An Itinerant Scholar in Brighton

One month later...

2006-10-01T12:57:00.000Z

I'm still alive. I won't pretend it has been easy teaching the last four weeks, but parts of it have been fun. At least I know the school, the staff and the students now, so can hopefully go about my business with a little more confidence than before. The lack of planning time is proving somewhat problematic, and although some lessons have been good, quality control is an issue of late. Key Stage 4 have been rather unsettled and I feel that I don't yet have all the skills I need to teach them as well as I would like. However, there have been improvements.

No picture today, sorry. Must get back to planning. Grr.

It Begins Again

2006-08-29T21:12:00.000Z

So. Here we are once again. Next week the new term starts, and as this is ostensibly a blog focused on teaching rather than the ins and outs of my life (I have had a lovely summer, thank you for asking) it seems an appropriate time to commence again. We're going in slow-ish next week with an inset day on the Monday, which I am glad about. I'm a little concerned that I won't have my own transport to school until November when I scavenge a car from my retiring mother, and will be depdendent on lifts from my colleagues or public transport to get to my funny rural school. This week should be spent in planning and preparation, and some of it is indeed so allocated, but Half Life 2 has eaten into it already. And I need to make the Tempest appealing to 13-14 yr olds by next week. Am already considering drawing clumsy analogies with Lost in order to appeal to the Yooth crowd. Will let you know how that goes.

From ITT to NQT via QTS

2006-06-21T13:24:00.000Z

I've been busy, ok? Not busy enough to justify posting nothing for three months but busy all the same. The PGCE is now over - the certificate conferring provisional 'qaualified teacher status' is in the post, and as of last week I now have a year's contract at a local school, which is a GOOD THING. Am enjoying relaxing at the moment and am therefore not going to write more at the moment. I will return with tales of the last couple of months soon enough.

Child Free Monday!

2006-03-27T18:33:00.000Z

We near the end of term, and today we had an INSET day during which a funny man from teachit came and taught us how to do flashy things with word that can dazzle students and OFSTED inspectors at once. All rather handy stuff, I feel, and perhaps something I will incorporate into my teaching portfolio. It goes okay at the placement right now, I'm getting to know most of my classes and I think they're doing some good work. Still concerned about the lack of permanent employment, however. I have been firing off applications left right and centre, yet there is nothing coming back in my direction of yet.
I have perhaps foolishly volunteered to take year 7 on a field trip tomorrow, and have at this late stage developed a moderate sense of trepidation about so responsible a task. On the plus side, I'm sure this will generate an anecdote or two, and will rush back here to convey such tales as soon as they have come to pass.

The Pox Part 4

2006-03-12T22:57:00.000Z

I am ill again! It first became clear that this was the case on Saturday morning, and I had hoped to be free of it by now, but I fear I will be insufficiently healthy to impart knowledge come 8 hours from now, when I must begin my day. I certainly haven't got the time or energy to be writing this nonsense.

More later.

Postcards from the back of the beyond.

2006-03-05T18:53:00.000Z

Hello there. Two weeks in my new school and I haven't posted a word here yet, which is inexcusable. Well, I like it in my new hill village community college. The remote settlement has its own weather system (largely snow) and there is the intermittent cannibalism and fire worship to deal with, but they also have nice fancy stuff like a wireless computer network on site and data projectors in the classroom. I've only taught half a dozen lessons and I've already used more ICT than in the entirety of the last placement. I have some challenging groups, such as a relatively low ability sixth form English group (to whom I taught an appalling lesson last Friday, the poor dears) and some maniacal year 10s, who will be learning Romeo and Juliet at my hands. I have been discussing with the brilliant regular class teacher the use of a positive bribe system to banish the word 'boring' from the classroom, but this has yet to come to pass.

I'll also be taking a fair bit of drama, and a little media, but I don't have my head entirely in the placement mode right now as I have stupidly agreed to give a lecture to some Open University research group next Monday (the 13th) and have been trying desperately to throw something together to that end in any spare time I have, reading innumerable 19th century novels in the process. Things should become somewhat more normalised in a week or so, I guess.

Of course after that there are the jobs to apply for, but that's another story entirely.

