Shanghaied

Lots on Breakfast telly this week about Chinese Maths teachers coming to teach and train English maths teachers.
Couple of interesting points firstly Chinese Maths teachers just teach maths at primary age whereas english teachers are 'expected to be jacks of all trades' which was said in a very disparaging way.

Secondly and it was said by a Chinese teacher right at the end of the interview and probably missed that Chinese children don't start formal school until age 7.

There's a lot of talk of school readiness in early years usually meaning are they ready for a diet of listening and sitting in one place!  But it is right that children need to be ready to learn.  And I wonder as we head towards assessing and therefore some would argue failing children age 2 if we are going in the wrong direction.  It's the one thing that government ministers don't notice when they visit these places - the children are older!

TEA

I have started drinking tea.  I don’t really like it!  I like coffee, strong black coffee, espresso ideally.  But I have found that I really can’t drink it after noon or I just do not sleep. 

The reason I have started drinking tea is because I am trying to fit in.  People drink tea.  They are a bit weird about it with their ‘teaspoon of milk’ or ‘just wave the bag over the cup’ and their ‘two and a half sugars please.’  Anyway it appears to be a social thing as much as anything so in a vain attempt to be ‘part of the team’ I have started saying ‘Yes please’ as an answer to the query ‘Tea?’ instead of ‘Yugh! Why would you?’  I’d like to say that I really like tea and it’s changed my life.  But it’s still a bit yucky.  It’s all right but I could give it up tomorrow or right now!  But I mustn’t ‘I need to fit in’.  So I am drinking tea.  Small thing I know, but I do think it’s a bit needy of me. 

It’s because I have been told that I need to fit in.  It’s all part of being in a team.  Being a valuable member of staff.  Valuable or valued? I think it’s a bit of a lie myself about the value of people in some school teams.  Because if for whatever reason you go off sick you are soon replaced.  I know you have to be – I get that entirely before the point is made about the children needing a teacher in that class (actually there’s a whole question for 5X5X5 there!) but our place is like Chile in the 70s we have our own ‘disappeared’ – teachers do just vanish and nothing is said.

Actually my main motivation for trying this whole team thing is otherwise I am going to be stuck on the same pay level for the rest of my career (Ha! Career? I crack myself up sometimes?).  Though I think it says something about my attitude, understanding of money, that I have been 6 years on the same pay grade (apart from the 40% reduction along with the 40% in hours) and not noticed! D’oh!  I thought that UPS1 was a pay band and there were points within it … But there aren’t! Oh dear? 

Anyway to progress you have to be an extrovert. No sorry I mean you have to make substantial contributions to the school.  All a bit tricky on a part time contract, even trickier if you thought you were making a contribution and nobody noticed.  Actually there is almost no difference between UPS1 and UPS2 in terms of expectations. 

The sad thing is I am drinking tea because I am trying to fit in and be liked.

There’s no I in team but there is me! And tea! And meat.

Why Would You Do That? Why?

I’m an introvert in an extrovert world.  Not just the world itself but education is becoming more a hang out for extroverts.  Which makes it hard for introvert learners!  The whole system is geared towards extrovert children.  The whole ‘3 B4 me’ culture – which is basically as a learner you have to go to three ‘friends’ before you can bother the teacher with something you don’t understand. There is an emphasis on groupwork and being part of a team.  Now as a youngster I enjoyed team sports, football but only when I knew my role and was happiest as cross country or 800m runner.  I get team.  I’m just not sure I want to be part of one!

Case in point: Had two training opportunities this week – well that’s how they were described to me.  Not sure that they were really?  There’s a lot of so called CPD – continuous professional development that’s very amateur and does no developing.  Seem to spend a lot of time looking at tiny graphs. 

Quick sidetrack – if the graph is illegible in colour on the big screen what makes it more legible on those black and white powerpoint printouts they give you at these events – you know the ones!  And if you don’t, well you are very very lucky!

Anyway, at both of these events it was said ‘Go and talk to someone you don’t know.’  Which apparently some people find very acceptable to both say and do.  They are happy to go up to strangers and give them their opinions and hear what that stranger has to say. They even enjoy it.  I think these people might be extroverts. 

I, on the other hand, DO NOT WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE I DON’T KNOW!  Why?  BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW THEM!  You answered your own query.  And I don’t understand why you would want to talk to someone you didn’t know.  Didn’t you people get the stranger danger talk when you were little.  Were you not listening?

Yet at every so called ‘training event’ I go to, I am asked to do this.  I find it hard enough to talk to people I do know.  People who may even call me a friend.  And when you are uncomfortable in this situation which I am – it is made out to be a fault of some sort.  People ask ‘If anything is wrong?’  Well apart from the whole situation!!  Apart from the whole world!  No, everything is fine!  It’s not that I don’t have thoughts and feelings about this – I just don’t feel the need to share them with you! Thanks!

Please don’t ask me to talk to someone I don’t know, especially with no time to rehearse what I might say.  Especially without at least half a bottle of a good red wine inside me!