RateMyTeacher.co.uk

Sunday morning. Despite having not yet planned a lesson this weekend, I have been busy busy with other forms of paperwork. I tell you, there is just too much to do alongside actual teaching. So I have prepared a mini-Autograph presentation for our study day in blinking Canters on Tuesday. I have researched investigations for KS3. I have written a template for the Y8 full reports due this Friday, so hopefully I can just change the relevant bits for each kid. I have described my pastoral contribution to the school for my teaching file. Up coming things to do include marking the Y7 end of year tests, completing the risk assessments and sorting out the football team for Tuesday, and administering my detentions.

Yep, detentions are back on the list for this week - I already have 2 hours of them lined up on Monday and Thursday, boo. It's so annoying, when you set a detention you're the one being punished cos you have to sit through each of them. But still, J in Y7 so deserved one for being an absolute monster in a cover PE on Friday. We have new incident sheets where you can tick what the child has done to deserve the punishment, but annoyingly there is no tick box for if the child has just been a complete bitch for no reason. She says her Mum will pull her out of school next week so she won't be at my detention - gosh I hope so.

In other news, heard about this website www.ratemyteacher.co.uk. Can't figure out if it's an excellent teaching evaluation tool or a massive forum for slagging off your school. So far it seems pretty responsible, but then again, my school isn't on it! I did like the suggestion from one of the posters that there should be a ratemypupil.co.uk sister site where the bitching can fully commmence, forgetting all intentions to be a source of constructive feedback.

Have been listening to Virgin radio, this is alarming, there is no ghetto gangsta type music on it, but I am starting to like it. It's better than Sunrise radio at any rate, where this morning there was a wonderful debate about why "british asian youth want to be gangsters". Lots of enthusiastic middle aged men called up and complained how kids just aren't the same these days. Seems Asian kids are just as bad as the rest of them. Any hint of a constructive solution? Well, one man suggested we bring back heavy industry so that these good for nothing boys have something to do. Another suggested that we teach them to fight with their hands and for something that matters so that they could be real men. Not quite sure either of those will quite thwart the rising gangsta culture in Asian communities.

Sunday

In a deliberate change of routine, I decided not to "waste" my Sunday lesson planning, but instead doing what I wanted. As such, it was glorious day. I did do some work, but managed to plan a good quantity of lessons for the week in about an hour (aaaah the joys of no Y8s till Thurs!), and completed an Appendix 6 during two episodes of Grey's Anatomy (yes people, I watched it today, and it's great!) True the unit of work for KS4 was awful, and made me realise how much better my teaching is now, but whatever, it's done.

Having had such a lovely and relaxed day, and despite hitting the gym hard and also drinking some delicious wine with my folks, I fear I won't be asleep for a good while. Oh well, more time to ramble!

So some things I've thought about today:

1. I can't believe that pitpads now exist in France! For those of you that haven't heard me talk about these, I swear I invented them aaaages ago, but never made a prototype, and now Potter tells me a company is making them in France! Shocker! But rather than being demoralised, instead I will take pride in the fact that this is evidence that all my "inventions" aren't a load of rubbish but may actually have social and economic value.

2. In more news of France, am really pleased there was an 80% turnout in the presidential elections today, good stuff. The consensus is that turnout was high because the candidates and parties stand for different things and because the race hasn't really already been decided - every vote could make a difference. Further proof that my degree wasn't entirely irrelevant. Will be keeping my eye on that one, but am really inspired by Royal's chatter - perhaps I'm a socialist after all...

3. Did some more research into graduate study. Found out that one of my old tutors is now a course provider and specialises in some of the things I'm interested in researching (there are many, but the current fore-runners include youth identity formation in multicultural schools, homosexuality in minority communities, and the achievement of the Teach First mission i.e. do "exceptional graduates" really help neutralise "educational disadvantage"?) Am now gonna do my best to grab a TF coach who can help me with all this future plans stuff.

4. Laughed a bit when my mother suggested acting as a potential career move for me - clearly teaching must be a downer for her if she thinks acting would be an improvement!

5. Laughed a lot at this text from Bertie: "Race is so damn funny tho, I mean ure skin colour is different from mine. Ha ha it dont get no better than that!" Awful grammar there Berts, but loving the race banter!

And finally, girls, if you've not yet seen the Aero Bubbles advert, check it out! The chocolate tastes good and the man on the advert....wow!