My to do for this summer ...

I just thought I should add this here:

1. Plan new Year 7 lessons
2. Rewrite Year 7 RE lessons
3. Plan GCSE lessons
4. Make a list of all the departmental things I'd like to do
5. Update my other blog with the books I've read
6. Go into school to rejig my classroom and meet the new teacher
7. May have some extra work from another website company that will need to be done
8. Try to get some colour on my legs - suntan, I mean, not more bruises!
9. Visit Scotland
10. Relax a bit!
    

Incorruptible

My Year 7s were as amazed by St Bernadette's incorruptible body as I was ... Lesson went quite well today ...

To do over half term

1. Complete Hinduism booklet and photocopy it.
2. Write Year 10 reports.
3. Mark three sets of Year 9 assessments. (2 down, 1 to go...)
   
4. Mark books: Year 7, Year 8, Year 9.
5. Write 3 lesson plans for project.
6. Write Case Study for project.
7. Send off all project stuff by 14 June.
8. Write essay for other course.
   
9. Car insurance, tax, MOT stuff - asap.
10. Plan inspection lessons.
11. Plan all assessments and lesson plans.
12. Financial stuff.
    

I'm sure there's also all the admin and housekeeping stuff too. We'll see.

Almost the holidays

Handed out certificates to Years 7 and 9 today - they seemed happy to receive them.

We received the sad news that H's sister died this morning.

No more words now.

A much better week with some good lessons

I'm sure the beautiful, hot, sunny weather we have had recently has helped as well!

I am getting observed next week, and this week have planned a few lessons with another teacher, which I have really enjoyed. I hadn't realised how much I miss joint planning!

Took my Year 9s then my Year 8s onto the computers - and, of course, many of the things I wanted to use with them wouldn't work! Ah well, at least it's given some ideas, hopefully!

Most of all, I have enjoyed my Year 7 classes. They've done loads of work, and I'm really pleased with them!

Now, I had loads of other things I was going to write about, but now I can't remember what they were! I slept in this morning ... very tired. Lots of late nights planning lessons.

Busy Weekend

I had my course yesterday - very interesting, great speaker, met up with a colleague from another school and went out for coffee - great to chat. Shame to be indoors, but at least some sun at lunchtime. Today - after a lovely walk to and from church to celebrate Pentecost, I have been on the computer ALL DAY working NON STOP (other than cooking up a lovely lunch of tilapia and butternut squash for H and I - made the leftover squash into soup later) on the computer, so have a sore back now, and still haven't finished!

Here's my list, with the completed things in red:

1. Revision overview stuff for Years 10 and 11.
2. Plan ICT presentation for Tuesday / Wednesday slots.
3. Email mentor about project.
4. Amend Year 9 assessment.
5. Write Year 7 reports.
6. Write lesson plans for my project.
7. Complete booklet on Hinduism.
8. Plan lessons and homework for this week, including some cover lessons.
9. Plan lesson for observation next week. (Mostly done ... some tweaking left.)

I'm sure there are loads more things ... as well as all the other non-school stuff on my other list. But I suppose that's not bad for today ... Will get off to bed now. Have to wake up H and move him to the other room ... he was in France last night, and has slept most of today!

Yet another sunny day!

It just keeps getting warmer and warmer! Which is great, apart from the fact that the pupils get wetter and wetter, then thirstier and thirstier, then need to go to the toilet more! But at least doing my break duty was wonderful for a change!

Strange occurrences today ... First of all, I have received a penalty notice for failing to comply with a give way to oncoming vehicles sign. Which is strange, because the photo they have sent to highlight this infraction of the law clearly shows me stopped (I think with my brake lights on) behind another car, as we wait for a bus to proceed. The woman I phoned says that there is no problem, so I should not have been sent this. Interestingly, I've never noticed the camera before, but I will tomorrow! ....... Actually, as I typed that, I have just remembered a little CCTV car that was parked near there one day ... perhaps that was the day! Well, in that case, I shall certainly take more care of those little cars from now on. Little periscopic smart cars. Or not so smart cars.

Secondly ... I have just received a letter from my bank, inviting me to take part in some sort of "spread trading", with the enticement of a Nicklaus Dual Point Driver* if I take up this offer! Now, I'm not planning on getting involved in the stock market just yet, but I was curious about what I could receive ... I know, the clue should have been in the Jack related title, but it took looking on the back of the letter to find out that this great gift is, in fact, an expensive golf club. Hmmm. I wonder what sort of info they have on me that means they think that might interest me in the slightest? Have they confused me for a middle aged, balding, gently spreading and almost portly bank manager? (apologies to anyone who resembles this description, and I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular since the only person who might begin to isn't balding and hasn't played golf for many years, although he did win a bottle of whisky (miniature) and perhaps a wooden spoon?? once a long, long time ago!) Unless they know my uni and have decided that I must have partaken of the local services at one point a long time ago! Anyway, that's another one for the bin.