A brief interlude

2006-02-01T19:43:00.000Z

Back at University this week, and our evidence files have not yet been led to judgement. That is to come next week. For the moment we have had our upcoming assessments explained to us and have had a day of lectures on behaviour management. I'm not certain that today was very helpful - it was primarily a reiteration of theories I'd been exposed to already, albeit with some object lessons thrown in. Still, it is really good to see people again, even if there is some ill feeling about a few of the second placements falling through.
It is odd being back at University again rather that at school. While not entirely unpleasant I do feel rather like I am treading water and should be doing something else. Must apply for more jobs.

It occurs to me that the above post looks rather morose. I should pause to explain that I am, on the contrary, rather cheerful at the moment. I include a picture of a lovely grinning clown in order to provide evidence for this.

Nearly the end of the beginning of the end OR The end of a beginning

2006-01-26T19:05:00.000Z

First of all, an apology. Posting a mere three times in a month is appalling. I have been busy, but this is no excuse for not recording the banalities of my life in an online forum. Tomorrow is the final day at my first placement school. Hence Beer. I believe I shall miss this school when I go, as glad as I am to pass the first part of my course. I go next to some benighted village on the very fringe of Sussex, where I will first have to teach local children to whittle the bones of small animals into pens and show them the rudiments of inkmaking using ash and spittle before I can impart any substantial literary knowledge. Before that, however, there is a fortnight back at university, where I will be reunited with the rest of my erstwhile cohort. I look forward to this break in my responsibilities a great deal, although I fear my relaxation may be sullied by worries about the trials to come. After that, we have half term, when along with a fellow educator I shall endeavour to take a short break from the delightful coastal metropolis that is Brighton.

For the sake of you, dear readers, I will attempt to enjoy my time away from the National Curriculum.

I also applied for my first job in the compulsory education sector yesterday. I will let you know what comes of this as soon as I find out myself.

The Stamp of Approval

2006-01-16T20:21:00.000Z

Right. Two more observations over the last week, and I have now been told that I have passed the first placement. This is a good thing, although I have some 'points for development' to carry with me to the next placement, wherever that may be. My professional tutor saw me teach a really good lesson to my middle set year 8 class last Tuesday. It was just one of those lessons where I got things right - pitched the work at the right level, gave them the support they needed through differentiated worksheets, and dealt with classroom behaviour effectively. This was fortunate, as I needed a confidence boost after my first week back, when I was decidedly mediocre.
On Friday my University tutor paid me a visit. Now, this lesson was not all it might have been, as my top set year 8 class have been somewhat restless of late, and I was trying to get them to start their assessed book review. Anyway, I passed everything even if I didn't excel on that particular day. I was also told that I had developed a much more pronouced teaching persona than my tutor had envisaged me possessing at this point. A somewhat double-edged compliment, I think, but it was meant well.
Today both my year 8 classes went well, but my year 10 GCSE class is getting increasingly twitchy. They have had student teachers before, and they know I'm off sometime soon, so feel free to disregard me and do more or less as they like. There must be some way to draw them back from the brink of this abyss of indifference, but I'm damned if I know what it is.
For the next 9 days in school I'll be running around photocopying everything that isn't nailed down in order to collect anything that might be treated as evidence for my file. I'll try to get back here before next Monday, but frankly I'm not sure if that will happen. If anything especially amusing or noteworthy occurs I will strive to bring it to you fresh.

2006: The future is now

2006-01-09T21:07:00.000Z

Now a whole week back in school, and I shall risk jinxing myself by saying that I seem to be getting a little back to normal again, and unlike last week I think I may actually be able to teach a little. I don't wish to be premature though.
Nobody wanted to be at school last week, not the pupils and certainly not the teachers, and that really showed in the atmosphere of the place. Things seemed rather more amiable today, although that may have been due to a skewed perspective on my part as I had only one lesson to teach. I'm getting a little concerned about all the PDP and evidence things again, although I believe that's fairly widespread. I'm just going to have to make sure that I grab everything I need from the school before I leave at the end of the month.
Normally I would like to close with some anecdotes, but I'm not sure that I have any of them at the moment. I shall try to engineer at least one amusing incident over the next week or so.

