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It’s Monday morning of the last week of school before the summer holidays.  It’s been a long time coming but the end is in sight, but you still need to get through the next 5 days, and you’re bound to experience a few of these: 1.  It’s pot luck who will actually turn up to your lessons.  With end of year trips, summer fetes and a few pupils jetting off for an early summer holiday the numbers start to dwindle. 2.  You will hear “Miss, are we having a fun lesson today?” at the start of every hour. 3.  And… View Post

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When I tell people that I’m a teacher, more often than not their assumption is that I’m a primary school teacher.  I’m not sure if it’s because (despite my advancing years) I don’t look too old or that they think there’s no way I could get a group of high school kids to sit down and give me their full attention for an hour. Once it’s been cleared up that I definitely don’t teach the little ones, the next question is, “what age do you teach?”  After my response of 11-18 (and there have a been a few 19 years olds in there… View Post

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Once upon a time in the not to distant past I strived to be an outstanding teacher. I wanted to be the inspirational educator students told their future kids about. Okay, I was young and naive back then but it was where I aimed to be. After 13 years in the job I now know that, according to Ofsted criteria, I will never be outstanding and for the following reasons: 1. I don’t care about QMA (Quality Mark Assesment) sheets being completed in their books. I have taught them, marked their books, marked their tests, returned their tests with feedback… View Post

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The snow has finally arrived! Outside it’s coming down thick and fast and I’m watching it from the cosiness of my front room, feeling very thankful that today is my day off. In teaching there are many things that can lead your carefully planned lesson astray; last night’s Facebook kick-off, a puppy love quarrel (and the subsequent tears that come with it), someone accidentally calling you Mum. But nothing compares to the complete derailment that is snow! Forget trying to teach them anything, your lesson is literally out of the window! It starts as soon as the first few flakes… View Post