The old saying is there are three good reasons to be a teacher - Christmas, Easter and Summer! 6 if you include the good old half term breaks. Which I am now in. Made it. Survived a term with my headspace largely intact. I guess my overwhelming feeling from the term is one of 'meh!' But that might just be an effect of the medication. I'm less bothered by circumstances but less excited too. Which is a problem. I'd like to be able to describe my new role in school but I'm not sure that I can. I think I am doing a Teaching Assistants job but for lots more money. Which is fine ... I like money. It's just not that satisfying and I still miss the sheer excitement and day to day lunacy of working with Early Years. Made the mistake at a recent book look of looking at the Foundation Stage learning journals - do so miss it.
The good news is that I still have to go through an observation cycle for 'appraisal' purposes! The better news is I have one on the week we go back but that's ages away! Now a full time class teacher teaches 190 days a year or 380 sessions of a morning or afternoon give or take 10% PPA (preparation, planning and assessment) time. I class teach .1 so 19 days a year or 38 sessions. They get three observations a year so one every 63 teaching days (ish) and I also have three observations a year so one every 6 days (ish). My observation will happen on my sixth class teaching session (my third with year 6) so that'd be like a regular teacher having an observed lesson on the Wednesday of the first week of term. Anyway there's no use complaining or trying to point this out or that at my last occupational health assessment it was pointed out that this would/could be quite damaging to my health. It's the times we live in folks.
My crystal ball prediction is that the lesson will be graded 'requires improvement' or just a little bit crap.
We'll see. I'll report back later.
On a much more positive note I had a lovely time at another local primary school telling stories to their reception and Year 1 classes and drawing at the same time. I was very anxious beforehand but I was well received and it all went very well. So a big shout out to Weston All Saints Primary school in particular their Little Wasps!
