Into the Unknown

Navigating the Eastward Passage

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Holiday Weekend

Ahhh, my first holiday as a teacher! I don't want to give the impression of being unmotivated by my choice of career or sound jaded before my time but it is a really nice feeling to know that I have the option of lying in on Tuesday morning should I choose to, and this pleases me immensly. I am aware that a high percentage of the general populace appear to feel that teachers as a group get more than enough holidays as it is without additional long weekends but I would like to state here and now that if the average person on the street were to be faced by the constant stream of damnfool questions I have to face every day then they would feel entitled to whatever respite came their way. I am strongly of the opinion that a child's mind is a cherished artifact and that their inquisitiveness should on no account be suppressed throughout their academic lives but I'm glad to escape at the end of the day and have (semi) grown up conversations and read the Times cultural supplement and international news section. Seriously, at least once a day I wonder if a pupil is actually pulling my leg, and after I decide that they are in fact being entirely earnest I have to try and work out how they got to he answer/response they have provided me with, or how exactly their question relates to the work we have been working on in class.

Sample question: "Sir, what height do you have to be to be called a dwarf?"
Sample thought: "How in God's name did you get there from discussing what we can see on a political map!?!?!"
Sample reply: "Why don't we return to that particular issue at the end of the lesson"

So you can see what I'm up against. I don't know whether to take as a good sign that my pupils feel comfortable in my classroom and want to learn (albeit perhaps not directly related to my subject) or as a slur against my teaching style as they are clearly disengaged from the lesson. Any input from other teachers?

Sunday, September 03, 2006

2 Weeks In

Sorry for the delay in posting,haven't got the internet connected in my flat yet and my access otherwise has been limited. Other than that, I'm really enjoying my teaching career thus far - the pupils are generally very pleasant and work hard (such a cange from my experiences on placement during my PGDE year) - although it is sinking in just how many other tasks than teach we teachers have to do, as well as the infuriatingly bureaucratic nature of education today.

Found out that my placement school is part of a PPP/PFI scheme - which basically means that little maintainance is done in the school and that which is is usuallly botched. On the SMT, it took all of 10mins of the first in-set day for them to show their pomposity and incompetence, which they have strived their hardest to carry on from there. That's enough for just now, otherwise I'll go off on a rant and never come back.