Bah Humbug

2005-12-22T09:55:00.000Z

Over Christmas and the New Year I will be leaving the land of broadband and going to the frozen north, when the only computers we have are steam-driven ZX Spectrums. Therefore you may hear little from me for the next couple of weeks.

To bring you up to speed on the teacher training side of things, term is now over and the holidays have begun in earnest. In fact, the holidays are nearly half over already, and precious little work has yet been done. I am carrying some materials up north so I can escape into lesson planning over the festive period, as I want to have at least my first week of lessons sorted before I return to the fray.

The last week of term was fairly good fun, on the whole. I confess that on the last day I did show my year 8s a film, but it was very much curriculum based and as such not a capital offence. My year 10s worked admirably until the last lesson, and on the last day I received some fantastic sonnets from my yr 9s. Things won't be so relaxed when we get back. In the new year there shall be much official assessment (of the pupils, as well as of me) and a veritable feast of learning.

Yea, 2006 shall be a year of great wisdom and prosperity.

Tuesday is the new Saturday

2005-12-13T18:04:00.000Z

I indulged in non-educational activities today, largely because the school was closed due to electrical problems. This consisted of going into town and getting the vast majority of Christmas shopping out of the way, thereby freeing myself up to do lots of filing next week. Admittedly, I could have got the filing done today instead, but there were some vital considerations which led me to prioritise in the manner I did. Tomorrow there will be my final lesson of the term with my darling year 9s, when they will be doing more writing, this time of the fictional variety. Streetcar Named Desire for the year 10s will also be on the menu.

Good grief, I'm boring myself stupid. See you later.

In the deep midwinter

2005-12-12T22:49:00.000Z

Only a few days till the Christmas break! How can I do justice to the past week of educational adventures? I survived the staff pantomime, had another frightful year 9 lesson and acquitted myself adequately or better elsewhere. But such a simple summary of events sounds cold and distant. There was a great deal of human interest in there as well.

I haven't been filing enough lately. I fear I shall have to plunge into my Standards file over the Christmas holidays, and shall be found wanting in some places. Still, the only way to find out is to try and put the damn thing in order, and to milk my placement file for all the evidence I can.

I should write more but am not currently inclined to do so. I may communicate during the unexpected holiday I have tomorrow, details of which will be provided with the next post.

Bronson lives!

2005-12-06T22:41:00.000Z

I am the disciplinarian's disciplinarian! I had to give 9 detentions today. Or possibly 10. Like some kind of demented WW1 field marshal, I can no longer number the multitudes I have condemned. Basically, half of my middle set year 8s ignored my request to report for 5 minutes detention this morning following their decidedly unsilent silent reading session on Monday. As a result I had no choice but to give them a 30 minute after school detention on Friday. Cue many tears, much gnashing of teeth and almost universal protestations of innocence. Now, I didn't feel good about doing this, as I really like the class and I'm fairly sure there were a few of them who genuinely did forget, but unfortunately I had to show that I meant business.
All my classes today, including the assessed ones, were considerably less than perfect, but for the class that mattered most to me there was a marked improvement on previous lessons. Still, I am concerned that I am still struggling to keep the attention of my middle set classes. I have to put myself on the job market soonish if I want to get a decent NQT place, and I don't want to be excessively unfinished when I do that.

Humourless selfcongratulation

2005-12-05T22:37:00.000Z

It turns out that waking with a feeling of dread and rising panic and severe sleepless at 5.30am can actually seque into a halfway decent day. Two assessments down, and both of them went fairly well. I've got one feedback sheet and I passed everything - and have several good and very good ratings to boot. Behaviour management was fine once it was assigned as a focus. The third lesson (unassessed) with the middle set year 8s included half an hour of supposedly silent reading and the regular teacher was ill so I taught the cover work that had been set rather than cannibalising one of my precious hour long lesson plans.

Overall, a fairly good day, but I'm mildly terrified about tomorrow, which has much more challenging classes for me to face.

Day of Rest? Pah!

2005-12-04T20:17:00.000Z

Sunday is lesson planning day. Much like all the other days of the week, really. It is also nearly over. The nights have closed in and 2005 is about to be shuffled off into history.

