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Secondary education

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Original poster

Secondary School teachers - when do you stop teaching for Christmas?

25 replies

roisin · 18/12/2007 18:25

I know this has been a long term, and believe me I'm ready for a break, and the children have certainly had enough.

But I am shocked at how early this year teaching/learning has stopped and lesson-time turned over to 'fun Christmas activities' or video-watching.

Is it because some subjects only teach once a week and so want to do a "last fun lesson" with every class? And this then filters through to other subjects.

So, honestly then, what happens in your school?

OP posts:
Tiggerish · 18/12/2007 18:28

I see most of my classes 2 or 3 times a week - so I'll be teaching up until Thursday.

Tiggerish · 18/12/2007 18:28

But then humbug is my middle name!!

BellaBear · 18/12/2007 18:30

Well, as near as possible to the endof term (without it being on the last day) we do a half term test. Then something fun for the last lesson. We are not meant to watch DVDs. However, the lure of using a SmartBoard to watch big screen films is too much for some of my colleagues. I am a complete scrooge in this respect - I don't see why student come to school to watch films. I don't have a problem with a subject related Christmas activity at all.

But I completely agree re other subjects. Take a subject that sees its students once a week, and let's say that's on a Monday, and they watch a film or let students mess around on the web for a lesosn and then you have them for maths and you have three lessons left and that just messes up your plan to actually teach them. Grrr.

Do you think it makes a difference breaking up on a Friday than say a Wednesday? We aren't breaking up till Friday this year, and it drags out the last week.

WeWhizzzYouAMerryXmas · 18/12/2007 18:40

Today was the first day that I've seen DVDs in lessons. I actually think the kids get fed up with DVDs & wish that some teachers would think of other things to do (quizzes etc). Thursday is our last day so 2 more days of wind down!

WeWhizzzYouAMerryXmas · 18/12/2007 18:40

(sorry, not a teacher but a secondary TA)

BellaBear · 18/12/2007 18:44

Whizz - I agree. One kid on my form last year watched the first hour of five different films on the second to last day of term.

Original poster
roisin · 18/12/2007 18:57

Yes, we finish on Thursday, and I definitely think it's much worse than say a Tuesday finish.

Our HT said at the start of last week that no 'fun' lessons/DVDs/quizzes etc. were allowed last week - otherwise I think some would have started even earlier!

I think the students definitely get fed up of DVDs, especially as they only get to see the first 45 mins of lots of different films!

OP posts:
mummymagic · 18/12/2007 19:03

IMO It's much easier to manage the behaviour if you do a normal lesson.

As i say to the kids when they say 'aw, aren't we having a fun lesson'

  • aren't ALL my lessons fun?!!!!
BellaBear · 18/12/2007 19:09

Or

"Miss, are we doing something fun today?"

"Yes, fractions"

pukkapatch · 18/12/2007 19:12

depends on the school.
i know a pgce student who was examined by the head of dept on her teaching of the last lesson of the term before christmas.

janeite · 18/12/2007 19:28

Most of ours will probably be away for Eid tomorrow, so I suspect that not much teaching will be done to be honest. Last Eid, I had several classes with just one pupil in! We don't finish until Friday though, so it feels like a looooong week.

BellaBear · 18/12/2007 19:37

I think quite a few won't come in for wed or thurs for eid and then miss friday as it is only a half day.

AMerryScot · 18/12/2007 19:42

I taught my last lesson just before lunch last Wednesday. We served Christmas lunch to the girls after that, and then had a talent show. Thursday was cleaning up time (running around the school high on sugar) and a Christmas service, with a noon finish.

I pretty much taught up to the bitter end. I even started a brand new topic on Wednesday. I don't believe in 'it's the last day', or even 'it's the last week'. If you drop lessons this term, you pay for it later.

chocolateshoes · 18/12/2007 19:45

We finish on Friday and have been told by our head that teaching must continue up until then. Kids are shatterded so not sure much learning going on.

fizzbuzz · 18/12/2007 20:24

Same for us Chocolateshoes. Although Fri is a half day, and involves a show.

What gets me is: "Buuut in Mr/Mrs so and so lessons, we watched this/did nothing/ran riot....."But Mr/Mrs so and so say they didn't

fizzbuzz · 18/12/2007 20:25

No DVD's allowed

chocolateshoes · 18/12/2007 20:29

my yr 10's came in today asking if they were watching a DVD! When I said 'no' moaned the'everyone esle was'....as if....I wish we were finishing tomorrow and going back on the Thursady - makes it so much easier. Our lot are shattered.

bluesushicat · 19/12/2007 21:05

we were supposed to teach until the end of tuesday then it's whole school christmas activities - cinema trip, quiz, masses etc. I finish on Friday but it is a half day. However some staff always start with the dvd's and wordsearches much too early. It's way easier to teach til the end - so my 12's got a mock exam on monday

Blandmum · 19/12/2007 21:08

Today I did a revision lesson with the sixth form and gave year 10 a GCSE formal assessment.

Tomorrow I will miss the first lesson because of full school assembly and will then run two revision lessons with lower and upper sixth forms. Tomorrow is the end of term.

If we didn't have assembly year 7 would have had work on christmas on the other planets using material from NASA. Christmas themed, but still work from the year 7 curriculum.

I don't have the lessons to spare

slayerette · 19/12/2007 21:12

We finished last Thursday - no irrelevant dvds for me although Yr 13 were watching Streetcar Named Desire as part of their post-1945 drama module (not just for me to swoon over Marlon Brando back in the day )

Played Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Yr 10 on the last day but we were studying WWI poetry up until then... V. festive

SpottyHamster · 19/12/2007 22:20

DS school have been watching DVDs since Mon (last day Fri). Three or four films are started each day, it seems, I don't agree with it really- maybe in last 2 days its OK. Surely could do some 'fun' lessons? Maths teacher carries on until the bitter end though- apparently they might be lucky enough to start logarithms on the last day!

Lauriefairycake · 19/12/2007 22:25

My husband's year seven form have a test on a book they have read on Friday morning.

He then (all afternoon) has four hours with year 13 (they asked him to come in) for revision - he's chuffed they asked him - he thinks his year 13 are showing good responsibility

Sandies · 19/12/2007 22:27

I teach English so it's easy to carry on until the death. Some teachers been showing DVD's and I think this makes it harder for the rest of us to be honest. I love dingbat competitions, Christmas card poems and thank you notes for fun. Any other ideas?

ShrinkingVioLetterstoSanta · 19/12/2007 22:58

DD1 gets really cross when teachers bung on DVDs - she doesn't "do" TV much at the best of times, and would much rather a quiz (with prizes - especially since it's not exactly hard to find soemthign online laready prepared ).

fizzbuzz · 20/12/2007 18:43

Offered my Y10 graphics class a logo quiz......they preferred to carry on working

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