My feed
Premium
Please
or
to access all these features

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Education

Claire Short in Teaching

53 replies

hmb · 17/02/2004 20:04

Have a look at this.

education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1149407,00.html

Ms Short became a teacher for a week. To be shown on TV on the 25th, I think. I'll take a look, it sounds interesting

OP posts:
Report
stupidgirl · 17/02/2004 20:12

Hmmm, I saw the advert about this yesterday, looks like it might be interesting.

Report
Hulababy · 17/02/2004 20:12

Will have to try and watch this and see how it is portrayed. Why didn't someone come and offer to do my teaching for a week

Report
eidsvold · 17/02/2004 20:13

I am looking forward to seeing her in action - I think it would be very amusing... in fact I would love to see the education minister in teaching - at the comprehensive where I teach... matter of fact - he could be me for a week....

perhaps I ought to email him with the suggestion......

Report
hmb · 17/02/2004 20:21

No, no, no, he can be me! In the week when we are due to be Ofsteded!

I loved the bit in the article that said she didn't have a lesson plan for the lesson on Tourism, but she was going to 'wing' it! LOL! That would go down well with an inspector, wouldn't it?

OP posts:
Report
eidsvold · 17/02/2004 20:33

oh yes... wing it - and she learnt that it can't be done. Oh and I can't imagine my students wanting to discuss their 'future' with a politician.....

Report
Hulababy · 17/02/2004 20:48

Trouble is I can imagine what some of my pupils whuld have said - and not good

Have definitely decided that you can't 'wing it'! Planned wrong lesson in past - we have silly 2 week timetable and I did the wrond week's planning for a day. Even though I have been teaching for, what is it - 7 or 8 years - it just doesn't really work.

Report
fisil · 18/02/2004 15:55

Hula: "Why didn't someone come and offer to do my teaching for a week?" I am seeing my friend for a coffee tommorrow - the one who DID have Clare Short come and teach her classes for a week! She's an NQT. The week before Clare Short came was a total nightmare for her and the entire geography department, the busiest week ever. The week Clare Short was in, she (my friend) got to sit in an office all day watching the video link.

The head has seen the programme already and says that school is portrayed in a very positive light, and Clare Short doesn't come off too badly.

When the crew first came to look round the school in July they declared we weren't rough enough - says something about the editorial slant! I can't wait to watch it - dp & I have it in our diaries. Might even be some backside shots of me!

Report
hmb · 18/02/2004 16:31

wow! I'll 'know' a famous backside!!

Did you friend say if CS planned lessons? Did she understand the scheme of work, do marking etc or did she just go into lessons and 'lecture' them? Did she go in thinking that 'anyone can teach', or did she see how much preparation was needed? I'm very interested in seeing where she came into this IYSWIM. Please spill the beans!!!!?????

OP posts:
Report
hmb · 18/02/2004 16:32

Did she get 'The class from Hell' last two on a Friday, and if not, why not?????

OP posts:
Report
Hulababy · 18/02/2004 16:59

Wow fisil!

Interested too to know if CS just did the teaching or the rest of the job as well - planning, marking, dealing with detentions/sanctions, meetings, etc.

Bet she didn't do OFSTED

Report
fisil · 18/02/2004 17:02

She had no idea at all about the amount of planning involved. Apparently there is video diary of her saying "well, it's midnight and I can't see how I can be expected to work any later than this when I've got to be up so early tomorrow, so they will just have to put up with the handwritten worksheet." And then of course the next day there is footage of the class (a lovely group, as it turned out) saying they couldn't read the sheet and the lesson turning into a bit of a mini riot because the kids, however well intentioned, just couldn't do the work.

They left her without cameras several times so that she saw the children for real, and not on their best "Mum might see this on TV" behaviour.

She found it fairly tough going. On the Wednesday I bumped into the teacher looking after Clare at 8 o'clock and she was worrying because Clare still hadn't turned up. She finally turned up at twenty pats 8! She was mumbling something about a hairdrier going missing. I was recently talking to the lady whose house she stayed in, who had heard nothing about the hairdrier incident (but vaguely remembered her asking to borrow one late one morning!)

