Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Teachers/Homework....the truth

76 replies

hmb · 16/09/2004 20:06

OK, time to come clean.

We only set it because we are nasty, fetishistic old bags who love nothing more than to make people?s lives a misery.

We set it knowing that it hinders you child?s learning, and we do it in a way that creates the maximum amount of disruption and misery to your lives. We even make it difficult to understand.

In lessons we constantly put kids down, we try as hard as we can to make their lives more difficult. We make a conscious effort to hold back the bright and able and over stress those finding things hard.

We step in too often except when we step in too late. We do too many things outside of school with kids, except when we do too few. We are over strict except when we are too lenient.

We do this because deep down we are all just bad people.

We were also the unknown gunmen behind the grassy knoll; we shot JR, take places in M & T parking spaces and never pay for our grapes.

Basically we are the scum of the earth.

There, now I feel better!

Seriously, I have had the worst day in school. I have been sworn at, had to step in to sort out a fight and run after a child to stop her leaving school. I have just finished my prep work for tomorrow and read that I should also be running homework clubs. It seems that I can get 30 kids in a room to work, when parents say they can't get them to work at home.

I'm not a saint ladies, I am just a regular woman who is getting tired of the kicking my profession is getting on Mumsnet. Sure, some teachers are crap. I know this. And I understand that you all want the very best for your kids, so do I. But we are not all the spawn of Satan, just reasonable people trying to do their best.

I have no problems with people complaining about the actions of some, but can we lay of some of the ruder generalisations, If for no other reason that other peoples kids have given me a shitty day today.

OP posts:
pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:37

No I've had this with year 9 and PE- can't your senior team see that this copying malarkey would be a short term measure.... do it without telling them....How about a worksheet on the table when they come in- a cloze exercise to test their prior knowledge... what they learnt in the last lesson... a recap etc. Have you tried Paul Ginnis... he's the hottest thing in education at the moment...

popsycal · 16/09/2004 20:38

paul ginnis
the hottest thing in education
do you have a photo

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:38

I can see if I can get away with it I guess. No books though - teach ICT

LEA consultant for KS3 ICT is working with department at moment as no HoD,. I have spoken to him as we follow National Strategy for ICT. He has written the units, and he is also rehashing them all with me to make them fit. he has been shocked by their level of ability (or lack of it).

Anyway, sorry hmb. Didn't mean to hijack your thread. Just feeling rotten. Daren't whinge to much to DH as, as he says, I did have my chance to leave.

hmb · 16/09/2004 20:40

Don't worry, I know just how you feel. Have a hug, or even two. I'll confess to two glasses of wine. And I'm being observed by the HOD first thing tomorrow for performance managment review!

OP posts:
Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:40

Will do some more reseach tomorow on Pal Ginnis. Have to admit, no idea about him

So het up in all the new policies here, and struggling with no HoD to sort out the daily stuff that I haven't had mcuh time for anything else yet. But will make time tomorrow.

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:41

HMB _ good luck for tomorrow

I have drank every night this week!!! And I only do two days!

pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:41

Basically you've been left to your own devices then haven't you- ok- you can't send them out- not even to cool down???? that's ridiculous... you should be able to send them out to calm down... anyway how about this. Last year I told the kids that didn't want to work to sit at the back, those that did at the front- I didn't mind that they didn't work BUT they weren't to disturb the rest of the class THEN do something 'fun' with the rest of the class...BTW not one child got up to leave my class when I gave them the chance...

hmb · 16/09/2004 20:42

Doesn't the KS3 stratagy in ICT 'allow' written starters? It does in science. I use them all the time. Jotted down if the classes behave well, written out in full if they need calming down when they come into the room. Cloze activity was a godsend last year when I had set 5 our of 6 in year 11!

OP posts:
pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:42

POPSYCAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

popsycal · 16/09/2004 20:45

well
someone had to ask

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:46

Room is a problem too. I have 20 computers in a very small (and very very hot) room. Computers are literally right next to each other. But I have anything between 28-33 in a class in there. I don't even have enough chairs!