Yes, it is December, month of eternal darkness and new hope, apparently. Two more weeks of school before two weeks of holidays. Tomorrow I have two official observations in my lessons, and on Tuesday I have two more. All being well, that pretty much rounds off my internal assessment for this placement, so here's hoping that the next two days go according to plan. Seeing as part of my plan involves getting my middle set year 9s to write Shakespearean sonnets, this may not be as easy as it should be. However, differentiated writing frames should go some way to making this possible and should hit lots of lovely standards on the way.

I still have to get absolute silence at the start of lessons. Sounds simple, I know, but I'm still not quite there yet. I really need to clamp down on the occasional mutterings around the class, apply more sanctions, etc. Come to think of it, I still haven't given a detention yet. No doubt there'll be ample opportunity to remedy this before I depart for the Cairngorms or wherever my impossibly distant 2nd placement might be.

My mentor taught a lesson from my plan on Friday, which was interesting to watch. It gave me a few ideas for the ways I should handle things, and was reassuring insofar as it demonstrated I simply shouldn't be worried about some of the things I perceive as failings. I know that I really have to concentrate on keeping the whole class focused while giving instructions and discouraging individual questions that will probably be answered by the time I've finished talking anyway.

My part in the staff pantomime seems to be growing at a disturbing rate. For a while I was just walking scenary, then I got some lines, then I got someone else's lines as well. I must manufacture some festive cheer if I am not to disappoint the paying audience on Friday.

The only problem is that I had my cheer glands removed at the age of 9 after they became swollen and infected following a rare bout of enthusism.

Oh well, fake cheer it is then. Wish me luck.

Treading the Boards

2005-11-28T21:55:00.000Z

So, I have been cast in the staff pantomime. In order to conquer my background cynicism and to hit standards that involve being involved in the 'corporate life of schools' I have volunteered for festive amateur theatricals where I will apparently be playing an Australian. Well, whatever it takes to hit those standards.
At the teaching end of the spectrum I am worrying about not meeting the needs of my top set classes. I think the blank spaces that I leave in lessons due to slightly inadeuate classroom management mean that learning is omitted, and that perhaps potentials are not being reached. This concerns me. My interim report was, however, fairly good, the only conspicuous lack of evidence being in my planning for the use of ICT in lessons.

Ah, technology, my Achilles heel. I will seek solace from such beastly innovations on the stage.

The Pox part 3

2005-11-22T20:52:00.000Z

The sickness descends once more! 'Tis endemic, I fear, and I shall not escape it while I still wander the lands of compulsory UK education. At the moment it is mainly spluttering, sneezing and feeling faint at inappropriate moments.
However, the class that spoiled my day last Wednesday were angelic this morning, and there was actually an audible silence at some points during the lesson. So despite the plague rising in my veins I feel in a surprisingly good humour. Yet I must leave you now and return to an unwieldy assignment I have to complete by Friday. Goodbye.

P.S. I have still seen no films at the cinema for a VERY LONG TIME and am starting to get severe withdrawal symptoms, such as seeing Orange pre-feature adverts in my dreams. Damn these shackles of quasi-professional responsibility.

In the Movies

2005-11-21T21:21:00.000Z

Another Monday, and another day in school. I was filmed today in my first lesson, and although I don't look as much of an arse as I'd feared I might, I do seem to stand there like for an awful lot of the time doing not very much. It's funny, it doesn't feel like that when you're up there, but I could get an awful lot more done with my time if I take note of where the dead time is and where more activities might be fitted in. I watched five minutes of me just now, and I think that's about all I can take for now. There's an hour of it altogether - that's nearly an entire movie, goddamnit! I intend to get through the lot eventually, to see my weaknesses bared to the world as they are every day, and to modify myself accordingly.

Also got first official assessment today, along with visit from some university character who came to give my files a cursory glance, and pronounced them healthy. Assessment did have some 'areas for development' as failures are known in this business, but was generally positive. Apparently I didn't move around as much as usual in the observed lesson - I was clearly scared into rigidity by the camera. Still, an improvement on last week. The image is for me, by the way, to remind me to teach Shakespeare to my year 9 class at some point soon. And before you ask - no, I will not be putting any footage of me teaching online.

