4.12.07
mere civilians we are...
the man in the bowler wouldn't let us through to peep into the courtyard....
Pip pip
me. my cap and umbrella. a wee rain, and lovely Oxford University. methinks I'm in England. pip PIP, i say.
shall we go with ms. brigitte?
I've been sitting around this morning, waiting to hear if I have to go into work today, and thought what better opportunity to let you all know what is going on in the work-sphere of Brigitte's life...
Let's begin with supply teaching: It's not terrible. Truly. There are definitley benefits to doing day to day work: there is no planning, no marking, and best of all, it's all left behind when you go home - which is great when you experience a bad day. (However, for someone like me, not taking my work home with me is difficult, even if it is supply... I am slowly learning to not take things too personally). Downside to supply teaching: if you want to actually teach, it is difficult to get this done while working as a cover teacher. While it is silly to generalize, and all depends on individual students, different classes, and different schools, cover work means a lot of management, and less teaching. Let's be realistic - most of us know that successful teaching (at least in secondary school) has so much to do with the relationships developed. When a student knows their teacher and has an established relationship with them, a lot more can get done. When a student doesn't yet know the teacher, there is little trust, a lot of testing, and not much else. And, as someone who was in high school not too long ago, I understand that it is a process that we have to go through. I just wish it wasn't so difficult sometimes. This basic outline of the difficulties of supply work, coupled with what I see as some systemic issues, certainly make for some interesting days of work. However they also make for some very difficult days of work...
So, what is the solution, you ask? Well, Ms. Brigitte has been offered a full time position begining in January! Happy to say I will be working at Hillcrest Girls School, teaching English and Special Needs. The contract will be for the term to begin, with the possibility of extension. I have done quite a bit of work at Hillcrest, and to my surprise have quite enjoyed it. While I didn't expect to dislike it, I was surprised at how much I do like the girls-only environment. (There are, of course, male teachers. Some characters you will likely hear more about). I can definitely see the benefits to separate sex schools, especially when dealing with this specific age group. Students in secondary school here range from 11 to 16 years old - all of those wonderful hormone-filled years. The girls on their own can be right little tarts (note: i am being nice here), and they can be quite catty with each other, but things can be made much more difficult when there are boys around. In addition, as much as I like working with boys, the constant fight with what is appropriate can get frustrating. I know if I had my own classes this would become less frustrating as limits and boundaries would become better established, but at the moment it is something that I am happy to not have to worry about.
And so I begin the next chapter in my teaching career. I look forward to the new year and the new term with enthusiasm and optimism, and a good amount of jittery nerves. I know that I have plenty to learn, and in the process I will have a lot to laugh about, some to cry about, and hopefully plenty to write about.
Let's begin with supply teaching: It's not terrible. Truly. There are definitley benefits to doing day to day work: there is no planning, no marking, and best of all, it's all left behind when you go home - which is great when you experience a bad day. (However, for someone like me, not taking my work home with me is difficult, even if it is supply... I am slowly learning to not take things too personally). Downside to supply teaching: if you want to actually teach, it is difficult to get this done while working as a cover teacher. While it is silly to generalize, and all depends on individual students, different classes, and different schools, cover work means a lot of management, and less teaching. Let's be realistic - most of us know that successful teaching (at least in secondary school) has so much to do with the relationships developed. When a student knows their teacher and has an established relationship with them, a lot more can get done. When a student doesn't yet know the teacher, there is little trust, a lot of testing, and not much else. And, as someone who was in high school not too long ago, I understand that it is a process that we have to go through. I just wish it wasn't so difficult sometimes. This basic outline of the difficulties of supply work, coupled with what I see as some systemic issues, certainly make for some interesting days of work. However they also make for some very difficult days of work...
So, what is the solution, you ask? Well, Ms. Brigitte has been offered a full time position begining in January! Happy to say I will be working at Hillcrest Girls School, teaching English and Special Needs. The contract will be for the term to begin, with the possibility of extension. I have done quite a bit of work at Hillcrest, and to my surprise have quite enjoyed it. While I didn't expect to dislike it, I was surprised at how much I do like the girls-only environment. (There are, of course, male teachers. Some characters you will likely hear more about). I can definitely see the benefits to separate sex schools, especially when dealing with this specific age group. Students in secondary school here range from 11 to 16 years old - all of those wonderful hormone-filled years. The girls on their own can be right little tarts (note: i am being nice here), and they can be quite catty with each other, but things can be made much more difficult when there are boys around. In addition, as much as I like working with boys, the constant fight with what is appropriate can get frustrating. I know if I had my own classes this would become less frustrating as limits and boundaries would become better established, but at the moment it is something that I am happy to not have to worry about.
And so I begin the next chapter in my teaching career. I look forward to the new year and the new term with enthusiasm and optimism, and a good amount of jittery nerves. I know that I have plenty to learn, and in the process I will have a lot to laugh about, some to cry about, and hopefully plenty to write about.
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