And the tax disk is due ... which presumably means it's almost also time for the MOT as well. So that's something else for the to-do list! (Which hasn't shrunk recently, but instead has got longer!)

Lessons? Well, the Year 10s could listen more, but at least they were there, with one lesson to go now before their exam; the Year 9s had a rowdy student who eventually had to be removed but at least are friendly and funny; the Year 8s are far too noisy but at least the three loudest ones did turn up for their detentions; and the Year 7s are still quite lovely, with a couple of exceptions, but then it's just about talking to their neighbours too much instead of listening rather than bullying each other or deliberately making silly noises.

Now I am a bit dehydrated so must go and get a drink!

What a day.

Still sore head - off to bed soon - after a day that had some good points (year 9s were not aggressive, and were fairly good natured, although still LOUD!) and many low points ... Year 7s in particular. Throwing paper balls at me. Then being very aggressive when I kept them for detention. So not too happy. But still going. Glad Year 9s were good ...

Back to school

Well, that's one day over! Another three and a half weeks until Easter!

It's wasn't that bad, actually, although the new seating arrangements - islands of desks rather than the rows that had been driving me crazy, they're so boring - caused a bit of consternation!

The highlights came in my Year 7 class and at lunchtime. Both involved handing back the assessments I've been marking over the holidays. One boy, who is often quite badly behaved, got back his assessment. The first level written on it was very low - I only had a sheet with a few notes. But I thought he might have written another page. At first, he started protesting - "But I wrote all that, Miss!" - but then I showed him another page - "Yes! That's mine!" - and soon he was jumping all over the classroom shouting with delight at his grade! He has asked me to send it home, so I am going to photocopy it and send it home with a note. And I've been telling his other teachers, so hopefully he'll get more praise too.

Then at lunch a couple of Year 9 boys came by to see if I had marked their assessments. I had, and, once again, they were delighted with the grades - they were the top two in their class, one joint equal second with one of the girls who is normally top of the class, so they were really happy too!

It makes all that marking worthwhile!

My to-do list

Just thought I'd share my to-do list for this week with you all.

1) Complete an essay on sex education and email to tutor by the end of the week.
2) Plan my new Year 9 project and submit to appropriate person.
3) Write a revision booklet for our Year 11s.
4) Write up an overview of my Masters for the grant awarding body.
5) Marking Assessments:
- Year 9 Assessment from last term
- Year 9 Assessment from this term
- Year 7 Assessments
- Year 8 Assessments
- Year 11 end of unit tests
6) Mark books: Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Year 10, Year 11.
7) Write Year 8 Reports.
8) Choose and start planning essay or lesson plan on the Sacraments. (Check when due.)
9) Write booklets of work as back-ups from Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9.

Now, there's probably more but those are the main things I can think of at the moment. And I'll be out of the house for a few days, being pampered at my auntie's. However, I have already almost completed 2, have begun 3, and have marked two sets of books, so that's a not bad start for the week, with it only being Sunday as well. We have rearranged the room, so both H and I have room for our computers on one table, facing each other, and it feels like a much better layout. I've been inspired to work more, and although I can vaguely see the TV, I don't feel too tempted to watch it if I can hear it okay while working.

Anyway, I am on holiday, so all is right with the world!

(And I should get my Masters results during the week too!)

Disheartened

It's tough to keep going when you are trying to ensure three lessons at a time have cover work, you're on your fourth supply teacher in seven days and you know a new one will be joining you tomorrow, and your pupils won't listen or get on with their assessments. Demoralising. Pupils coming in and out of lessons, Year 11s cheating during their tests, Year 7s "daring" other well behaved Year 7s to swear in class or just be generally rude, and Year 9s making other Year 9s cry. Really wish they wanted to learn and would let me help them.

What's going on?!

I sometimes ask this question, especially at times when pupils come and disturb my lessons and destroy any possibility of learning. The last couple of days have been noisy but fairly good-humoured, other than a few moments, for example when a group of Year 7s, a few Year 8s and a couple of Year 10s, came to disturb my lesson with a small group of Year 7s. It had been a good opening fifteen minutes, and we were trying out different physical positions - standing, kneeling, bowing etc - to see how they made us feel before beginning our study of Muslim prayer. The pupils were quite enjoying the physical activity, and some of the pupils who occasionally don't find it easy to join in were getting involved. Then two difficult pupils arrived late, followed by this disparate group of truants, who proceeded to sell sweets, or packaged plastic enumbers, to my Year 7s, and this was obviously more interesting and colourful than anything they could learn in my lesson. Another teacher came and moved them on, but they came back later and danced and rapped to the tinny mobile music that they "illegally" carry around with them, completely wrecking any chance I had to regain the lesson. So, yesterday's lesson was spoiled by an unnecessary and pointless assembly telling them to behave themselves and today's lesson was spoiled by a bunch of truants who hadn't listened to a word that was put to them yesterday. Which leaves me one lesson to explain the intricacy of Muslim prayer before we move on and begin to prepare for the assessment.

