to think that teachers should be a bit more bloody creative about Red Nose Day

[radiohelen]

I've been past four schools today and at all of them the kids are wearing their pyjamas to school... doing something funny for money! I think not.
Plus I was talking to a friend who said she'd had to go and buy new pyjamas for the occasion because her sons are all a bit small and while that's fine for at home it's not fine to send them to school in. Extra cost for her and then she had the nightmare of persuading her boy to wear pants under pyjamas... "you don't wear pants AND pyjamas mummy".
It sounds like a nightmare...
What about a gurnathon? A giant jelly contest? Making a funny black and white film. Writing an essay in alphabetti spaghetti. This is just off the top of my admittedly weird head....

I am trained and paid to teach, not to entertain or fundraise. However, I do both of these willingly, if not to the OP's preferred standards. Perhaps Ofsted should include this in their new rate your school site?

I'd certainly be happier to send my children to a school where the Ofsted report was able to show creative use of alphabeti spaghetti instead of the usual boring nonsense about literacy and numeracy.

Yes, radiohelen I read your post. You were critizing teachers for their lack of creativity, so I was asking what you had done, confident that it would be unique and innovative (and seemlessly weaved into your day job)

I find that those who moan about what others do, or don't do, never do anything themselves. The answer is simple-don't criticise-volunteer. Go in buzzing with ideas and offer to organise it! (how strange those people never do!)

Baked cakes?? I guess you sold them naked or iced jokes on to them? Otherwise not really original enough.

Although if you raised a few quid then that was probably more important, or have I missed the point?

"Baked cakes?? I guess you sold them naked or iced jokes on to them? Otherwise not really original enough."

pinot That's exactly what I expect teachers to do - let the kids be creative. You seriously believe that the best fundraising idea the kids and staff came up with at four schools was wearing their pyjamas to school? That's a cop out by someone and that's what I object to. If teachers' work is so onerous that's all anyone can come up with and it works for you - great - do it!
Yes I baked cakes. I work from home so I did what I could fit in. No-one else at mums and toddlers did anything so at least we raised some money. No I didn't sell them naked. That would have been a bit inappropriate not to mention making the other mums a little bit sick in their mouths.
And yes - creativity - because we have the luxury of being able to be creative unlike the kids in Africa so it's a criminal waste of our freedom to live an unexceptional existence.

it's a criminal waste of our freedom to live an unexceptional existence.

Still got that coathanger up the back of your jumper then?

I work from home so I did what I could fit in.

Very nice for you. I bet you're not itching to train and show all those teachers how it should be done then.

Many of our children held bun sales, pom pom sales, book sales, jumble sales, did magic shows in other classes and performed plays. All of their own volition. Your ridiculous OP was aimed at teachers who wore pyjamas, and you followed it up by questioning their career paths, ffs . You didn't ask if the kids were creative.

Fwiw, my ds's school did diddly squat. Have a go at them, if you like - but questioning their career motives will make you look equally stupid.

You see, I might have quite liked to do fun, creative stuff all day.

But I'm paid to ensure that kids pass their exams, which, on the whole, I do pretty well & without the little buggers hating me to the point of murder.

So: 'letting' year 10 have a whipround so that they could watch 'The Monocled Mutineer' of a sleepy Friday afternoon, which we will discuss on Monday prior to their beginning their Controlled Assessment (re-writing a Wilfred Owen poem as a piece of creative writing) = me Doing My Bit For Charity. Whilst still Doing My Job.

I don't think the OP quite grasps what teachers do (we teach) or what Comic Relief does (it raises money for charity).

Maybe it's me. I don't see how the gurning spaghetti jelly would be more of a moneyspinner than non-uniform, OR that it'd be especially 'creative', OR that it'd do anything to raise awareness of CR's work.

& agree with makemineapinot that sloshing jelly'n'spaghetti around for a laff is arguably inappropriate for a charity which supports hungry children.

How does the OP know what the pyjama-clad children were doing once they were in school?

They might have been gurning while making alphabets out of jelly and filming it all in black-and-white once they got there.

Mine were told to wear something funny. They wanted to wear their pyjamas. I wasn't about to argue "oh no, passing smug mummies won't think that you are being creative enough, darling"

Radiohelen

Pyjamas is not a cop out or a lazy uncreative choice
Its a tried and tested successfull fundraising idea that the kids enjoy

I'd like to see you organise a successful alphabetti spaghetti event in a school with 300 kids

I taught five exam classes today. All of them were more concerned about early exams than bloody red nose day, for which I'm eternally grateful!

yes halfyorkshireman halfessexgirl - OP hasn't had the balls to take up my challenge yet has she?!!!!!! As i said, I would sponsor her - free advertising on her radio!

I'm sorry I thought we were running an educational estabishment.
I'm very proud of my pupils, they raised lots of cash with their "bog standard" cake sales and almost all my class contributed a donation for non-uniform day. They really got behind raising funds for charity and some produced powerpoint presentations and showed them in assembly to encourage others to be generous.
As others said, we do still have to do lessons as normal!

To reconsider your entire motives for teaching children if you look down and you've got your slippers on

Disclaimer - my slippers were Rundolph ones with red noses

Rundolph? Rudolph

"You seriously believe that the best fundraising idea the kids and staff came up with at four schools was wearing their pyjamas to school? That's a cop out by someone"

I'm guessing you don't have school age children because I suspect it was the highlight of DS's year having his reception teacher open the classroom door in her pyjamas.

The kids love it, it raises money. Job done,

I worked in media for a long time and don't miss it one bit or at least not the people like OP who are like the chivvying hockey captain at my school exhorting us to keep up and do better.

pinot It's nothing to do with balls. I used to be a presenter, I'm a voiceover now. If I did have a radio show I would have no hesitation in doing it.

I've heard enough "I'm paid to teach/ensure kids pass their exams/I'm knackered/my school is bloody lucky I crawled out of my sick bed" etc etc etc.

I had a lovely evening with you all. I am going to have another glass of wine now.

And apart from anything else, think how much money you would have to spend on tins of alphabetti spaghetti to ensure everyone had a go. Pointless.