Cheerleading Thread!

[SawnUpLooRoll]

So many of us are stressed about going back, I thought it would be nice to have an education-based cheerleading thread. If there's something you have to do (marking, planning, reports, clearing, etc) before the start of term then this is the place for support

I've done my resources for my first GCSE lesson back... but now I need to prep all my KS3 bits. Argh! throws pompoms into the crowd

What about you?

[KingscoteStaff]

Oh the joy of the 3-Weekend Christmas Holiday!

Have marked SPAG paper they did at the end of term and analysed gaps.

I walked out on the 21st with all books marked and first week back planned and resourced, so feel quite cheerful.

[OneOfTheGrundys]

This may I come and work at your school please?
We’ve been TOLD to take marking home, ofsted prep style!
As an old git I take it all with a pinch of salt however. 😂

[SawnUpLooRoll]

All the best you you as well! 🥂 We all have to do what works for us! It's nice to see a thread where everyone is doing what's best for them... and no-one is dragging anyone for it 💪

[BabySnark]

All the best to you OP (and all teachers reading this with work to do)... but this teacher is not working in the holiday on principle🥂

[ThisIsNotARealAvo]

I'm SLT so no marking but have done some planning for the year group I support most (trainers teacher) and I'm now looking at data to prepare for a meeting at the end of the first week back. I also need to plan a couple of staff meetings. I'm working today because we are not doing anything else and DC are just minecrafting in PJs but this is the only day I will do any.

I did instruct all the staff I line manage not to lift a finger in the holidays for work and gave extra PPA in last week so people could be ready for first week as we have no INSET this time.

[Acopyofacopy]

I am most definitely not working in the holidays!

I am a member of some fabulous subject specific Facebook groups where really good things are shared for free. I hate how most things on TES now cost money. I don’t want to pay for something that is more often than not a load of rubbish.

[pippitysqueakity]

Absolutely not criticising others’ way of working, but planning out too many lessons surely limits pupil led learning a little? I recognise that is different in secondary though. I made sure all Xmas decks away at end of term and new morning tubs ready for children coming in. I follow basic phonic progression and SEAL maths so always have basic lessons and resources made. We do have a training day so will have a little time when not in meeting to sort first day. Other than that Xmas holiday is really only time I truly switch off from school! I do feel the benefit of that when I go back.

[SawnUpLooRoll]

Happy New Year! 🥂

[SureIusedtobetaller]

Still got a pile of books to mark and a few admin/planning bits to do. Going to do a bit each day till Fri so I can have the weekend free.
I’d much rather work a bit in the hols and go back fairly relaxed. This term is going to be insane!

[SawnUpLooRoll]

I'm also going to look up LitDrive. I use TeachersPayTeachers a fair bit.

[SawnUpLooRoll]

Yass @OneOfTheGrundys - we can do it!

But brunch is calling. That sounds like a great idea rn.

[OneOfTheGrundys]

We can do this!
I’m half way through Y10 lit papers and have done a bit of book ‘tidying’/spag marking this hol.
Still bits to do but out for brunch today and will get back to it tomorrow.
We are an RI school awaiting ofsted... next terms going to be... challenging.
TES is ok for English but better is the fabulous LitDrive. ☺️

[Mistressiggi]

[noblegiraffe]

2 - 4 - 6 - 8 - what do we appreciate? STILL BEING ON HOLIDAY!

God it feels great to not be back for another week.

When I search for TES resources I don’t actually do it through TES. I google something like ‘Percentages of amounts worksheet TES’ and google finds it for me. I think maths is quite lucky in terms of TES resources though, there’s loads on there.

[cliffdiver]

@HopeClearwater we teach most lessons around a termly text. The context sessions are on the key themes within the text - usually history / geography based.

[SawnUpLooRoll]

Yes, but TES is quite hit and miss these days. Or at least, I find myself scrolling through pages of only barely-relevant stuff before I get to the gold!

I'm only doing bits today and Friday. The rest of the week I'm keeping free for me and my DC... and I might do a little on Sunday night if I'm feeling generous. I haven't done anything else this holiday either

[HopeClearwater]

Cliffdiver what’s ‘context’?

[Mistressiggi]

I assume you’ve seen the TES resources section? I wouldn’t personally do swaps on here as a) no one would want mine and b) I’d lose anonymity, which is important to me!
Do you have the rest of the week off?

[SawnUpLooRoll]

Sorry @Mistressiggi - I'm always second guessing myself! Always putting my foot in it, too, when trying to be helpful.

Is there a resource swap thread? That's a good way of keeping workload down - make one resource and offer it around in return for others... almost instant planning! Or does that make me a CF?

[Mistressiggi]

Good grief no don’t delete, it’s just my comment! We can have threads on anything and everything
Just wanting people to start the year with a better work life balance - if getting some stuff done in the holidays helps you with it, get it done!

[SawnUpLooRoll]

@cliffdiver Well done! I'm getting sucked into making more GCSE resources because I'm in the zone... not because I actually need these right now.

[SawnUpLooRoll]

Actually, I see what you mean. Maybe a helpful MN admin could delete this thread for me?

I sometime forget that what helps me with my workload, and feels manageable to me is not always what everyone else would find helpful.

[cliffdiver]

I've mapped out each lesson until the end of the half term (Year 1). First 2 days English and 2 weeks maths (plus resources) is done.

Still have phonics, maths meetings, context, PE, computing and science to plan...

[Mistressiggi]

I’m not what you want OP but I don’t work in the holidays and I sometimes think the supportive thing to do for teachers is to demonstrate that this is not what we should aim for! Though some marking would be marginally less boring than watching dc play minecraft I suppose!