I'm still here!
Contrary to some of the fears of my blog-readers, I have not fallen off the side of the earth. I’m still here. I just have been quite busy and not been adding to my blog since my return from Ireland four weeks ago.
I was hoping that after the half-term break that things would start to get easier in teaching, but in many ways they have become harder. Some of the groups of students I teach are getting more and more disruptive and disrespectful. Yesterday I had a student throw papers over my head because I had to constantly remind him to sit down and do his work. This was from the top set, highest achieving year 11 group. Some of the topics I am teaching I have never come across before in my studies, so I have to learn it before the students. (E.g. S & P seismic waves). I am now starting a unit on reproduction with my year 7’s that I am nervous about. They are pretty explicit in the textbook in how fertilisation takes place in human to the point that makes me uncomfortable. With the recommendation from another teacher, I have started with reproduction in flowers, then talked about internal vs. external fertilisation and today we talked about puberty. It seams to be a good way to ease them into the topic as opposed to the text book which starts with diagrams of the reproductive organs.
My year 11 classes have now written all of their module tests, and for the next 2 months we are supposed to “revise” (the Brit term for “review”) the science topics since summer of 2004. It’s going to be tough. Some of them have forgotten quite a bit (or perhaps did a poor job in trying to learn it in the first place). With one group I have 5 lessons for them to prepare, conduct and write the conclusions for an investigation. (Brain Lewthwaite would like this, I think.) It is very student centred, which is great, but many of my students get detracted very easily so I’ll have to keep on them.
It has been so busy in the school that I have not done anything touristy since returning from Ireland. When school resumed in the end of February, we were informed that the school was going to be inspected by OFSTED (a governmental organisation) in a couple of days for two days. Some other local higher status schools in the area had been inspected before Christmas and many of them received poor marks. Some schools were put on “special report”, which gives them one more chance to turn the school around or else it would be shut down. The inspectors were given a schedule of lessons to observe, students to interview and staff to interrogate. But, being OFSTED, they also reserve the right to enter any lesson or to talk to any member of staff or student. We had to make sure our lesson plans were in the “OFSTED approved” format with extra copies near the entrance of the room ready for surprise inspection. Needless to say, this inspection had people buzzing around with stressful energy, myself included. I was worried they would walk into a lesson in which I have problems with classroom management. I the end, I didn’t even see an inspector and they had positive verbal feedback. We are just waiting for the write up.
That was last week. This week we have the Production of Oliver! Which two of our four science teachers have major roles in the production, so it energy is spread thin. Tonight is the last performance, to which I have a ticket. The school I was placed in last year as a student teacher (Westgate) also did Oliver! last year. I have been told that some of the students have come down with major illnesses and last night performance the director needed to stand in for one of the characters half way through! I just talked to her while I was writing this up. She might have to stand in for Artful Dodger for the entire performance tonight. Fingers crossed!
I think that’s enough information for now. I write again soon!
Shalom
Kevin
P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I was hoping that after the half-term break that things would start to get easier in teaching, but in many ways they have become harder. Some of the groups of students I teach are getting more and more disruptive and disrespectful. Yesterday I had a student throw papers over my head because I had to constantly remind him to sit down and do his work. This was from the top set, highest achieving year 11 group. Some of the topics I am teaching I have never come across before in my studies, so I have to learn it before the students. (E.g. S & P seismic waves). I am now starting a unit on reproduction with my year 7’s that I am nervous about. They are pretty explicit in the textbook in how fertilisation takes place in human to the point that makes me uncomfortable. With the recommendation from another teacher, I have started with reproduction in flowers, then talked about internal vs. external fertilisation and today we talked about puberty. It seams to be a good way to ease them into the topic as opposed to the text book which starts with diagrams of the reproductive organs.
My year 11 classes have now written all of their module tests, and for the next 2 months we are supposed to “revise” (the Brit term for “review”) the science topics since summer of 2004. It’s going to be tough. Some of them have forgotten quite a bit (or perhaps did a poor job in trying to learn it in the first place). With one group I have 5 lessons for them to prepare, conduct and write the conclusions for an investigation. (Brain Lewthwaite would like this, I think.) It is very student centred, which is great, but many of my students get detracted very easily so I’ll have to keep on them.
It has been so busy in the school that I have not done anything touristy since returning from Ireland. When school resumed in the end of February, we were informed that the school was going to be inspected by OFSTED (a governmental organisation) in a couple of days for two days. Some other local higher status schools in the area had been inspected before Christmas and many of them received poor marks. Some schools were put on “special report”, which gives them one more chance to turn the school around or else it would be shut down. The inspectors were given a schedule of lessons to observe, students to interview and staff to interrogate. But, being OFSTED, they also reserve the right to enter any lesson or to talk to any member of staff or student. We had to make sure our lesson plans were in the “OFSTED approved” format with extra copies near the entrance of the room ready for surprise inspection. Needless to say, this inspection had people buzzing around with stressful energy, myself included. I was worried they would walk into a lesson in which I have problems with classroom management. I the end, I didn’t even see an inspector and they had positive verbal feedback. We are just waiting for the write up.
That was last week. This week we have the Production of Oliver! Which two of our four science teachers have major roles in the production, so it energy is spread thin. Tonight is the last performance, to which I have a ticket. The school I was placed in last year as a student teacher (Westgate) also did Oliver! last year. I have been told that some of the students have come down with major illnesses and last night performance the director needed to stand in for one of the characters half way through! I just talked to her while I was writing this up. She might have to stand in for Artful Dodger for the entire performance tonight. Fingers crossed!
I think that’s enough information for now. I write again soon!
Shalom
Kevin
P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
posted by K. Stoesz at 11:19
3 Comments:
Glad to hear you haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Good luck with the students.....it sounds like you need another holiday!
Hey Kevin,
Thanks so much for your condolences regarding the death of my Uncle Ken. Your parents passed them along to me at the funeral. It sounds like you're having a very challenging time out there.
Sounds like you have your hands full Kev. We are Stoeszs' though, we can handle it. Good to hear from you again,
-Wanda
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