?’...there’s something very satisfying about discussing these philosophical questions even when the answer can seem quite negative...’Does everyone have the same philosophical questions?’...what philosophical questions do you have? xxx

Personality Test

I was having one of those days at work. I was thinking, ‘teaching why do I do it to myself?’ This is a common occurrence for teachers after marking the first assessment of the year where the kids have made no progress. So I did one of those personality tests online, which suggests careers suited to your personality. I was hoping it would come up with an exciting new career I hadn’t thought of. I spent ages answering the numerous questions when finally it came up with a career suggestion for me. What was this career which completely suited my personality?

Teaching.

After sharing my assessment woes with other teachers; I realised we’re all in the same boat and I went and got on with it.

I realised my personality loves teaching my Ego hates it. A personality of wanting to contribute, make a difference, being caring, creative and fun works well. An ego of being a perfectionist, being super cool, liking to show everyone how clever and special I am doesn't work so well. Luckily it was a personality not an ego test. My ego test takes place every day in the classroom. xx

Rough as an ol' badger's arse

So I haven’t written for a while. Things have been going far too well! I’m glad I don’t have the dramas of my old job; it was such nonsense! So it’s half term, I had a fantastic observation, which I kinda knew would happen but at the same time it is habit for me to worry for weeks beforehand, and finally I have been on a week’s residential with the kids – great fun! I was rough as an ol’ badger’s arse afterwards tho.  Nights of being woken up by whispering children outside my door plotting to run away – ever the concerned teacher, I rolled over and fell back fast asleep. Our last day was the most exciting for the kids – a disco!!!  AND shopping for gifts and souvenirs! We let them loose around the shops; and once we rounded them up again, I asked to see what they had bought , expecting postcards, keyrings or magnets – They bought plastic dog turds.

Anyway, the rumour is the new OFSTED guidelines are all about making children independent learners – I’m not sure what they learnt from independently buying plastic dog turds but I learnt that it was much more fun for me to go and get a cuppa than try and stop them buying them. 20 years ago I had the excitement of buying a plastic dog turd myself. Independent learning: sounds good to me! Sounds about time too! Something which will actually make a difference! We need to change this culture of young, dumb and living off mum and get ourselves outta the credit crunch. After years of working my ass to the bone to have resources so that no kid could possibly fail, this was music to my ears.  So we let the kids be independent on our residential trip and one had a play fight and broke his leg. Sleepless teachers’ nights at the hospital and we returned him home (after his parents couldn’t be arsed to pick him up) to....guess what? ;-p

xxx

Observation Panic!

So it’s now the period of observations – the time teachers love most. Calm, professional, able teachers suddenly become panicking, nervous wrecks looking for anybody they could possibly blame if they don’t pull off a good one. Our head is incredibly supportive yet this is scary shit!  But do observations mean anything? Do they really reflect how good a teacher you are? And how useful are they really? They are perhaps, the biggest factor affecting stress and teachers’ emotional wellbeing. I’ve had every grading: Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, Good and Outstanding. At the same time, it is important to monitor the quality of learning although it could be done in a different way. Ofsted have changed the guidelines. It’s more about the overall big picture, which suits me and makes more sense. It’s no longer based on putting on a good show. Life is on hold until the observation. But it’s all worth it for the intense elation you feel afterwards. Right now, I am anti-observations. If I pull off a good one this week, we know my view will change.xx