Some of you may have remembered my thread in the last academic year, where I vowed to get out of permanent teaching after a period of sick leave, and so I did! Currently doing some supply days and tutoring, and generally far less stressed and enjoying life a lot more. However, it is such an eye opener and it amazes me how disorganised and chaotic some schools and teachers are! I have had 3 different schools I have visited so far.
School 1 - I was told by my agency that I was wanted for year 4. I get there early, meet the business leader, who said she thinks I have moved from year 4 to another year group. Sit in the staffroom she said, and I will find out. So I'm left in the staff room for half an hour, until about 8:30, people in and out wondering why I am sat there drinking tea (thankful for being able to have a cup of tea, but spent time finding the cups, teabags and milk!). Then someone from Year R, comes along and says I am with her for the morning, juat supporting, looking after the children outside playing with water and sand. Ok I say! So I got paid as a teacher to help in year R with a group of children playing with sand and water for most if the morning (easy money, right!).
Nobody knew where I was in the afternoon, until at 12:50, a chap from year 4 came into the staffroom and said I was covering him, 10 minutes before the start of the afternoon! Computing and PE, your teaching he says, giving me a couple of written plans. So I go outside, on my own with 30 children I don't know to the MUGA for PE, following a plan. And guess what it's got a padlock on it! I send a child in to the building to get a key and the child comes back with a key. In we go, I look at the plan and it says every child needs a hoop, a cone, a ball. Guess what - no equipment!! Needless to say I abandoned the plan and just played some games! Attempted computing, but nobody could remember their logins as it's the beginning of year. Ended up just doing it together on the main board. Behaviour most of the day was appalling! Oh well, I left at 3:30!
School 2 - Great school, excellent day covering an ECT. Headteacher, met me at 8am at the door, he shook my hand, showed me around the school, introduced me to the classroom I would be in all day, gave me marking pens, explained the behavior policy, made me a tea, and asked the year leader to sit down with me and tell me all about the lessons I would be teaching during the day. The Headteacher told me that any problems, do not hesitate to contact him. Organised school, friendly staff, well behaved children, excellent day. I will definitely go back there!
School 3 - Arrive just before 8, and ring the bell. No answer. Ring it again, no answer. Stood outside for 15 minutes before someone came to the door. Receptionist, didn't have a clue where I was. Then a member of SLT took me up to a year 4 class, that I was in "just for an hour". I get told about the maths I will be teaching. The ECT goes to her meeting. She didn't leave me the lunch register, so I had to ask a child to ask the teacher next door to set it up on the computer! Then we start maths, 6 or so children put their hand up and say they don't have a pencil! LSA went down to stock room, only to come back saying, "these thick pencils are all I could find!". Children in and out of their seats all lesson. One child slumped in their chair, saying they're tired. LSA says they are lively and the year group was split last year, because they were riotous last year. Ten minutes before the end of the lesson, a child comes running in from the corridor, shouting that he is "pissed off with maths". An exasperated, flustered LSA, comes running in after him "Sorry she says"...
Then that hour I was covering turned into two hours, as the teacher didn't come back! I pop next door. Teacher next door, said just do some times tables work and read them a story! Good job I have taught times tables for many years, and had many games up my sleeve!
Then the afternoon! In year 3, "Please can you take them out and do some PE. Do some fitness work" the teacher said. "Get them to do some skipping and throwing a ball". Again, I go to the PE store cupboard, no skipping ropes, so again had to just make it up as I go along, but there were balls in there that I got them to throw to each other! One of the children threw a ball into the bush, one threw one into the car park, and one child decided to throw it right at another child's face! Another school where behaviour was very poor most of the day.
So, you know what, I have my weekends and evenings back. No more lesson observations, IEP's, displays or planning to do. I work the days I want to work and have days off that I want. But, it's such an eye opener. The disorganisation, children without resources, expecting me to just teach pe, know where the pe equipment is and the rest of it!
I am gradually getting my way out of teaching, it's such chaos in most places and I am now coming in as supply, seeing so many stressed people. How children are allowed to behave so disgustingly is beyond me but that is another story! I am happy to keep earning some money doing supply until I find something else entirely different, but it's so interesting and not even surprising, just how chaotic and disorganised some schools are with such dreadful behaviour. At least there are still a few decent schools left.