life, teaching and everything

How to teach when you're ill

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:57:00 +0000

I'm typing this from home during the day, as I'm off work ill. I'm feeling very frustrated, because the illness that kept me off work for about 7 weeks last year is back with a vengeance - it's called 'sarcoidosis' - and if anyone has heard of it or had experience of it feels like getting in touch, it would be good to know I'm not alone - as it seems the doctors don't really know much about it and certainly don't know how to cure it. I'm hoping to get back to work and on Thursday (Wed is my day off anyway) and try and struggle through, because a) I get VERY fed-up at home after more than a day or two and b) I worry about the students and their lack of learning during these absences.

One of the things that always strikes me when I'm off ill, is how if you are a teacher you still have to struggle off your sick bed and organise cover lessons for the day - so for example at 6.30 this morning I had to drag myself to my computer and put together lessons that a non-specialist could facilitate for that day - i.e. that the kids could work on pretty much unaided. I'm sure you realise that with languages this is particularlyy hard - there is only so much copying/ poster making that a class can do!

When I was off for the 7 weeks, I had to provide work for over 3 weeks, before they hired a supply teacher who could take over - and I can tell you now that providing more than a day or 2 of cover work is pretty difficult (that's if you have the text books at home to refer to!) so 3 weeks is nigh on impossible - even then it is unusual to be able to find a suitable qualified supply teacher who can teach more than one of the languages I teach (I teach French, Spanish & German) - so most groups will still not have access to a specialist to help them.

Ah well - there's not much I can do about it - just rest up and take a deep breath before I dive back into the fray on Thursday - wish me luck!

hurrah for the holidays - but not the best start :-o

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 20:13:00 +0000

Yes - finally it's here at last - the half-term holidays!! Of course, the next countdown will be up to Christmas - because we always live for our holidays - it really does keep us going.

Not that work isn't on my mind - which is really frustrating - in fact, I've only just finished marking a pile of tests (whilst watching t.v., admittedly!) I always find it hard to switch off at the start of a holiday and usually it takes a week to fully relax - which is a real shame for half-term, because by the time I'm relaxed, it's time to start the next half of term!

I try to start holidays by finishing work on a happy note - and that had been my plan yesterday - but it failed miserably. My period 5 lesson were my yr8 nightmare class (always last lesson on a Friday - was the same last year too, although a different group!) - they were 'swinging from the chandeliers' yesterday, shouting across the room - asking "can we have a fun lesson, Miss?" - to which my standard response is "of course, we're doing Spanish - it's always fun!". Despite this, I decided to pop along to see my Head of Dept (sorry 'subject area'!) to have a quick chat about something and bid him a good holiday - BUT ended up raising my voice at him and left, slamming the door behind me - oops!!! I've never done that with any colleague before in my whole working life, let alone a line manager - but he is one of the most infuriating people I've ever had the misery to work for. He refuses to back down or admit he could possibly be wrong/ have made a mistake - even the simplest thing - grrrrrr :-( He's probably already forgotten the incident and put it down to female hormones - I'm just grateful I didn't say anything too bad to him - it could have been so much worse!

Has anyone out there had to work with someone they find hard to work for and even harder to respect? I'd love some advice on how to deal with this, as he will not listen to any form of advice/constructive criticism - he will turn anything like this back on the person who brings it up and becomes very defensive. Help !!!!

In the meantime I have promised myself that I will get my school work done in the first few days, so that I can relax and enjoy most of the half-term.

Enjoy :-)

The small things that make a good day!

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:31:00 +0000

Well - just one full day of teaching to go and I've reached the first teacher 'landmark' - i.e. this time tomorrow I have a week off work for half-term hols - hurrah! I've had a pretty depressing half of term so far with lots of changes in my school and subject area and have not had many days I can honestly say I've enjoyed.

BUT today I had a couple of those 'moments' that bring a smile to your face and make you remember what it's all about. As usual, they came directly from the students.