And that's just one incident ...

Full of energy ...

That's the pupils, not me!! Pretty tired after another full day. However, at least I managed to get most of my Learning Objectives met by a number of pupils in each class. I had Year 9s before lunch - I told them to stay behind and complete some more work before they went for lunch so that they had produced what they thought was a reasonable amount of work for a 45 minute lesson. A number of pupils pushed their way past me - I decided to let them go, since I was not in the mood to be battered about - so it was interesting to see which students stayed. The good ones, obviously, who had not completed enough work, but are conscientious enough to realise that, and perhaps felt a little bit shamed into doing the work themselves. Whereas those that don't really care left, having hardly done anything. I know which ones will be at the top of my list for any special trips.

The Year 10s did frustrate me. I'd planned a nice lesson on Sacraments, but the same group as always were talking loudly and disruptively. Again, I was going to keep them back to complete the work, but a fight broke out in the corridor and a couple of my pupils again tried to get out, and since I had to open the door to try and sort out the fight, the class left.

Some of my Year 7s did a fair amount of work. They are learning the Lord's Prayer tomorrow - I hope they concentrate!

Had a whole staff meeting. Some controversial stuff there - it was feedback about our A*-Cs and our CVA - but I have to admit to being impressed with our CVA (Contextual Value Added). If your students leave school with the grades that they were expected to achieve, bearing in mind other issues such as ethnicity, poverty, attendance levels, crime levels, free school meals etc, then the CVA is 1000 (the standard, average figure). Ours was almost 1030, which is pretty good, even better when we realised we were only a few points behind some top London schools! So we must be doing something right. Feel more positive at the moment.

H is cooking one of our favourites - beef and kidney stew with rice. Delicious! Smells great!

Back in London

We left about 1.30pm yesterday, after shovelling away snow from under the tyres, stopped near Leeds around 6pm or so, then arrived in London about 10.30pm last night. About 500 miles. It rained all the way. Fortunately the traffic wasn't too bad. We were lucky in both directions this year.

We have had a great holiday. Christmas was really relaxed, and we had a fun time at Hogmanay, playing games and singing lots. Then the few days since then have been fun and laid back, and it was great to see all my family again. Hope it's not too long until we can spend some time with H's family as well.

My list of things to do before I go back to work in two days time?

* Finish marking Year 11 Mock Exams
* Mark assessments for Y7, Y8, Y9 and Y10
* Mark books for Y8, Y9, Y10 and Y11 so I'm up to date
* Plan Y8 SoW and put onto school website
* Plan Y7 and Y9 lessons
* Plan lessons for Y10 and Y11
* Put all assessment data onto school data system
* Start writing Y11 reports
* Finish essay for course I've completed
* Start essay for other course I'm following

Not too much then ...! Wish me luck!! (Oh, and I've still to go to the shops - at least I've unpacked from the holiday up north!)

Beautiful skies

Some of the nicest times of the day are spent driving. Not so much when there are queues of traffic, those are times that are hard work, but early in the morning and at dusk, when the light is low and beautiful.

This morning I was met with candy pink cream and frosty white blue skies, heavy mist lying low over the frosted green leaves as I drove past ponds and roadside verges. Then in the evening, the blue to navy sky had a thin white crescent moon shining out as a beacon on the way home, hovering above the white, red and blue lights of the Canary Wharf buildings that I was driving towards. At times like these I wish I could paint, or record in some way the peacefulness, the beauty of these sights. At least if I can sketch them in words, then when I read back over my blog I might remember the images.

Half my lessons were taken up with invigilation. One of those periods should have been a Geography cover - I asked another teacher if she wanted to swap, and to my astonishment, she agreed! So that was nice and relaxing. I also had two Year 9 lessons. They had to write poems reflecting on issues of evil and suffering, and Christian responses to those issues. A couple of pupils were adamant that they couldn't write poetry, but then one boy revealed that he was a lyricist - not a rapper, more of an MC. I asked him to recite to me one of his lyrics - it was excellent. But he still said he couldn't write about the sort of suffering we had been reflecting on, so we discussed in a bit more detail. I explained that there was a lot of suffering in school, for example loneliness or bullying. He revealed a bit about his life, but didn't want to write about that, so then put some lyrics together. They were great. Students do have hidden talents some times! (Quite often in fact!)

