Argh, class from hell again - please forgive my rant!

[Hulababy]

Not really education, more a work rant...but I need to just get it out before I explode!

Day started fantastic. Has the Regional Director for the KS3 ICT coming in to shadow the LEA Advisor. School has no HoD for my subject (ICT) so Advisor comes in once a week to work with us. RD came in my first lesson - bottom set, very low abaility Y8 and it went great RD was very pleased and had no faults at all. Next two lessons went well too, but then.....

.... the Y9 class from hell.

I really thought we were having some head way with this lot but today was the worst lesson in my entire teaching career, and I feel cp. They were awful. The class is 30 kids, mixed ability (but the top and bottom kids in year are creamed off). Have tiny ICT room. 20 PCs crammed together. Not enough room really for 30 to cram in but hey ho. 6 have EBD issues, but I'd say at least that amount again have behavioural problems in school.

Came into class high - refused to settle to the activity awaiting them. One lad came in and first thing he did was to pull someone';s chair over and knock the other lad to floor. Dealt with that...

...but it just continued No learning took place for the majority. My computers were pulled apart, wires ripped out back, mouses dismantled. Called for Active Patrol but no one around to answer. Gave out some detentions.concern forms to worst offenders, who couldn't have cared less anyway.

I've now spoken to Deputy Head and asked for a non ICT room for a while. No way are they going back in my room and ruining my equipment. Also spoken to LEA Advisor (who has seen them first hand and he agrees with me, and is coming up with some alternative ICT work that doesn't use computers whilst we get the discipline and behaviour sorted.

I have complained every week about these and spend so much time planning and preparing for the lesson. If I do anything that remotely challenges them or makes them think they can't cope and go mad. But management don't appear to be doing anything. The people I chat to in the staff room are all complaining about this year group. The new Head of Y9 doesn't appear to have improved them at all.

Maybe I am a cp teacher; at times I feel like it. Hand up though, I don't know what to do next with these kids They make me so and so all at once.

But all my inspections and onservations are always good, so why is this going so bad????



Anyway, sorry for ranting and going on. I needed to ge it all out, even if no one listens IYSWIM. Therapy and all that. Please feel free to ignore though as I know I have waffled tons.

[roisin]

OMG! What a nightmare! I honestly don't know how you cope.

Btw - incredibly ignorant question here from someone who hasn't ever set foot in a state secondary school - if you have classes of up to 30 kids, why don't you have 30 PCs? Or is that extreme naivety on my part? It's just my sons' (state) primary school has an IT room with 32 networked PCs; is that very unusual?

[fairydust]

oh hula sorry to hear you've had a awful day - you are a fantastic person and teacher it's just thoose bunch of s*s you teach.

can't offer any practical advise but will always listen to you. (((((())))))

[spook]

Hulababy. You must be a saint.This brood have nothing to do with your teaching abilities. Something obviously needs to be done about them. Deep breath,day over,time for wine Lots of love

[iota]

poor you - I'm shocked that the kids of today behave like this - showing my age here

[ScummyMummy]

poor you Sounds hellish, as you say.

[Hulababy]

roisin - MONEY!!! The school just can't afford to have 30 PCs in every computer room, and in the library and others around school. We are still only running Office 1998, but did upgrade to Windows XP this summer. Also in the 3 computer rooms we have, only one would be able to fit in 30 computers.

Also SIZE OF ROOM. There is no way I could have a single more machies in my room - no table space at all left; not even any room for pupils to write when necessary!


Cheers Fd The wines in the fridge. This job is making me drink way too much me things

[candy]

As a head of year, I hope I'm going to try and offer reasonable advice without sounding like a know it all (I'm not - I'm still learning every day)! 1) Can you ask the HOY 9 to take the 2 or 3 worst offenders out for a couple of lessons? 2)could you or the HOY write to parents? 3) could you try and find something (anything) positive to say to the worst ones as they come into the room - this might make them stop and think enough to try and get a bit more praise! 4) yr 9 are notorious in most schools - and you may be doing all this anyway BUT try and break tasks down into very small chunks, try and provide scaffolding and support even if they are meant to be reasonably able, try writing just the "stars" on the board, even if it's only a couple, try observing other teachers with the class to pick up ideas which might work with particular individuals - you are not a crap teacher at all - kids take ages to trust people and will be beasts for as long as possible but it WILL get better - best of luck - hang in there!

[GRMUM]

Well for what its worth I've always thought that you sound like a brilliant teacher. They sound like the class from h*. I take my hat off to all of you teachers (My mum was one and my brother is too) I can't believe that any inspectors observing such a class actually blame the teacher do they? Spooks right get out the wine!