I always enjoy the 'banter' with my students, especially the older ones - and as the Year 11 students have now returned from work experience, they are still full of stories about that, which is good to hear (although can distract from the lesson at hand!) Even better, though, I had 2 of the younger students individually thanking me for my help, which was totally unexpected and extremely rewarding. Both were from my Year 8 French class (aged 12/13) - I am in the middle of conducting speaking assessments - and one lad, who doesn't find French easy, managed to get a good mark, due to his hard work - and he thanked me for his good mark! I was quick to tell hiim it was down to his hard work and effort - but it's still lovely to hear it and see the beaming face that accompanies it! The 2nd was a girl from the group who didn't want to wait until after half-term to complete the test - so asked to come in at lunchtime to do it - which she did - and again, thanked me!

I often forget how far the words 'thank you' can go - it's certainly not something I hear a lot of at school - the students often just expect you to give up lunch hours and after school to help them - especially if they're panicking about GCSE exams looming, when they've done no work all year!

Anyway, despite a full teaching day and barely time to sip a coffee, I felt really pleased at the end of the day and can go away for the holidays knowing that I'm still doing a worthwhile job!

To all teachers out there - have a wonderful relaxing week :-)

only 4 working days to go :-)

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 09:33:00 +0000

Yes, it's nearly half-term and I can hardly wait. Despite the amount of holidays we teachers get, I can honestly say that we live for them - if we didn't have them, there would be a huge shortage of people wanting to become teachers and there would be a lot more illness/absence amongst teachers. The Autumn term in particular is the toughest to get through. I'm never sure whether it's due to the end of summer, colder weather, darker days, or whether it's because is it the longest term to get through and there seems to be very little respite.

Before I get people muttering to themselves that we have an easy life with all our holidays - I would refer you to www.rantingteacher.co.uk in 'Lost Weekend' who supports my belief that most teachers give up their weekends and part of their holidays for school work - whether it's catching up on marking, preparing for the coming term, reading around the subject, or catching up on general admin.

Personally, this coming half-term, although I have a lot of coursework to mark and sort through, I have interspersed my work with some 'fun' activites to look forward to - otherwise it really is just school in a more comfortable environment with no kids! I try to resist the urge (not that it's a great one!) to go into school itself, unless I cannot do the said task at home, otherwise you feel like you have been cheated of some of the holiday.

Well - I have a pile of prep to get through today, so I'd better get on with it - this is my punishment for not doing any work yesterday (Saturday)! Never mind - with only 1 week to go, I can cope - there is light at the end of the tunnel! (well, darkness, actually, as the clocks go back, but that's another story !)

Monday meetings!

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 17:49:00 +0000

I have to ask, when are teachers supposed to find the time to actually teach, rather than waste time in meetings and with paperwork?!! Monday night is meeting night - they are supposed to last for one hour only, but often go on for much longer - tonight it lasted 2 hours. This means I don't get home until 6pm - which for most workers is fine - except that we then have work to do - marking/lesson preparation/ updating records/reports - and that's not including the extra work that those with responsibility points have.

On top of all of this, we usually give up our lunch hours to either supervise detentions, or help students with homework issues or help prepare them for the exams.. We also give up time after school to help prepare them for exams, and many also help with after school and lunchtime clubs.

Those with tutor groups also have further paperwork to complete, parents to phone, students to individually chat to etc etc

I would love to just be allowed to teach!!

On that note, I'm off to sort out a Scheme of Work that needs updating!

Always a teacher

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 17:29:00 +0000

Something that really struck me today is that once you become a teacher it seems to be something you can't ever escape from. Wherever you go and whoever you are with, you cannot put aside your 'teacher' hat and switch off completely. Even on holiday! A teacher friend of mine even bumped into 2 students whilst on holiday in Italy over the summer - so it's a good job she wasn't topless sunbathing at the time!

Despite it being Saturday today - a day I like to keep free from all things 'school' - I was on a course about becoming a good HoD (Head of Dept) - so I'm even giving up my own time to be trained. On top of this I arranged to meet a good friend (also a teacher) for lunch afterwards - and despite not meaning to, the conversation always turns to teaching/ the kids/ stories about behaviour etc. Even if I go out with non-teaching friends, the talk inevitably turns to school at some time or other, as they enjoy the stories - and there always seems to be a new one to add to their list for either shock purposes or general entertainment value.

I also find that I cannot ignore rude children who jump queues or play their music too loud on the trains etc - I just have to say something - I'm sure it will get me into trouble one day!