Maybe I'll join the circus instead

2005-11-19T18:58:00.000Z

Wednesday was lousy. More cover lessons, more behaviour management issues for me, more laughable failures to control the classes effectively. In other ways this has been a very good week, but as for the teaching part I shall discreetly draw a veil over it and start anew on Monday.

The Pox Part 2: This time it's inconvenient

2005-11-15T22:30:00.000Z

Today I was supposed to have my first OFFICIAL observation (some university form to be filled out during the lesson) and was supposed to be filme during a lesson. All of this now on hold due to my mentor being ill today with suspected bird flu. Or a cold. I forget which. Another teacher I should be working with tomorrow was also off today, and I suspect he will be out for tomorrow as well. We shall see.

Teaching my own lesson plan with a supply teacher was interesting - the kids tried to push towards my boundaries to see what they could get away with, and the year 10 Media class were especially unmanageable during the earlier part of the lesson, although they eventually did quite a lot of work. My year 8 class was more or less fine, just slightly more restless than usual due to the disappearance of their regular authority figure. Still, can't shake the feeling I'm going backwards ever so slightly this week.

Dispatches from the Front

2005-11-09T18:46:00.000Z

Today things went a little pear-shaped, especially with my year 9 class. Must remember that they will NOT necessarily remember what we are doing from one lesson to the next, and that reiteration of activities / reinforcement of learning is an absolute necessity. However, they did some work (even, or perhaps especially, the young man who was sent out of the class for being loudly resentful when he was asked not to talk while I was talking). My year 10s were also rather raucous in their drama activity, but I really felt they had got some benefit out of them (a few commenting that they had not understood the scene until they acted it out). Some of them quite enjoy their acting, which is gratifying to see, but I need to get better at directing the use of their time. Another mildly terrifying development is that I have agreed to be filmed during a lesson next Tuesday in order that I might observe the aspects of my physical demeanour that might better be eliminated. I believe this may also motivate me to address the weighty issue that I brought up in yesterday's post.

Goodbye for now. The rest of my evening will be occupied by scribbling things on my computer before watching Rome and Lost, as on Wednesdays I only ever watch TV programmes with four letters in the title.

Blogging doesn't burn calories

2005-11-08T22:20:00.000Z

Two days into the week, and six lessons out of eight have been taught. Not all went great. Among other things the honeymoon is officially over with my Media Studies class, who were chatty and unproductive throughout the lesson. Despite all this, I am understandably more upbeat than I was last night. Have been scribbling plans for next week's lessons over the evening, and am quite excited by one in which I will read through George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant with my class, after which my class will interview me while I am in role as Orwell. Should be fun, could be complete chaos. Likewise, the drama activity I have planned for my GCSE class tomorrow could result in a minor apocalypse. It involves half a dozen members of the class acting out part of A Streetcar Named Desire, with the rest of the class split into groups. Each group is assigned to a character and instructs them how to move in the audience space and negotiate interactions with other characters. I will manage the group with copious threats and judicious praise.

Something else has been bothering me. With all this paperwork I have been getting little exercise. Now, I'm under no illusions that I have ever been particularly svelte, but if I continue to be as sedentary as I am at the moment bad things shall happen. I have included above an artist's impression of the shape I'll be in by Christmas if I don't soon make a habit of running up and down some of Brighton's numerous hills.

And those of you worried about the slenderness of my placement file (as opposed to my creeping corpulence) will be pleased to note that I spent half an hour today scouring my placement school's intranet, where I found numerous documents that can bulk out the skinny collection in question. And I got permission from my professional tutor to take a day off from my placement to visit Tunbridge Wells. While this may not sound like particularly good news, it is. I will explain why at a later date.

Good night all, and I promise I won't use any more gimmicky pictures in my next post without a damn good excuse.

