I am back!
I have started a new job and although it is a job share and I only work 3 days, I seem to have no time for anything these days!
I left my last job after many years, because I didn't feel fulfilled covering other teachers and wanted to be back in my own classroom with my own class.
I was at home with my boys from July till I started this new job at the beginning of January and I have loved every minute. I never thought I would enjoy being a stay-at-home-mum as I have always worked. I had my first job at 14, serving tea and coffee to the Chairman's guests on matchdays at QPR. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a mortgage & bills to pay, I would still be a stay-at-home-Mum.
My new school as lots of issues & have OFSTED on their backs. The class room has very few decent resources. My classroom was left in a complete tip by the previous teacher and I have had a lot of sorting & tidying to do, as well as getting to grips with a new planning & assessment format to what I have been used to using.
I was observed yesterday and the outcome was not great to be honest. Previously, I was a "Good" teacher, working in an "Outstanding" department. Yesterday's lesson was just about satisfactory. That might sound OK to those of you that are not teachers, but to a teacher that is quite demoralising :(
The Little Fella has had a sickness bug this week and I have had to change his bedding ever night since Sunday in the middle of the night. On Monday night it had to be changed FOUR times! The Little Man has not been coping with me being back at work and has started wetting himself despite being toilet -trained since last Easter!
When I was observed, I had been in class for only 5 days. The children have had to cope with lots of changes -
losing their much loved previous teacher and gaining two new ones
classroom furniture being moved
routines changing
rules changing etc
However, none of that gets taken into consideration. If you are a teacher these days, you are expected to always be "good to outstanding". We are not allowed an "off" day. However - I am also a Mum, a person with a "real" life and a HUMAN being.
I am not a robot!
Hmm - I feel better now!
So, sorry to moan just had to get all that off my chest!
- my next posts will be more cheerful, I promise lol!
just read your post and couldn't not respond. I'm a part time teacher too and can SO relate to your thoughts, juggling babes, work and lovely time to sew and make. work/life balance.......!
ReplyDeleteI too am a teacher and just returned to the classroom after a period in an advisory post in the LA. Observed in a "mock" OFSTED (by a real inspector though) and in face to face feedback afterwards she was very complimentary and finished up by thinking about it for some time " now --- what could you improve?" "hmmm" long pause "well maybe you could have been a bit more explicit in your differentiation in your planning, I know you mentionaed it briefly and during my observation I could see clearly that there was evidence of differentiation, but maybe write it up more explicitly in planning." OK - so I was differentiating but need to write reams about it in planning????? Then three days later feedback on the mock OFSTED from my line manger - she says I would have only been marked as "satisfactory". I'm fuming- the inspector struggled to say anything negative about my lesson, but only deemed it satisfactory!!! - I truly sympathise with you. xxx
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