Day 16: What week is this?

"Don't worry, it'll get easier." That's what you're all saying, isn't it? Knuckle down, stay positive and do your best, and it'll all get better in the end. Well, I think I'm beginning to see what they mean.

The kids are not behaving better. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing any more than I did. The lessons are not suddenly effective and engaging. The difference is, I don't really care.

Well, of course I care. But I'm finding myself *less* upset than before. Monday of week 2 was one of my worst days (out of 3 really bad ones) and with 4 lessons I was expecting a hard time. To be honest, I wasn't far off. I had first period off to prepare, and got all the resources lined up and ready to go.

Year 8, we meet again. I can't be bothered to go into detail but suffice to say my little group of idiots acted up again. I honestly don't know what to do about them. It is constant low level disruption which holds up the class and undermines me. It's a shame because there are enough good kids in the class that I'm getting tired of paying all my attention on the attention-seeking attitude-giving kids. I need advice on how to sort this lot out, although luckily I don't have them again until next week now.

Year 7. I actually didn't realise they were going to be in my room, as they had a reading/writing test that lesson, so was a little confused when they turned up and I'd already set the room up for my next class after lunch. I really love that group, they're so sweet and interesting. Even my little 'naughty' kid gave me a thumbs up when he entered the room, and cheekily teased me (or tried to) about seeing me smoking outside school the other day. I was relieved when the test-givers turned up eventually, and left them to their fate, while I had an early lunch.

After lunch = Year 9. Well, what can I say? Walking back from my pre-lesson cigarette, I heard "MISS - Do we have English next?" and saw A on the other side of the fence.
"Yep." I called back.
"Well I'm not going. That lesson is shit."
"Nice. See you there, A."
Little did he know that I'd already put in a complaint about him as he'd been sent out of my classroom more than three times this term and so (in accordance with department policy) was not supposed to come to English anymore until his parent comes in for a consultation. My colleague was in with me for the lesson, and so I had asked him if he would escort A over to the Brig, I mean, Bridge (where we keep the n'erdowells) A put up quite a bit of a fuss. To the point that, when he did finally make it over there, he gave the SLT on duty so much attitude that he spent an hour with the headmaster. Ouch.
The lesson itself was interesting. I felt myself being spoken over by my colleague a few times, which was useful in the sense that I wasn't being very clear and needed help, but at the same time prompted the reaction from a few of the kids that I "wasn't being allowed to teach" them. I'm not sure how to handle this.

Anyway, after they'd finally left, it was time for year 11. These guys are my second favourite group, after year 7, and I even ignored K's willful acts of insolence (putting on his damn shinpads while we were reading.) We were reading to the end of the play, although didn't get that far, and I actually had fun discussing the plot with them. Unfortunately at the end of the lesson I asked one boy, who's normally quite sparky and on the right side of cheeky, to collect the folders, and when he did he was accidentally elbowed in the face by H. I'm not sure what I was doing at the time, but I turned around to see him with his hands clasped around H's neck, the latter looking panicked and trying to explain it was an accident. I broke them up, separated them, and let the others go. The boy who did it looked pretty remorseful, especially when I asked him what happened and said "do you think it might have been an accident?" He agreed it wasn't a great way to act, and I regret that I didn't make him apologise to H, but I didn't want to exacerbate things. I let him go, and reported the incident on the system. I spoke to H briefly. He's so quiet, but I told him not to worry, and that the other boy didn't mean it, and that I would be speaking to him soon about sorting out his coursework. He lumbered off, a gentle giant, and I felt a little sorry for him. I see him on his own a lot around school.

So that was it. I skipped off for a cigarette, then down to my weekly meeting/training session which was all about the magic of lesson observations, and was quite interesting. I went back up to my room after, cleared up, and prepared the cover work for tomorrow - that's right, no lessons for moi, or the rest of the English department; we having training! The corridor is going to be mental, but I don't really care. It's nice to be having a day away from the kids.

Anyway, I came home to a delicious dinner and lovely company in the shape of my housemate and her friends. I'm supposed to be marking some sample coursework for the training tomorrow, so I best have a crack at that before bed.

Night all!