Look at the Pretty Picture, Ignore the Boring Words

2005-11-07T22:04:00.000Z

Monday, and another serving of wholesome dullness for you all. It occurs to me that I have been absent rather than otherwise at the page of late. I have been otherwise occupied, having had lots of lesson plans to write, etc. Haven't been able to get to the cinema of late, for one thing, and am therefore feeling somewhat cut off from contemporary culture. Have spent most of the weekend working at something or another, but am starting to relax into the whole teaching thing a little. Perhaps too much. I have agreed with my mentor need to adopt a more imperative stance with some of my groups, and program their 'learning opportunities' rather more precisely.

As least I was starting to become more confident until I realised how lamentably organised my placement file was. This is not my standards file, but rather some kind of interim chamber for school reated documents which may pass to that hallowed place after being approved by university authorities. And I have been told that my placement tasks, which I took to be simply standards focused guidelines for school based professional development activities, are in fact taken with undue seriousness by the School of Education. Cue frantic reorganisation on my part. This explains in some small way my lack of contribution to this journal of late. I have been alternately working at some urgent matter or avoiding responsibility in some seedy tavern with my fellow PGCE students. In compensation for my lack of communications you shall have a picture of a zombie fighting a shark. It's the least I could do under the circumstances. I shall try to write in a more cheerful and anecdote based vein another night this week, but be warned that as I am going away this weekend I may be occupied with business of an imperative nature. Farewell.

The Main Act

2005-11-01T21:09:00.000Z

Two days into the new half-term and three lessons have already been taught. This is a good thing, as although they did not go perfectly (my year 8 class in particular will need to be given a firmer hand in terms of behaviour management) I no longer feel like a complete waste of space. I can teach! Sort of. I have to build up my classroom persona, establish a more insistent presence and write neater on the board. On the plus side, the resources I have prepared so far (including a mix CD with Johnny Cash, Slayer and other delights for my year 10 Media Studies group) have proved well worth the time I have put into them. Have much more work to do now though, what with having to get lesson plans to staff 2 days in advance. Although I approve entirely of this procedure (which gives the regular staff time to review my plans and suggest refinements) this means that in effect I must get everything done for the next week by Thursday night, as I have to email them to my tutor so they can be distributed to other teachers in the department before the end of the week. Along with this, the fact that I have to rush off on Wednesday afternoon for a meeting at university it means that instead of getting my prep for Monday done this week the odds are I'll be at school again at 7.30 a.m. on Monday morning desperately photocopying my lesson 1 resources. Ho hum.

No regrets. That's the lifestyle I've chosen. An existence fuelled entirely by caffeine, good intentions and resentment at an endless barrage of increasingly nonsensical government initiatives.

A brief whimper before a long silence

2005-10-21T12:38:00.000Z

The half-term holidays are now upon us, and I expect I shall be saying very little here for the immediate future at least. I am travelling to the frozen wastes of the North to see friends, family, etc. There is much still to be done, but my mentor approved of my lesson plans, and the Pox is gradually relinquishing its pestilential hold on my flesh. Again, if only to remind myself, I shall say that I need to read more books about education. I have raided our meagre library of several choice volumes, and wish to set about them over the next few days.

However, this will certainly not happen tonight, as after university I am reconvening with others from my course to discuss the future of English in secondary education over several drinks. I fear that the topic of conversation may veer off in other directions over the evening.

The Pox

2005-10-18T21:39:00.000Z

Curses. I have been struck down by some damned virus. Actually, half the department are off with something or another at the moment, so it is hardly surprising. I just have an assortment of aches, a sore throat and all the rest of it. Actually quite enjoyed the classes I was in today. More regular teachers replaced by supply, so as I knew the classes well I found myself taking a leading role more often than not. I had my first minor dispute with a pupil about seating arrangements, during which I learned the power of silence (they can't argue with you if you don't say anything). Despite moderate illness and a surfeit of self-pity, I have finished off three more lesson plans since the close of school. To get these approved I must drag myself out of bed tomorrow morning for meeting with mentor. If he's there, that is. He was absent today, having been struck down by this unholy visitation of plague.

For those of you curious about my current reading habits, I am currently going through an early (non sci-fi) novel by Philip K Dick, Mary and the Giant. I can't tell you much about it yet as I have only eaten the first chapter, but it looks like another tale of small-town frustrations and bigotry in the San Francisco hinterland, ala Confessions of a Crap Artist.

I should really be reading more books about education.