The starters in ICT strategy are all prewritten in full. Most are activities down at the board, woth pupils either jotting down some notes to discuss in 5 minutes, or are Q&A type. Some are worksheet based, but sadly not this weeks.

I have spoken to the LEA guy though about this and he is looking at rehashing it - first lesson should be ready for me Tuesday morning - I have Y9 later in day. And I did ask for more pupil activity, where they have to actually DO something on their own, and getting them on the computers early on too. They can't deal with lessons where they get limited computer use at all.

pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:50

this a link to his book shame I can't find anything else- some ideas etc. We had him in to school to do some work with our department and he really is good. Some ideas- have 2 packs of playing cards- hand out one set, you have the other- then you twist the top card and only that person is allowed to answer or has to answer. Have a speaking stick- only the person that has it is allowed to speak. There's loads of ideas- these aren't the best ones and I guess you need cooperation from the kids before they'd work. How about a packet of sweets- pick and mix type- ask questions and pass sweets to kids who get answer right.

popsycal · 16/09/2004 20:51

haha pixiefish - i have this book already at work!!!
it is good hula!!

pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:52

If they misbehave can they sit somewhere else to do some written work instead of being on pc? All work that's relevant to task of course...

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:53

Thanks pixiefish - I will look more tomorrow and try and find a copy.

I like the idea of the bribery To be fair to some of these kids, they have huge problems in their lives outside of school. It's just that they have put so many of these kids together. Individually they can be great. Together they are hell.

At least I'm not the only teacher suffering with them too, although sometimes it feels that way. Luckily I have spoken to other staff and they are having major problems with the same class.

I am sure that I will get there. I'm taking all the ideas on board and I wil try and adapt them to work.

Maybe I should start using some of the Little Angels/Super Nany techniques too!

Thanks all.

Rant over., promise

pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:53

We've got it on the hard drive at school but I'm not in till monday and I don't have an email account at work. Will try and see if I can send it home somehow and then will try and CAT it to you...

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:54

No room anywhere else pixiefish - room is very very cramped and full. I am trying to find alternative room,ing but so far not possible.

pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:55

Bugger...

hmb · 16/09/2004 20:56

Don't you have any leeway on this? That is just silly. We have a KS3 package that we use. The department has adapted it to meet out particular needs, but we can pick and choose what activities we use, depending on the class. As long as we stick to the three part lesson (and HOD understands that this doesn't always 'work') we can do what we think best for the kids we are teaching. We even drop the more taxing part for the lower attainment groups. For example I used a lesson today to recap magnetism rather than look at reed switches, a topic that was way beyond the class.

I realise that your school is in special measures but this is silly.

OP posts:
pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:56

And you've no HOD to send them to have you??? What about sending them to sit in the bloody heads office... seeing as how SMT have removed all your reasonable sanctions...

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:56

On a good point though, the deputy who did come in noted the heat in the room. School have no ordered me two fans, and are looking into a wall mounted cooler

hmb · 16/09/2004 20:57

I also do Mrs hmbs pupil of the lesson. Get it 3 time they get a certificate and a small sweetie. It works for the kids who find school merits too abstract and long term.

OP posts:
pixiefish · 16/09/2004 20:58

This sooooo infuriates me. We're not on special measures but do have a discipline problem which the head won't admit to... while I was off on mat leave last year a group of staff have formed a discipline panel and are pushing stuff through. You have to stand as a team... how about a no confidence vote in your smt...

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 20:59

If they are as bad this week I am going to go and speak to the head myself, rather than using go betweens. I am going to tell him exactly how I feel. If necessary I will insist that someone from middle or senior management comes into the lessons until they behave, and that they provide a better system for me to use. For example, somewhere to send these kids too.

Hulababy · 16/09/2004 21:01

pixiefish - I suspect ta no confidence isn't that far away TBH

We have a new behaviour policy. Each pupil gets SEVEN chances in each lesson, starting anew every time. That's SEVEN!!! before I can ask for senior teacher on patrol to come over!!!

The LEA consultant was amazed.

Swipe left for the next trending thread