Day 13: Tired/Bored

Hmmmmm Wednesday. Half way through the week, and not a lot more to say. I left the school today feeling ok. I feel, in a word, ambivalent towards this whole thing.

Lesson 1 was year 9. I was, as always, dreading it. I knew I would have support in the shape of a male colleague, and I was hoping that this would take the pressure off. I spent the hour before the lesson started worrying about what to teach, how to do it, and how my colleague would assist. We decided to do the lesson on similes, and I put together a rather hasty plan, with my colleague taking half the class off. We debated about whether he should take out the good ones, as a reward, or the naughty ones, as a punishment, and decided (eventually) on the former. When it got to the lesson, I completely forgot this, and we ended up team teaching. The kids weren't too bad, but again I relied too heavily on my colleague for crowd control, and he sent out A almost immediately. The lesson felt like it fell a little flat, and we had to make a swift amendment at the end as the kids finished earlier than expected (the lesson had too little meat, apparently) but apart from that it wasn't a complete disaster. I have them again first thing tomorrow and I need to think of something good to do with them (last minute planning again - must do better!)

Year 11 were next, and they were... great, actually. I was really impressed with their behaviour, once they settled down, and their work ethic. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my professional mentor popped in (to observe me for 10 mins) but either way I came away from the lesson feeling good.

All I had left was year 10 in last period, and I forgot to observe a lesson I'd planned, which earned me a telling off from my mentor. The lesson was supposed to be simple - little starter, watch the film, then little game at the end. However, having shown them the Baz Luhrman Romeo and Juliet, they all complained when I told them we'd be watching the older version, and some whined throughout that it was "like watching paint dry".
One such conversation went like this:
Pissy year 11 girl: "Miss, have you seen all of this film already?"
Me: "Yep."
Pissy: "That must have been painful for you."
Me: "Almost as painful as listening to you whine."
Pissy: *kisses teeth*

I was relieved when the lesson ended (I say that a lot, apparently) and ran off for some cigarettes before departmental meeting. The meeting was ok, a little dry, and I left the school in a great mood when I realised that, although I'd be doing a 13 hour day tomorrow, I only had to plan two lessons tonight and that would be it. We have "prospective parents' evening" tomorrow night, and have to stay in the school till 8.30, which is after taking the year 11s to An Inspector Calls in the afternoon, but school finishes early tomorrow, and then we have a late start on Friday, and as my year 7s will be in the library, I'm free to relax Thursday night!

Hooray! Now I best get going on my plans for tomorrow.