Not A Frumpy Mum

Dear Parents, Pease Support Us!

Dear Parents, Pease Support Us!

Dear Parents/Guardians, On Wednesday morning I know there will be disruption to your normal routine. Your childs school may be closed. Or you may have one child in, whilst the others has the day off. Guaranteed to cause at least one very upset kid, and one very smug one. I’m sure you will be muttering about how inconvenient it is. How teachers are just being a nuisance, whinging on again about their bloody pensions! I’ve seen the comments on my Facebook feed, us teachers are a selfish lot! Before you jump on the teacher bashing bandwagon, please take a step…

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The Phone Police

The Phone Police

Over the past 10 years one of the biggest problems to creep into the classroom is the rise of the mobile phone! When I first started teaching it wasn’t a problem, hardly anyone had them, and if they did they stayed in their bags, on silent. But then came the introduction of the smart phone and with it Facebook, Twitter and more recently Snapchat. For the record, I still have no idea what Snapchat is, but I hear the young ‘uns talking about it, so it must be the latest in thing!

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A Few Words That Made My Day

A Few Words That Made My Day

My poor little Year 7 classes are always bottom of my priority list. With three A level and three GCSE classes, they are the two I feel I’m least on the ball with. Maybe I’m being a bit hard on myself, but I always worry my lessons could be better planned, with better resources, their book better marked. However, this year I’ve found these have been the lessons I’ve enjoyed the most. I love the enthusiasm of 11/12 year olds and their innocence. In each of the classes there are a couple of real characters, who really make me smile.…

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What happened to letting kids be kids?

What happened to letting kids be kids?

Another day, another new idea about how to improve education. Paul Kirby, an ex government adviser, thinks school days should be 8:30am until 6pm and for 45 weeks a year. In his opinion, this will be a real vote winner in the next election. As a teacher and a parent I hate this idea from both angles. As a teacher I know how hard that final lesson of the day is. The kids are knackered and are starting to switch off. I don’t blame them, a full day of learning is tiring. I can’t even begin to imagine how they’d…

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My Teaching Magic Moments

My Teaching Magic Moments

I feel at the moment I’m pretty negative most of the time about what I do and sometimes I need to take a step back and remember why I do this job. I do it because I am lucky enough to work with a bloody fantastic group of kids, who make me laugh on a daily basis and when I’m feeling shit will always put a smile on my face. A few of my fave teaching moments: 1. On a residential trip with year 7 we had to clear the tables and chairs at the end of quiz night ready…

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