Some of our Sixth Formers are on retreat this week. Sort of wish I were with them! It will be nice and relaxing and they'll get to do some fun outdoors stuff. However, I wanted to be at home - H is still not too great, he's obviously a lot better but I'm still worried about his chesty cough. Being here won't really help him, but I feel happier!

My year 7s did some display work on the Jesse Tree. I do like this as an idea, an alternative to the Nativity Advent Calendar, which gradually tells the story of God and his people, using symbols to remind us of key people, like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary. We'll finish it tomorrow. It's a shame though that a few pupils spoil the atmosphere for the others by throwing pencils at each other.

H has a photo shoot tomorrow, so he's tidying up the place. Better and go and finish helping! (I've done the dishes, so that's one chore out the way!)

Invigilation

Very tired! What happened today? Well, Year 11s had exams, so I had a cover - English, write about an unpleasant experience - and an invigilation. Last night I made a photo/music montage for the Year 9s, and that went down fairly well. Will show again tomorrow to inspire them to write poems. One of the Year 11 exams was our one, so lots of marking now! At least my second Year 7 assessments are quite short ...

Bit better today ...

Apart from the fact that the coaches didn't arrive, the Year 11s didn't do much work, the Year 9s were loud and two of them shouted at me in detention, the Year 8s were so noisy another teacher came in to see what was going on, the Year 10s were videoing each other happy slapping each other, and the arrangements for tomorrow have been changed so I'll be the longest teaching teacher in the Sixth Form conference at the end of the day ... apart from all that, it's been a much better day! I think I'm perhaps even more positive under adversity ... Or maybe its the prayers of the sisters at church! Tomorrow is another big day, with the conference, an inspector in school and a Year 7 school trip (of which 19 out of 40 students have so far been given permission to go), so I wonder how that will go ... I think I need my sleep ... I'm sure I've forgotten something!

Non exploding head day!

My head didn't almost explode today! However, that doesn't mean the classes were all excellent ... Year 11 were copying out key words though, so at least that meant that most of them have something in their books. Not great, I know, but still ... sometimes you just have to get them to write something. We did have a good discussion, though, since the new topic covers contraception, abortion and euthanasia.

Had a strange experience with two year 9s who kept on insisting that they wanted to print out their essays - I told them know, I'd print them out later, but they kept arguing, even after I started teaching - strange because it was really unlike them.

I have had some great Year 9 work, though. One level 8!

The Year 7s were taking part in an enterprise activity in the hall, which was fun. They made hats out of balloons, and had to explain what the hats represented. There were some really good ideas, like the hat that came with a jumble of balloons, which represented sharing good ideas - all the links were different ideas that the wearer had got from people.

Almost didn't update!

It's been a busy, eventful and generally positive week - and a busy weekend - again! - hence the late entry.

Monday was fun - we had the TV cameras in, and the Year 7s were excellent. Very well behaved. I've managed to make some nice certificates for them which should be handed out in assembly this week. I took off the two lessons before filming, which was just as well since some of the websites I wanted to use weren't working, and we had to get them up and running first!

Our next big day was Wednesday, a special day for our House. We had a visitor to the school, a man whose son was killed a couple of years ago. He spoke very movingly - you could have heard a pin drop. Shame the students weren't so attentive during Mass in the morning!

The next major event was after school on Thursday. I had to give a presentation of my findings of my research. Just need to get it written up as my dissertation now! It was a fun evening though, especially on the way home in the bus with some other teachers, where we discussed how we could use new technologies to move the school forward.

I've spent the weekend marking the Year 7 and Year 8 assessments. The Year 9s will finish theirs tomorrow, then the Year 10s and 11s later in the week. And then it's half term! (And writing up the dissertation ...)

Disappointment at Formula 1

Well, I'm feeling really quite sad at the moment, since we've just watched Lewis Hamilton go off the pit lane and have to retire from the Chinese Grand Prix. So there's just Brazil in two week time. I hope Hamilton manages it ...

Highlights of the week? Well, my Year 7s gave their presentations, and some of the students in the lower group did particularly well. They had to speak about their community, and there were some very clear and confident speakers. It's a shame that in between times, so many of them are rude to each other, shouting out, pulling faces, drumming, getting out of their seats ...

My other Year 7s were practicing using the computers. I got them all logged on - and the website was blocked! Great. Such are the pitfalls of using the ICT suite!

It's been quite busy, but mostly okay. The Year 11s were much better than last week, and the Year 10s had a couple of good lessons, mainly because some of the more disruptive students were not there.

We had a parents' evening as well, which was interesting ... it was an explanation of what parents should expect with the SATs coming up, and one parent made a big scene about the lack of communication with the school (I think she thought it was the sort of parents' evening where you meet the teachers rather than an information evening), then another parent asked her to talk to someone by herself rather than wasting everyone's time, so that was interesting.

Busy weekend trying to get ready for tomorrow and a presentation of my research on Thursday.