[Hulababy]

Thanks for some advice Candy. I am willing to try anything.

1. Can you ask the HOY 9 to take the 2 or 3 worst offenders out for a couple of lessons?
   
   Tried this and they just won't do it. Have no HoD to ask either. Interestingly they did remove the worst two during the LEA Inspection visit though. Hmmm, wonder why???
   
   2)could you or the HOY write to parents?
   
   Parents are interested sadly. For the worst offenders the parents don't bother with parent's evenings at all, and condone their child missing detentions. Hence I know that the detentions I set to do, most will NOT attend. But I can ask - and it may work for some. I'll try it
   
   
2. could you try and find something (anything) positive to say to the worst ones as they come into the room - this might make them stop and think enough to try and get a bit more praise!
   
   I have done this a thousand times, as has the LEA Advisor. Infact we have tried almost every tact from positive comments, chatty comments, encouragement, finding something they are interested in to talk amount - right down to discipling comments They don't seem to respond at all. Obviosuly some do and I do continue with the positive comments regardless of of whether they are listen to or ignored. But the ones that do respond, aren't the ones causing the problems
   
   
3. yr 9 are notorious in most schools - and you may be doing all this anyway BUT try and break tasks down into very small chunks, try and provide scaffolding and support even if they are meant to be reasonably able,
   
   Do this alread with assistant of an excellent LEA Advisor, Every lesson is broken down into 5 x 100 minute chunks, with primarily activities for pupils and limited work. We have a settler task running at the start and a settler task on the computers after the plenary. This was working to an extent, but today and last week not.
   
   
4. try writing just the "stars" on the board, even if it's only a couple,
   
   I do this - we have a special laminated card for it. I do it religiously in this lesson to see if it will work.
   
   
5. try observing other teachers with the class to pick up ideas which might work with particular individuals -
   
   I do know many of these pupils. I have taught them over the past 2 years already. Not all though. The classes were moved about this year and the dynamics in the group now seems all wrong somehow. Not sure why. I do talk to other teachers about them, and I have observed my LEA Advisor with them too. I agree with what ou say about observing other teachers, but not sure how to go about that, especially with no HoD to go through. But again I will speak to me LEA Advisor next lesson he's there and ask him about it.
   
   
   My LEA Advisor is going to come into the whole of the lessons for this class from now on, and is planning on taking some of the lesson. A bit of team teaching, at my request, until the discipline issue is sorted.
   
   
   Finding it so hard, as none of my other classes I have such issues with - just these. Obviously I have had difficukt and tough classes int he past. But these had surpassed any other class I have ever had, even cover lessons are preferable.

[Hulababy]

Sorry too - I must sounf really negative and a real ehinger. These are really getting to me.

Shame as my observed, low ability Y8 class that was observed this morning was fab. Like to add that They were stars! And the RD thought everything was perfect and excellent too and totally understand what I was teaching and why (low level, not year/age apprpriate but abaility appropriate, etc.) .

So not all is bad

[donnie]

commiserations hulababy, I know how soul destroying vile classes can be.How strict are you? I am actually quite strict although that path doesn't always work of course.Management sound spineless in your school!what will happen about replacing the vandalised equipment, can bills be sent out? also, it's tricky but you can actually refuse to teach certain kids .Your union will explain but it is a bit of a palaver.Good luck.BTW what happened about you being asked to work on days you don't get paid for?

[Hulababy]

Donnie - I normally start out strict and then relax as term goes on. I don't really shout unless I really need to though. With this class I haven't had chance to relax and have fun yet Have with rest of classes I ahve though With the Y9 I am following the discipline policy to a tee at the moment, but it isn't working as yet. I am hoping that we will get it cracked now they are out of the computer rooms and with the LEA Advisor.

Computers were not actually damaged beyond repair today luckily. All wires I have reattatched and mouses put back together. Lost mouse balls though, and I only have a limited supply of spares. Thie latter is problem with all our PC rooms though - I normally replace 2 or 3 each Tuesday morning, having left them intact every Wednesday night. But if things were broken entirely I'd have no quarms about billing. It's been donein the past.


RE: Inset pay - they have agreed to pay me for the two I have done and will look at the future ones. They want copies of all the documenttion from the unions, which I now have. So, that side of things, is great now.

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

[hmb]

You are absolutly not a crap teacher!!!!!

End of story!

You are keen and dedicated andeven if they don't realise it they are damn lucky to have you as a teacher.

You know this is year 9, the awful year.