Oh, and thank you Ben for telling me how to get rid of those spam comments. I confess I am a mewling newbie when it comes to all things Blogger.

"Are YOU teaching today, sir?"

2005-10-17T20:21:00.000Z

This from one of my year 8 pupils-to-be. Not today, no, was the answer. But soon I shall be unleashed. I am in the last throes of lesson planning for my first week of classes to commence after the half-term break, and now I just want to get in there and start getting it wrong, so I can move towards getting it right. Starting after the half term means I can begin with some fresh schemes of work, which makes it a lot easier, but it would be good to take some parts of some lessons before then. The ICT element of the QTS skills test has been disposed of, and there is naught but some actual teaching to do now. I have got to tick all the cursed standards boxes in my planning, but do not want to upset existing school routine unduly. For example, yr 10 classes rarely have a formal starter activity, but I'm obliged to plan for one. However, the fact that the lower school do have starters (compared to years 10 and 11) could mean that the pupils will perceive me as treating them as backward should I actually teach with a starter. A dull dilemma, to be sure, but a dilemma all the same.

Anyway, I promised all Monday posts would be boring, so consider yourselves duly served up with your weekly portion of tepid word-gruel.

Gregory Peck's Pregnant Pauses

2005-10-13T21:36:00.000Z

After an informative day in college from 9am to 4pm (where among other things we discussed the inadequacies of year 9 SATs assessment and Gregory Peck's performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird) I rushed directly to open day at my placement school. There I was a friendly and informative presence, telling the parents of Year 6 pupils at feeder schools about the joy of Media Studies. I was inspiring and upbeat yet acted with a dignified reserve.

At least that's how I remember it. I was in a small room crowded with a constant stream of curious visitors and with sixteen clunky desktops pumping out heat for close on three hours. The temperature was probably pushing 30 degrees so I may have been delirious with heatstroke. Anyway, at least I was more or less useful. And I think talking to parents and saying nice things about my school means that I meet some more of those precious QTS standards. Go me.

Rain + school = liquid madness

2005-10-12T20:02:00.000Z

In response to a comment on yesterday's post I feel I ought to clarify something I said. I meant I would be doing very little socially over the next week or so. I will of course be neck deep in all manner of preparatory work, reading 10 hours a day and writing or finding resources for another 8 or so, eating for perhaps 30 mins and sleeping the rest of the time. I exaggerate slightly, but you get the idea. I wouldn't want you to get the impression that I'm not taking this teaching lark seriously.

It rained today. Very heavily, as it happens. This had some kind of peculiar effect on the children, inducing low-level mass hysteria, lots of running around, shouting, rolling in mud and general excitableness. Several students were sent out of the afternoon class I was in, and at least two were filthy and soaking wet from having played football in the middle of a downpour.
In one incident after the lesson the path between two of the school buildings was partially flooded, with children cowering and giggling on each side of the waters, occasionally pushing one another into the murky depths but generally prevaricating over the question of how to navigate this littoral novelty. Being older and harder, I walked straight across regardless. It turned out the pool of water was only an inch or so deep, although it appeared worse to onlookers. This may mean my students are now of the impression that I can walk on water; something that may prove useful in weeks to come.

Testing Times

2005-10-11T21:32:00.000Z

Sorry, I should have said yesterday that I passed two of the three QTS skills tests on the weekend, among other things. I am now officially numerate and literate to the government standard, although it remains to be seen whether I am responsible enough to use a computer. Useful meeting at school today. I now know I have to complete 8-ish lesson plans for next week, which should probably mean doing very little this weekend and most of next week. Also, it has been arranged that all us ITTs will be mentoring year 8s and 9s in literacy 1 to 1 interventions, which should be useful. I am fairly impressed by the training scheme at my placement school, all in all.

Oh, and for anybody wondering whether they should see breakthrough Russian blockbuster Nightwatch, don't bother. Boring vampire nonsense that wants to be epic entertainment, but ends up merely mediocre.

Expect prosaic brevity on Mondays, followed by light drizzle

2005-10-10T19:13:00.000Z

Yes, you heard me right. No japes or amusing anecdotes here, sonny-jim.