It is going to be so much fun.

Re famous backside watching: it is rather wide, clad in a short skirt dark grey woollen suit and topped with short blond hair with beautiful stylish roots. So I'm sure they won't have edited it out! I'm just excited to see all my friends, and all my students.

Report
fisil · 18/02/2004 17:02

I'm not doing much for my anonymity here, am I?

Report
fisil · 18/02/2004 17:07

Sorry, didn't see that Hula. She did the whole lot. She had the NQT's timetable for the week. The geography department is brilliant, which means that the NQT tends not to get the most difficult classes (and it was filmed in September before the rot sets in). She was even asked to prepare an assembly for her Y7 tutor group, which is not established practice at school. I was on break duty when she came and asked me to let in her tutor group so that they could practice - she had been tipped off that I am a cruel bitch when it comes to break duty and won't let anyone through the door without a note, and needless to say she hadn't written any. Anyway, only three of her kids turned up.

Report
hmb · 18/02/2004 17:13

ROTFL! It should be interesting, I can hardly wait. Re the famous backside, we sound alarmingly alike! I'll be your decoy double if your cover 'breaks'

Should be interesting for all those who think that teaching is a doddle and that we all just swan into lessons and talk for an hour.

Was she surprised by the behaviour of the kids? I know that you said the NQT doesn't get the realy awful classes, but even the best of classes can be quite a shock for the unwary who went to school in the 60 and 70s. Things have changes a bit.....

OP posts:
Report
fisil · 18/02/2004 18:30

True - our "best" classes are nevertheless a bit of a handful. And the idea that you can talk at a class for an hour/tell them to "get on with the work" is woeful! A variety of activities with pace and good transition between tasks ...

I teach a lot of the students from that tutor group in my top set. I adore that class, they are good fun and bright, but nevertheless there are some really challenging characters in there, both loud and boisterous as well as worryingly shy and introverted. Hmmm. Wonder which ones will feature?

Report
eidsvold · 18/02/2004 21:09

oh I am definitely going to watch it... wonder why they did not pick a comprehensive in the area where I teach if they wanted 'difficult' students - we have plenty of them...

Report
Hulababy · 18/02/2004 21:13

She could have had my 8P4, bless them! 9 of them in the class, bottom set, 8 have SEN, others also have behaviour issues. They can be lovely but some can also be challenging - even with support there. They were awful as a group during the frist OFSTED. Every lesson they had inspectors in (not just mone) they played up terribly - poor behaviour, shouting, moving, swearing and fighting! Heavens knows how they'd be in front of cameras.

Report
fisil · 25/02/2004 20:19

Don't forget to watch tonight!

The main theme of conversation at school today is "I hope everyone realises that only our very best students appear in this programme ..."

Very excited

Report
popsycal · 25/02/2004 20:24

what time and channel fisil?

Report
Hulababy · 25/02/2004 20:31

Still feeling a bit sceptical about it but will watch - or at least bits of it.

Got to do my own planning and marking at the same time. Have to get all of Tuesday's lesson plans (with seat plans, SEN/G&T lists, resources to be used, etc.) into Head by time I leave for the weekend tomorrow evening - we have the LEA inspectors in

Report
Hulababy · 25/02/2004 20:31

Popsy: BBC2 9pm

Report
Dinny · 25/02/2004 20:33

BBC2 9pm - I've seen some of this programme. V good. Well worth a look.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

eidsvold · 25/02/2004 20:45

will be having to tape this... so won't check the thread again until I have seen it

I am just curious as to why her rather than the education Secretary....

Report
Hulababy · 25/02/2004 21:54

So, has anyone been watching? I did end up watching whilst doing my marking. Just watching her last lesson.

What did you think?

Report
roisin · 25/02/2004 22:02

Hiya! I think anyone who teaches in a secondary school must be bonkers ... or else deserve a medal. Is it really like that?

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.