Yep, that's correct, today was my 101st contact teaching day at the Academy. We're contracted to 195 contact days a year (aka teaching days; as opposed to training days) so yippee, we're over halfway. Although when you think that I've got 94 more days to go, well....no, mustn't wish my life away!
I was spreading this prime piece of knowledge around the staff today and M8 (I have decided to refer to the other maths teachers by their classroom codes) said it was strange that I count down days. I said it was something that I always did, and that this was a massive improvement since in my last job I used to count down hours, and, in extreme cases, minutes. She said that it was better to just take each day at school as just a day, rather than something to get through on the great quest to the summer break. I guess I kinda agree with her, but what is better and what is actually possible are different things.
This led us to an interesting discussion about teaching and how there was no point really counting down towards the break because teaching is always with us. I'm pretty good at "zoning out" my teaching world, although only when I am really concentrating on something else, or when I have no pressing reason to think about it e.g during the holidays. Other teachers, however, find that their lives are more or less consumed by teaching.
I guess If I'm honest, during the term I am pretty much consumed by school-life. Anyone who knows me pretty well will find I can, and will, ramble on about the wackiness of school for ages. I've only been back at school one day and already I am knackered and thinking about the millions of things I have to do with regards to school. Some of these millions of things are small, but still count as items on a seemingly never-ending to-do list. Aaaaargh, stressful....I hate having things to do!
Alongside all that one has to actually do as a teacher (physically and intellectually tiring things), M5 and M6 pointed out that teaching is emotionally exhausting too. There are very few other jobs where one goes in every day with a brave face ready to be confronted and challenged for 7 hours solid. Some of the behaviour really is challenging and wears you down. The problem is that you can't vent your feelings at school and so you end up storing it up and taking it out on someone or something else. Luckily for me I usually get rid of my stress at the gym, but they said that often they end up snapping at other people or are just too tired and stressed after school to want to do anything else (hence teaching taking over your life). M6 made the excellent point that teaching is completely manageable if everything else in your life is totally sorted and trouble free; a rare occurrence for most people.
In other news, I have a mouth ulcer and potential insomnia - my mind tends to wander when I'm in bed trying to sleep. That's kinda why I'm posting now, in the hope that writing down the words will stop my mind thinking them..although this could back-fire spectacularly since now the thoughts are fresh in my mind. I don't think the block of cheese I snacked on will help either...
PS Check out SB's blog for a really interesting debate on university tuition fees...
PPS JD the strategist eh? And there was me thinking you'd be something in security. I'm still looking for a Turk to match my Carla...
I was spreading this prime piece of knowledge around the staff today and M8 (I have decided to refer to the other maths teachers by their classroom codes) said it was strange that I count down days. I said it was something that I always did, and that this was a massive improvement since in my last job I used to count down hours, and, in extreme cases, minutes. She said that it was better to just take each day at school as just a day, rather than something to get through on the great quest to the summer break. I guess I kinda agree with her, but what is better and what is actually possible are different things.
This led us to an interesting discussion about teaching and how there was no point really counting down towards the break because teaching is always with us. I'm pretty good at "zoning out" my teaching world, although only when I am really concentrating on something else, or when I have no pressing reason to think about it e.g during the holidays. Other teachers, however, find that their lives are more or less consumed by teaching.
I guess If I'm honest, during the term I am pretty much consumed by school-life. Anyone who knows me pretty well will find I can, and will, ramble on about the wackiness of school for ages. I've only been back at school one day and already I am knackered and thinking about the millions of things I have to do with regards to school. Some of these millions of things are small, but still count as items on a seemingly never-ending to-do list. Aaaaargh, stressful....I hate having things to do!
Alongside all that one has to actually do as a teacher (physically and intellectually tiring things), M5 and M6 pointed out that teaching is emotionally exhausting too. There are very few other jobs where one goes in every day with a brave face ready to be confronted and challenged for 7 hours solid. Some of the behaviour really is challenging and wears you down. The problem is that you can't vent your feelings at school and so you end up storing it up and taking it out on someone or something else. Luckily for me I usually get rid of my stress at the gym, but they said that often they end up snapping at other people or are just too tired and stressed after school to want to do anything else (hence teaching taking over your life). M6 made the excellent point that teaching is completely manageable if everything else in your life is totally sorted and trouble free; a rare occurrence for most people.
In other news, I have a mouth ulcer and potential insomnia - my mind tends to wander when I'm in bed trying to sleep. That's kinda why I'm posting now, in the hope that writing down the words will stop my mind thinking them..although this could back-fire spectacularly since now the thoughts are fresh in my mind. I don't think the block of cheese I snacked on will help either...
PS Check out SB's blog for a really interesting debate on university tuition fees...
PPS JD the strategist eh? And there was me thinking you'd be something in security. I'm still looking for a Turk to match my Carla...