I can only imagine it must be the same for other similar jobs, such as the police, doctors etc - as you cannot just switch off, no matter how hard you try (although I do find after a few alcoholic beverages it is easier to manage - but then it's Murphy's Law that you will then bump into a 6th former (or younger!) in your local!)

I would like to add that of course I never imbide of alcoholic beverages, as I am always a total professional and would hate to upset any underage drinkers that might have escaped from my local educational establishment - heaven forbid they should spot a teacher having a social life!!

Wet Friday Fun

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:16:00 +0000

Thank goodness it's Friday again - I don't know where the week goes, but go it surely does! As all teachers will know, there is nothing like a bit of wind and rain to really hype the kids up - especially on a Friday and especially for the last lesson of the day. On top of that I had the joy of a mufti-day today - where the kids (sorry - 'students') have the pleasure of wearing their own choice of clothes for the day - which signals to them that the rules are going to be lapsed for the day too! The number of students who come into the class and just sit where they want, even though you have a seating plan normally, is quite astounding. Then you have the 'battle of the chewing gum', because clearly, having no uniform means that you can chew gum throughout the day without any problems!

You can imagine, then, what the scene was like in my classroom during period 5, with my bottom set yr8 group, who are normally pretty wired anyway! To be very non-p.c. they are the thickest group I've ever had to teach (and that really is quite something, because I've had my fair share of dunces, I can tell you!) - mainly due to a very very very short attention span. They shout 'don't geddit' before you have even finished your instructions - and before you ask, no, I don't risk giving them in the foreign language (mfl purists, sorry, but I know when to admit defeat!).

I'm still struggling with my line manager, but have managed to keep out of his way for the last 2 days, which has helped. Having said that, I've just discovered that he will be doing my 'performance management' process this year, which means helping to set my targets and observe my lessons - which I find a daunting prospect, as he has not been teaching that long and I have way more experience than him. His teaching style is totally different to mine and he is very grammar focussed, whereas I am very communicative in my approach (i.e. I like to have lively lessons which reach all ability levels). Ah well, I'm sure it will all be ok in the end - especially as I've just spotted a job to apply for which will be to start in January - so I may complete my escape bid yet!!

Well - it is now the weekend and I intend to enjoy most of it - although I will have to spend most of Sunday doing school work - but at least it's in a nice, cosy environment with no germy children coughing and spluttering all over me (how I haven't caught anything so far is a miracle!)

Meeting my public

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 08:42:00 +0000

Well, it's now the morning after the night before - no, sadly I haven't been on a drinking binge and suffered the consequences - I'm recovering from the dreaded Open Evening. That is the one night early in the school year when the school is open for parents to visit with their little darlings and decide if they want to send little Johnny or little Suzy to our school. It always feels like a form of prostitution, because we end up feeling obliged to put on quite a show to encourage them to come to US and not the amazing comprehensive down the road.

The reality of the day is that I am at school from my usual 7.30 am and then have to stay there until nearly 9pm at night - during the last lesson of the day parents start to arrive to watch 'real' lessons in action - but they never get to see the grotty lessons, because the understanding is that if your door is shut, parents should not be brought in- I still have memories from an Open Afternoon/Evening about 4 years ago when one boy in my bottom set class had managed to rally the class together and arranged that as soon as a parent appeared they would kick off big time - I've never felt so embarassed in all my life! The boy was later punished, but the parent didn't get to see that. Mind you, they probably got a good idea of what the school can be like, so hopefully it put her off sending her little angel to us!

From 3.30 to 6.00 we busily set about organising our 'area' - for my subject that entailed a French cafe plus various displays in the other rooms - we also end up minding the kids who've volunteered to help us (for many it is just a big jolly and they just run around visiting friends during the evening, leaving just the good students and the teachers to do the actual work!) - in theory there is food made available to staff, but often we don't actually get to the staff room, as we need to supervise these e-number hyped up kids, who shouldn't actually be with us until 5.30, but prefer to stay on from the end of the school day, which makes our job twice as hard.

None of this is helped when your line manager (can't call them Head of Dept now) is very good at a) doing disappearing acts b) ignoring any supervisory responsiblities for the students he's booked to help c) not told anyone in the 'subject area' what is planned for the night, even though there are 2 new members of staff, one who has never done an Open Evening before - expecting all to appear by magic d) doesn't call a meeting about the Open Evening until 3.30 on the day in question!!!