To start with, I would heavily recommend Bill Bailey and Serenity, both of which enhanced my weekend immensely. However, I now have to get back to the harsh reality of secondary education. I have selected Holes for my class reader for the year 8s, partly because Louis Sachar had a good stab at writing like Kurt Vonnegut. I have read through A Streetcar Named Desire again and am looking forawrd to teaching it to Year 10s. I think I know nearly all the names of my middle set year 8, who may well be my favourite class so far. I have to write some lesson plans for next week, so you'll excuse me if I keep this brief

Three letters good, two letters bad

2005-10-06T22:02:00.000Z

I think I understand now. I need to remembers lots of TLAs to ensure progress with my CPD. First of all, I need to fill out my PDP in order to get QTS so I can progress beyond my ITT to become an NQT. Maybe one day I'll get to be an AST, but only if my HOD thinks that I've got the right attitude to SEN and EAL, and only if all my students get their TML or preferably their TCL. Of course, that's only for KS3 and for KS4 I'd want them to be getting their TMG or TCG. And it wouldn't hurt for me to remember the QCA and TDA in my prayers at night.

Incidentally, film fans, I can recommend the latest from Jim Jarmusch, Broken Flowers starring Bill Murray. An understated Bill is starting to become something of a cliche these days, but here he is complemented by assured support and accomplished, if laid back, direction. I still haven't seen Serenity, which needs to be done this weekend. But first I must defeat the skills tests on Saturday and go and see Bill Bailey on Friday. You, my faithful minions of the interweb, will be kept informed every step of the way, do not be concerned on that account.

Things I did today other than going to the cinema

2005-10-03T22:30:00.000Z

Things start to take shape... I know I will now be teaching A Streetcar Named Desire with a view to eventually producing some GCSE coursework, and am currently picking through a couple of books in order to see which one I will take on for the next couple of months. Need to read more Key Stage 3 framework guidelines. Bleh. Right now I am too weary to post anything of enduring interest, so I will get back to all none of you tomorrow, if not later.

2005-10-02T20:35:00.000Z

Bleh. Lots of filing today, trying to put all the bumf I have collected over the week into one of the three folders I have assembled today, which are in turn subdivided into 40+ sections representing the numerous professional standards I am required to meet before I can graduate from the PGCE course. This was boring, but as I am notoriously lax with paperwork it was best done now. My filing during my previous eight years at university largely consisted with tipping it all onto the floor and remembering roughly where each sheet of paper was so I could find it again. Now that I am in a rather smaller room I can no longer expect such techniques to work.

According to two of my housemates I missed out on a rather fantastic party in Hove last night, but I know full well that I gone there I would have been asleep in a corner within an hour, regardless of whatever entertainments were on offer. I have a talent for sleeping in the most unlikely of places.

Over the next week I will meet the majority of my pupils-to-be for the first time. Should be interesting. For your sake, Dear Reader, I can only hope it is.

Saturday Night's Alright for Posting

2005-10-01T21:18:00.000Z

I invested yesterday night in a bonding session with fellow trainee teachers at the union bar, and as a result am still feeling rather fragile today. Hence I am here at my computer on Saturday night rather than out painting the town all sorts of peculiar colours. Actually, in order to post this twaddle I am currently truanting from a house viewing of The Royal Tenenbaums downstairs, so I'll cut this short. Suffice to say that over the past couple of days I have done more worrying than work, and more drinking than worrying. This must and will change.

It Begins

2005-09-29T19:05:00.000Z

Right, this blog will contain some notes relating to the upcoming (academic) year, during which I will be training to become a secondary school teacher in the delightful southern town (or is is city these days?) of Brighton. I have no idea whether I will be entertaining or not, having long since renounced any intentions to write for a living, my last thoughts along these lines having been driven out of my head when I read New Grub Street some six years ago. Expect tears, laughter, drama, etc. I know little of the details so far. However, just to whet your appetite, I should let you know that up and coming attractions may include my appearance in the school production of a popular musical based on a novel by Charles Dickens, for which I have apparently been selected due to my unwieldy sideburns.

That's enough for now. I'm not going to waste my entire evening talking to the tumbleweeds. Farewell.