Not A Frumpy Mum

Who Do You Want Teaching Your Kids?

Who Do You Want Teaching Your Kids?

When I first started this blog, it was primarily to be a way to record my boys early years, and whilst I figured my job would creep into it from time to time it’s starting to become a bit of a regular fixture on here. I’ve already blogged today but after seeing this advert tonight I couldn’t not respond! I am a Maths teacher. I studied Maths at GCSE and A-level. Okay, I did an Economics degree, but within that was a high Maths content. I went on to do my secondary Maths PGCE and have been working as a…

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Is Teaching A Family Friendly Career?

Is Teaching A Family Friendly Career?

When I first told my mum I was applying for teacher training, her response was “a great job for a woman”. Okay, slightly sexist but I see her point. 13 weeks holiday a year, and you work half 8 til half 3, don’t you? It’s a no brainer! Don’t get me wrong, the holidays are fantastic and as soon as Mr Gove starts to take those away I will be looking at alternative careers, but how family friendly is this job during term time? I have pretty much come to terms that I will miss assemblies and sports days that…

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Should we teach our kids how to fail?

Should we teach our kids how to fail?

  After an incident with one of my students yesterday it made me think about a training day we had at school a few years ago.  We were asked: If your child had failed their music exam, what would you say to them.  There were several options, a few “nice” options, of how the exam was unfair and there must have been a mistake etc.  The option I chose was “On the day you weren’t good enough!”  Okay, it was in my pre mummy days, but I think I’d still say the same.  I wouldn’t put it quite as bluntly…

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Happy now Mr Gove!

Happy now Mr Gove!

11 years ago I started my teaching career (oh my goodness, has it really been that long!). Along with 4 other newly qualified teachers, we were young, enthusiastic and determined to make a difference to the children we taught. Whilst one of the girls has moved away the other 3 remain and we are close friends. We’ve been through a lot together; engagements, marriages, break ups, house moves, babies, miscarriages, good times and the bad. During those years the job we started out with has changed dramatically, but what hasn’t changed is we still want to do the best for…

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