Luckily for him, I'd already talked the other 2 through the expectations and we had already organised food etc for the event and worked out the costings and how it would all function - we nearly didn't, to see how he would handle a non-event - but sadly we are all too professional and couldn't let the 'subject area' down.

One of the good things about this time of year is how quickly any repair jobs are suddenly sorted out - I've been after the caretaker to change the light bulbs in my room, as they were nearly all going, so it looked very dark and dismal - as well as the leak in the roof, which has been going on all year and if there is a downpour, I have to put a bucket on my desk to avoid being dripped on - and suddenly all the above are sorted out - because we can't have the parents seeing the school in a bad light! I had almost hoped that they hadn't fixed these issues and that it had rained hard last night - I'd love to see the expressions as I stood with a bucket to catch the drips!!

Talking to the parents can also be a very interesting experience indeed - I often have to bite my tongue, as they wander in, chewing gum, baseball caps in place and dripping in 'bling' - then announce that 'it's only languages" and state "I weren't no good at French when I was at school" (oh, how tempting to comment on their inability to speak English either!) You also get there little 'angels' who wander round with the obligatory gum, fiddling with things they shouldn't - and you are forced to stand there with an innane grin on your face, as if you think 'little Johnny' is a real sweetheart and you'd love to have the pleasure of teaching him next year. We also get the repetition of the same questions - it becomes like Groundhog Day - as they have walked past all the signs with the information on, they've ignored what their 'tour guides' have told them - and then ask "so which languages can they learn?" - I so want to shout "read the signs!!!" but no, the innane grin continues and I reply as if I've never heard this question before.

Thankfully today is my day off - one of the benefits of working part-time is that I can get the chance to recover from days like this - although I have a busy day ahead, it is nothing like dealing with 30 teenagers at a time for 5 hours -everything is like relaxation in comparison!

Ah well - at least that date is now ticked off the calendar for another year - the next 'meet the public' occasion isn't until January, when I get to talk to some parents about their delightful offspring!

Monday morning blues

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:13:00 +0000

Where did the weekend go? Why is it we look forward so much to Fridays and just as we get there, it's Monday again! I'm really not enjoying the early morning starts now that it's getting darker - it's so depressing and very hard to motivate myself to get up at 6.00am, which is my usual time - to get into work for 7.30 (I know, I'm mad!) I like to have plenty of 'calm' time to set up for the day and have time to deal with any unexpected scenarios (e.g. colleague off sick, so cover work needed/ photocopier broken etc)

Actually, today wasn't too bad, as I had 2 free lessons - one I normally have, but the 2nd was gained due to Year 11 students (15-16yr olds) being on 2 weeks of work experience now. I was very lucky not to be taken to cover any other lessons today, but that is partly due to the Cover Supervisors, who are permanent members of staff now. We have 3 of them and they cover for any absent teachers - so the amount of cover lessons we receive ourselves has been greatly reduced.

Mind you, no amount of calm can make up for my period 5 lesson (the last one of the day, after lunch) which is with a Year 9 class. There are 32 students in a classroom with only 32 seats (I shouldn't complain, last year I had 34 in this class - luckily 2 have since left the school!) so there is no spare room at all and no scope for a 'naughty' desk at the front. They are a very 'lively' group who find it virtually impossible to refrain from talking and chewing gum, which is incredibly annoying when you are trying to train them to listen to a tape in French!! Fortunately I have them just before lunch tomorrow, so I can keep anyone who has misbehaved back into lunch. 2 have already gained a place with me tomorrow lunchtime - but I tell them I enjoy the company and the more the merrier :-)

On a positive note, I was able to make a phone call home to the parents of one of the girls from the above class - to say how well she's doing this year. Last year she was a nightmare to teach, but it is like teaching a different student - I'm sure the alien's have kidnapped her and replaced her!

Another good thing about today that isn't normally the case - I have no after school meeting - usually Monday is meetings night. I normally go to an evening class at 6.00pm but tonight I have chosen not to, as I have too much school work to plough through - I could have done it at the weekend, but strangely I preferred to enjoy my weekend and not think about work!

