15 teaching days until Easter, 63 until the summer holidays
I am feeling a little more positive lately. I no longer dread going to school. Can't say I look foward to it (and may not), but I don't dread it anymore.
Part of it is getting a bit of direction, I hate not know what to do, feeling directionless. I like a good strong plan that I can choose to follow or throw out the window as the need may be. It's just helpful to have something to fall back on when everything goes to hell.
For the record, I did ask for help several times, but I think the people I asked didn't understand what I was saying - or, more likely, I wasn't being clear about how bad the situation had become. Also, there were things I didn't know about the way they structured lessons, which didn't help either. Things that no one thought to tell me and I didn't know to ask about.
Like they have this thing, called a homework diary, which has included in it's pages a mini whiteboard, which the students can use in class to do working out, or to write answers on and hold them up for the teacher to see who can solve the problem or not. That was one of the hardest things for me. I was so used to teaching maths to a small group of students so that by the time they went back to their desks you generally knew if they had grasped the concept or not. I had no way of knowing, looking at a class of thirty who got it and who had not a clue: but this means I can glance around the room and just know. So much better.
Also it has three coloured pages: red, orange, green that the students can use to show the teacher how they feel about each concept.
I really like both these features.
The homework diary also has a times table chart, which I am of two minds about. As I pointed out to threemonkeys just recently: these kids are the worst I've ever seen at pulling out a calculator to do their basic facts. In fact, I gave my year sixes a timetable test yesterday, the majority scored about 60%, which is not to horrific until you consider they are top set, not a low ability class, not a mixed ability class, but the top class. That is, they are the top their year has to offer in mathematicians, they are ten and eleven years old. They should be doing much better than that. *cries*
Boy, but my year eights are resistant to learning. even as I begin to get a handle on their behaviour I can still feel that. It's not about behaviour at all, it's about them not wanting to think: they just don't want to. The headteacher came in and modelled a few classes recently when it became clear that I had no real idea how to structure a lesson (you know here, with a bunch of things that no one ever mentioned, which is not necessarily their fault). the students were quiet and on task, but even then you could see they were just not interested in thinking at all: she was practically dragging the thoughts out of them.
They are nice enough kids overall, but not mathematicians, and I think that is one issue with streaming (just the one so far, it has many benefits). These lower sets have no interest in the subject, no one other than the teacher to be genuinely enthusiastic about maths, so they have no reason to think that it can be interesting.
Which is part of the reason I want this book.
The year sevens are a little bit like that, but they are a slightly higher set (in their year) so the effect is not quite so pronounced. But they definitely aren't interested in thinking for themselves.
And away from school...
Except for the part of writing reports :S, which is keeping me a little more homebound than I like at the moment.
I'm starting up a plan of things to look for, for those bad days when I am tearing my hair out. So far this week, I haven't had one of those days. I think things are looking up! :D
Plans for the holidays are helping. Also I would to go back to London soon, do some more shopping and exploring. Not this weekend (reports and all), but maybe next.
Part of it is getting a bit of direction, I hate not know what to do, feeling directionless. I like a good strong plan that I can choose to follow or throw out the window as the need may be. It's just helpful to have something to fall back on when everything goes to hell.
For the record, I did ask for help several times, but I think the people I asked didn't understand what I was saying - or, more likely, I wasn't being clear about how bad the situation had become. Also, there were things I didn't know about the way they structured lessons, which didn't help either. Things that no one thought to tell me and I didn't know to ask about.
Like they have this thing, called a homework diary, which has included in it's pages a mini whiteboard, which the students can use in class to do working out, or to write answers on and hold them up for the teacher to see who can solve the problem or not. That was one of the hardest things for me. I was so used to teaching maths to a small group of students so that by the time they went back to their desks you generally knew if they had grasped the concept or not. I had no way of knowing, looking at a class of thirty who got it and who had not a clue: but this means I can glance around the room and just know. So much better.
Also it has three coloured pages: red, orange, green that the students can use to show the teacher how they feel about each concept.
I really like both these features.
The homework diary also has a times table chart, which I am of two minds about. As I pointed out to threemonkeys just recently: these kids are the worst I've ever seen at pulling out a calculator to do their basic facts. In fact, I gave my year sixes a timetable test yesterday, the majority scored about 60%, which is not to horrific until you consider they are top set, not a low ability class, not a mixed ability class, but the top class. That is, they are the top their year has to offer in mathematicians, they are ten and eleven years old. They should be doing much better than that. *cries*
Boy, but my year eights are resistant to learning. even as I begin to get a handle on their behaviour I can still feel that. It's not about behaviour at all, it's about them not wanting to think: they just don't want to. The headteacher came in and modelled a few classes recently when it became clear that I had no real idea how to structure a lesson (you know here, with a bunch of things that no one ever mentioned, which is not necessarily their fault). the students were quiet and on task, but even then you could see they were just not interested in thinking at all: she was practically dragging the thoughts out of them.
They are nice enough kids overall, but not mathematicians, and I think that is one issue with streaming (just the one so far, it has many benefits). These lower sets have no interest in the subject, no one other than the teacher to be genuinely enthusiastic about maths, so they have no reason to think that it can be interesting.
Which is part of the reason I want this book.
The year sevens are a little bit like that, but they are a slightly higher set (in their year) so the effect is not quite so pronounced. But they definitely aren't interested in thinking for themselves.
And away from school...
Except for the part of writing reports :S, which is keeping me a little more homebound than I like at the moment.
I'm starting up a plan of things to look for, for those bad days when I am tearing my hair out. So far this week, I haven't had one of those days. I think things are looking up! :D
Plans for the holidays are helping. Also I would to go back to London soon, do some more shopping and exploring. Not this weekend (reports and all), but maybe next.