How are we going to last another 3 weeks?!

[ballsdeep]

Book scrutiny, lesson obs, planning scrutiny, assessment scrutiny, school visits, curriculum scrutiny, skills scrutiny, christmas craft and concert. Oh and just to mention the other things like the pta events, parental engagement afternoons!!!!! Argh!!!!!! How is everyone coping????

We have OFSTED in all week.

I’m coping, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the season of joy and light right now

I have observation of me, mocks for yr11, assessments for KS3, a school fair stall to prepare for and man, a parents evening and reports to write yet.

Gin. That's how I'm making it to Christmas.

"I used to think there was light at the end of the tunnel. Then I realised it was some bastard with a torch bringing me more work" (David Brent)

Maybe don't say at the end of term concert/play/service heads few words at end of parents evening/christmas fair. The staff are exhausted and really need their two week break. Some of the parents will be at work on 24th, back between Xmas and NY. The Drs, nurses, policemen, etc, may even be wlrling on Christmas day.

I know you all work hard bit sometimes those sorts of comments really don't help.

Eh?!

Before I went into teaching, I used to work between Christmas and New Year. I don't remember ever feeling as exhausted as I do now. And I'm not sure why I should care if any parents grudge me having a two week holiday. It is what it is. Come and teach if you like the sound of it. Thought not.

My dh works shifts, in a highly pressurised emergency services environment, regularly dealing with major incidents. He works evenings/weekends all hours. He’s worked the last four Christmas days, leaving me and dcs to celebrate with extended family alone.

He used to be a teacher, and quit because it was too stressful! He writes the countdown to the holidays on the whiteboard in our kitchen and doesn’t begrudge me day of my however many weeks a year off that I get.

My dh works away over Christmas, misses the whole thing! But he’d still rather that than do what I do

We finish on the 14th. Have lots of non-curricular activities, so we are winding down.

I'd love to wind down 😂😂😭

Ohtheroses, this is in Staffroom, so teachers can say what they like thanks very much, to other teachers

It is fine. We all go through this every year and somehow come out on the other side into the New Year. February half term can be a bit miserable as someone in the household is invariably really quite unwell. Easter however are my favourite holidays, as the weather is generally getting better and no expectation of any joviality.

Yup, run up to Christmas is manic, holiday itset is often busy, add in 60 odd mocks, three sets of assessments to mark and planning to do and it whizzes by in a flash.

May half term is my breathing point. Easter is revision central, then GCSE and A level stress....by may half term I can't do much more for those kids. That's when I finally start to slow down a bit.

We finish on the 21st

Being in Australia, this term is the end of the academic year, so reports and Head Start, i.e. 2019 teaching begins in the last two weeks of the 2018 term.It's exhausting geeing yourself up to be all shiny and fluffy for the students you'll be teaching next year.

Book scrutiny, lesson obs, planning scrutiny, assessment scrutiny, school visits, curriculum scrutiny, skills scrutiny We don't do this crapola. Yet.

Right there with you!

We have observations and data meetings next week, the kids are getting giddy already - year 7 have just driven me mad! I'm up to my eyes in marking and have assessments to write for January as well.

On top of that, I'm mad busy at home as DS is in a show soon so I am ferrying him to rehearsals and sorting costumes. Plus his usual swimming lessons. The tree isn't up and DS is desperate for it to go up (he's 5). I haven't finished Christmas shopping either.

I literally feel like I am meeting myself coming back and getting nowhere!

4 days left

No school should be doing book scrutinise and observations at this point of the Autumn term. Unnecessary stress and entirely pointless. Whose benefit are they doing it for? Definitely not the staff or children.

Indeed pud2 the thing is, ours are saying 'oh don't worry, it's just to see what we need to work on next' but that doesn't help!

I'm actually getting there now. I have finished christmas shopping and the tree is now up!

I am almost through the marking as well so that's good and means I won't have any to do over Christmas!

Just can't wait for the holidays now will be glad when this week is over and the observations and work scrutiny are done.

I take it all back. I had an email on Friday from my HoF to ask whether she could do a formal learning walk with my Y10s on the Wednesday before we break up. WTAF! A cynical teacher might think that may be the HoF has not ticked all her boxes before the end of term deadline. She has requested to do my HoD during the same lesson, so I am looking to her to argue our case on this one.

I am buried under mocks, end of topic assessments for KS3 and just had an observation this week too. And a parents evening.

Knackered. I'm actually going to have to do the 'easy lesson's thing with a few classes to make it through to the holidays sane.

Ten teaching days to go here. Whichever idiot thought that Term 4 should go until the 21st has obviously never been in the classroom. I'm taking a year off in 2019, so can't wait!

These threads always make me really feel for my children's teachers.

Especially my son's. He is 6 and rally struggles and has looted of extra help and we have meetings regularly.

I'd love to get his teachers something for Xmas to show my appreciation but haven't a great deal of money (4 kids and one had a December birthday)

What would you appreciate? (Sorry to hijack the thread)

A handwritten card telling you how much you appreciate her, and also a note to the head saying what a wonderful teacher she is. Seriously, that's the best present.

I like cards with a message that tell me I’ve made a difference to a specific child, that what I’ve tried to do actually matters to someone. I keep the special ones and use them as bookmarks. Take down one of my thousands of books and out pops a positive little note.
Some of my cards are decades old.

Thank you :) had thought about the note but a note to the head also is a great idea. I appreciate all the kids teachers but the two ladies my son has have gone above and beyond and are always happy to discuss, even when they must be so busy x