If it makes you feel any better chick, I have a class just like this . I feel like seven shades of shit when I have 'taught' them. I feel as if I am failing them in the worst kind of way but in the end you are only mortal. You can teach but if they will not learn then it isn't your fault, no matter what the ed punditas say to you. have a glass of wine and chill. Mega hugs to you!

[Cam]

Can you tell me what age Year 9 are - is it 13?

[hmb]

Yup, hormones, zits and awful behaviour.

[Hulababy]

Cheers all Started my therapy for the night with a big chocolate pudding . The wine is chillded ready for when DD is in bed shortly.

[eidsvold]

hulababy - you are not a crap teacher... we all know year 9's have a tendency to be the worst year without anything else being added to the equation.

If it is any help - I had a feral year nine class( last school year) - I know we did not get anything achieved in the past school year... I tried all the things that were suggested and I realised that nothing would work... These kids were causing problems across the board....

sorry you had such a crap day... but you are not alone and it is not your fault!!!! There are some kids who will behave like you have described no matter what strategies are tried.... I guess the hardest thing is to not beat yourself up about it... I had to keep reminding myself I had done my best and it was now up to them....

like you said your year 8 was brilliant so it has to come back to them.

[marthamoo]

You poor thing - just to reiterate what everyone else has said: you are NOT a crap teacher (they are crap pupils!) I have no idea what methods, if any, you could employ to get them to calm down and be taught (cattle prod would be frowned upon, I guess?) Just want to offer my sympathy and say I am awe struck that any teacher manages to keep going in the face of this kind of thing.

Hope you enjoyed your wine

[fisil]

Ah Hulababy. All my classes were crap yesterday. We are all too tired! Like people have said, at least you had a good Y8 lesson. And roll on half term!

[hmb]

Thought that I would post before you head off to school to give some more support.

You are doing everything that you can to sort these kids out. It isn't working and it isn't your fault! They will be the same in every lesson, you know that their behaviour isn't persnally directed toyou, but it still sucks and you shouldn't have to deal with this sort of crap.

I can't give you advice on dealing with them since you are doing all the good stuff anyway. All I can say is go into today's lessons as if yesterday didn't happen....not easy I know. These kids will have forgotten all about the awful lesson as soon as they left the class, try to do the same, even though I know it is impossible

It will soon be half term (ours has started already, sorry). My last lesson was with my class from hell, also a year nine. No-matter what you do for them, no matter how many different things you plan into the lesson, they are never going to just behave. The best we can hope for is the odd tollerable lesson. My worst offender has just left us, thank god. Now some other poor sod has to deal with her. When they came into the last lesson I knew it was going to be grim. one of them said, 'Why do we have to work, it is the last lesson of the term'. What can you do with attitudes like that? And I have the luxury of a lsw.

So, chin up and don't let the horrors get to you. Hugs.

[Hulababy]

Cheers again.

Not in work this morning - see my "I have no water" thread. Shame too as my Y7 classes I have today I really enjoy. We have lots of fun in them, as well as doing challenging work. Hoping to get in for this afternoon - I have another Y7 then too.

Feeling much more positive this morning; just needed to rant I guess.

I'll keep plodding away with this class. Atleast I can sya I tried and I did my best, even if the pupils can't.

[hmb]

We all get these days and yuo do need to 'vent'. My HOD and HOBiology are both great and getting me through the 'bad' classes. Last year one of my Y11s brought me to tears. Not that they were an awful class but they were just a low level disruption all the time. It just wore me down in the end.

I have another year 9 class, not the class from hell. They talk, all the time, even when I am explaining things. In the end I stopped a practical and got them to write in their books for 40 minutes. I then told them that we could watch a video for 15 minutes, if they prefered, but if anyone started talking it was back to the writing. The video started and in less than 2 minutes someone started to chat, so I turned it off. They were flabergasted! They are still chatty, but at least they know that I am a woman of my word! And knowing that we can all have more fun. I wish these flipping kids would realise that if they behaved in a reasonable way we would all have more fun!

[Hulababy]

Just got water will be back on within hour - hopefully sooner Need to be in to check all is okay - as dishwasher and washing machine were on at tiime. Eeek!!! Then I am going in, so I should get in for my Y7 classes after all.

[Cam]

This year 9 thing is striking a chord with me, it explains why at the very moment I turned 13 I immediately and completely went off school. I had been a model pupil until then and overnight I hated the whole thing. As I went (many many moons ago) to a small civilised grammar school, there were rarely any real discipline problems but I have always wondered why I felt like that. I have always thought it must have been that I suddenly realised how boring it all was - but now I remember I regained my interest later. Gosh, maybe there needs to be a new way to teach children during that period.