Well - as said pile of work is taunting me from the corner, I will go and tackle it before I find something else to procrastinate with.

Keeping fit & healthy

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 19:07:00 +0000

Hi again - two blog entries in one day, I'm not sure I'll keep that pace up! For anyone reading the comments from my earlier post, you will realise that technology succeeded in baffling me, as per usual, having made 2 very similar responses - ooops :-o

I've come back from an hour of exercising in the gym - not something I always enjoy, I prefer to be outside for exercise, but when it's pouring down, needs must. Before you make the mistake of thinking that I'm a fitness freak, think again - I need to lose a few pounds and haven't done regular exercise for a few years now - but I knew that I had to start doing something to help with my health and energy levels. One of things about teaching is that you come into contact with so many germs on a daily basis, that if you are even slightly run down, you will pick up everything - especially if you are in a new school (whole load of new germs to test your immune system!)

I must admit that I've definitely had more energy since I started exercising 2 or 3 times a week - but it's really hard to get motivated after spending all day on your feet - teaching is such an exhausting job - for those who've never tried standing in front of 30 teenagers at a time for 5 hours a day really should have a go, just to see how much the adrenaline gets pumping and how you never have a chance to switch off, even for a second.

Another big debate amongst teachers is how much of a martyr you should be if you are ill. You will always get those teachers who will come in even if they are on death's doorstep with the flu, because no-one else can cover their lessons. Then you get those who will be off at the first sniffle. I like to think I'm somewhere in between - because all you're doing is spreading the germs around to other colleagues - and at the same time it is very hard to deal with any issues or deliver an even slightly energetic lesson, that it is better to take a day or two off and come back fully better. We all tend to come back too soon as well, because after a couple of days you start to run out of ideas to provide for cover lessons and it is in fact easier to go in yourself and teach from the book. (this is particularly the case for MFL (modern foreign languages) which is my subject - as it is impossible for non-experts to even attempt to teach it - so the cover work has to be as simple as possible.

Another question I ask myself, when I'm calling in ill with a migraine (the kind that makes you unable to deal with light, sound or movement and you have a tendency to throw up) is what other job is there where you are expected to get up off your sick bed and decide on lesson plans for the day which someone else can deliver!?!

Ah well - if I keep up the new healthy living programme, I will hopefully avoid the germs and then there will be no need to worry about what lessons to send in by e-mail. Although that's probably the kiss of death now and this time next week I'll be sniffling and coughing with the best of them!

blogs away!

noreply@blogger.com (fraubear) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 06:34:00 +0000

Ok - here goes, my first blog entry! I'm a 'virgin' at blogging, but having read Frank Chalk's excellent book, based on his blog entries, I think it's a great way to communicate, let off steam, share ideas etc!

Like Frank, I too am a teacher - although luckily I am slightly more fortunate in my choice of school and area. That's not to say we don't have our share of daily traumas, caused by the kids (sorry 'students') but I do think that bureaucracy is killing creativity in teachers and not allowing us to just get on and do the job. Talk about 'big brother' watching you - you have to back up all your teaching and results and be ready to defend yourself to all and sundry -usually to those who haven't actually been in a classroom (and I do mean in the capacity of teacher!) for years. In fact, knowing that we are 4 weeks into term, and having spent most of my time getting to know my new groups, preparing lessons on the IWB (interactive white board, to those not in teaching), marking books and organising coursework writing/marking, I am now being hassled to get various data and diagrams together, which supposedly inform my teaching and help me to teach to individual students - by that I mean that, even in a class of 32+ students, of complete mixed ability, I am meant to know what each child's individual needs are and to address them. Now I ask how that it humanly possible, especially when at least half of these 32 14year olds are continually pushing the behaviour boundaries (i.e. being naughty - what is called 'low level' disruption - talking, chewing gum, shouting out, writing notes etc) - to deal with these issues and actually teach a decent lesson to most of the class is a challenge enough, especially in the last lesson of the day - the dreaded period 5 (especially on a Friday!)
Well - I will continue to add to this blog, but am just trying it out for the moment - if anyone wants to add comments, please do, as it would be nice to have confirmation that I'm not alone in my thoughts!