Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Flip

Original poster

I won't be doing that again...

20 replies

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 19:58

Year 10 did mocks (sitting their exams early). Most of them are underachieving. I give them detailed personalised feedback and do a whole lesson on exam feedback. I book them in for one-to-one appointments to discuss their mocks and how to improve. I set them homework - to redo and improve one of their mock questions. To help them with this I photocopy their mock exam answers, attach slips with aforementioned feedback. I give them a week. Homework was due today. One, precisely one, pupil has managed to write more than in their original answer. Seven have written less (honestly, how can it be a better response if you write less?! I told them all what to add) and eight haven't bothered at all. What do I get when questioning this? "You didn't give me the exam paper!!!" in that rude only-teenagers-sound-like-this tone. Well, screw you, year 10!

/rant over

OP posts:

hrfvenia · 13/02/2017 20:00

If it's any consolation I would have given my right (writing!) arm to have had a teacher like you during school and college. Especially maths. Just praise the one that tried!

Original poster

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 20:03

God that's so kind you're almost making me cry! definitely not the wine I thought showing goodwill would make them more amenable to doing the bloody work. Apparently this is not how it works...

OP posts:

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 13/02/2017 20:06

How thoroughly demoralising.
Focus in the one though. That one has made progress and its because of you

DrSeuss · 13/02/2017 20:08

Would you get any more of a response if you mail it out to parents or are they just as apathetic?

I hope my son gets teachers just like you when he goes to secondary school next year. You sound fantastic. I would want telling that my son was a lazy little shit who threw your efforts back in your face but then I'm a former secondary teacher turned TA!

MaisyPops · 13/02/2017 20:08

Youre doing so much for them and its a great job youre doing.
Id haul every one of them back and tbey can sit and do an exam in timed conditions after school. Could SLT come i to your lessons as well to give an extra kick up the backsidr? I know mine would gladly do that

Ollycat · 13/02/2017 20:08

What subject do you teach?

I suggested to a year 10 last week that they should consider making revision cards at the end of a topic - they asked why they would do that as they had a year before they needed to revise- this is a child who is hoping to do A levels.

As they say, youth is wasted on the young. (Or as Year 10's / 11'a say - whatever!)

You sound an amazing teacher- your pupils are lucky to have you

Parker231 · 13/02/2017 20:16

Could you get the parents in for a meeting and show them how poorly their DC's are performing and how little effort they are putting in. Are they as poor in their other exams?

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 13/02/2017 20:16

Oh, and on a purely practical side, I've discovered the only way I can get (bottom set) year 10 to improve their work is to ask them very specific questions in my marking.

Pupil writes "Nettles is a poem about war"
I add "how do you know?"

Etc etc

And computer rooms. They bloody love the computer room!

Original poster

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 20:16

Thank you everyone! I teach English and I am quite new to teaching (keeping it deliberately vague). I get overly worried I will be blamed for my pupils underachieving, so I guess that's why I am putting in the effort, but also partly why I'm so disappointed. Most parents are supportive, but tbh, I don't really want to have 10 tricky conversations with parents - I don't enjoy calling home at any rate, even less with 'bad' news. Feels like I'm putting in even more of an effort.

I had a chat with two of the key "offenders" lazy gits last week. Kept it all polite, treating them like the grown ups they clearly think they are but aren't. I explained I was being nice now, but that it wouldn't be as nice if I had to speak to them again. They didn't do their homework, and one of them was the one who came up with the gem that I hadn't given him the exam paper...

Think I will get SLT in - it is time for a proper bollocking and they're not scared of me. There is an SLT member I get on with very well and she can be shit scary. She's helped me with these guys in the past and would understand my frustration.

Thanks for all the kind words and reassurance!

OP posts:

user1484226561 · 13/02/2017 20:22

you are clearly a terrible teacher and don't understand the first thing about the job. You expected your students to read individual feedback? Don't you realise they have busy lives? You forced each one to endure a one to one session with you. You vindictive cruel old witch. You want them to try and improve their work? Don't you understand, that is not what you are there for??? Your job is to do the work FOR them, not to waste their time and everybody elses trying to teach them to do it for themselves.

Original poster

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 20:24

user I take offence! I am not that old!!!

But YY...

OP posts:

Original poster

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 20:25

Truth (love your username btw). Not taking this bunch to the computer room again. Last time I did one of them hid behind a fucking cupboard...

OP posts:

WelshMoth · 13/02/2017 21:03

Last time I went to a PC room with Year 11 pupils, one hid IN a bloody Cupboard.

WelshMoth · 13/02/2017 21:09

And how's about this beauty...

"What? You want me to revise in my spare time? On MY weekend?!"

When I Suggested to a pupil during Patent's Evening that they should start attending after school revision club for my subject.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 13/02/2017 21:09

Fair enough @Wellscrewyouyear10 (love your username too) - I've worked with kids that can't cope in computer rooms so I can understand why you might not want to. My current class work better in there. They just plug in their earphones and ignore the others!

Original poster

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 21:21

WelshMoth You win! Words fail me sometimes... Good luck...

OP posts:

user1484226561 · 13/02/2017 21:27

How about " well, why would I need to pay attention in lessons? You are going to be setting up after school revision for us to do this again later, aren't you?' paraphrased, X20 per week.....

Original poster

Wellscrewyouyear10 · 13/02/2017 21:30

user "Well, you need to start practising how to pay attention now..."

I find it ironic how many of these kids want to do jobs where discipline, following instructions, correct uniform and basic manners are of the utmost importance... You think I'm moaning? Wait until your Sergeant Major is shouting in your face...

OP posts:

WelshMoth · 13/02/2017 21:36

I think most teachers work harder than their pupils. It should be the other way around.

worstofbothworlds · 13/02/2017 21:40

I'm a university lecturer and I offer every year to mark a practice exam question for my class of 80-130 (varies). In 12 years I've had one student take me up on the offer.

Flip