And its all downhill from here!!!!
Well thats it... Ocelot all packed off to camp with his Scouts. I now have a complete weekend of JennTime and OMG I deserve it today.
I had my meeting with Phil about the trainee of doom... we agreed some targets that she needs to meet like getting lesson plans in on time and reading up on subject knowledge (and getting a brain and personality transplant, and maybe considering other career options) and since I teach a full day today he said he would talk through this with her.
So at 12.55 I went into my classroom, to prepare for my 1pm lesson... and she is in there. Not a problem, she's been doing a display for the greenhouses that the kids made last week. She confronted me about what Phil had said... there is no other word for it. It was a confrontation. It made me feel quite uncomfortable to be accused of telling Phil things about her that she insists are not true. She also seems to think that trying your best is good enough... even if doing your best means you are still failing. And I know you can't do any better than your best effort... I'm a bloody teacher for God's sake... I know about motivation and effort, but maybe it seriously is time for her to rethink her career plan?
She wouldn't even hear my side of the story. She has selective hearing at the best of times and only hears the praise you give her, not the "OMG That was awful" parts. She was talking over me... and raising her voice to be heard above me. She was really quite aggressive. That is not professional... not towards someone who is supposed to be mentoring you and certainly not with 30 kids lining up outside the door... I am a rational person, and I'd like to think a professional person. So I simply said that if she wasn't willing to listen to my side of the story then this conversation is over. I said it calmly and civilly, I didn't shout. And then the fire alarm went off....
I taught the rest of my lesson and we had a chat afterwards. I was kinda short with her... Professional, but to the point... there was no friendly smile here! I wanted to be in town to meet Liz for coffee by 4pm. We set dates and times for all the lesson plans to be in. I told her I had spoken to the other teachers whose lessons she is doing, and that if the lesson plan isn't in on time its their discretion whether she teaches or not. She tried to fob me off by saying it would be fine, she had ordered the equipment for Watson's lesson and that he said it was fine... I may need to have a word with him and make the point it really is not fine.
Her tutor is in on the 30th... so I just need to collect my evidence this week and review it with the tutor when she comes in. I can't realistically see the trainee staying with us for much longer... not without some kind of divine intervention!
I had my meeting with Phil about the trainee of doom... we agreed some targets that she needs to meet like getting lesson plans in on time and reading up on subject knowledge (and getting a brain and personality transplant, and maybe considering other career options) and since I teach a full day today he said he would talk through this with her.
So at 12.55 I went into my classroom, to prepare for my 1pm lesson... and she is in there. Not a problem, she's been doing a display for the greenhouses that the kids made last week. She confronted me about what Phil had said... there is no other word for it. It was a confrontation. It made me feel quite uncomfortable to be accused of telling Phil things about her that she insists are not true. She also seems to think that trying your best is good enough... even if doing your best means you are still failing. And I know you can't do any better than your best effort... I'm a bloody teacher for God's sake... I know about motivation and effort, but maybe it seriously is time for her to rethink her career plan?
She wouldn't even hear my side of the story. She has selective hearing at the best of times and only hears the praise you give her, not the "OMG That was awful" parts. She was talking over me... and raising her voice to be heard above me. She was really quite aggressive. That is not professional... not towards someone who is supposed to be mentoring you and certainly not with 30 kids lining up outside the door... I am a rational person, and I'd like to think a professional person. So I simply said that if she wasn't willing to listen to my side of the story then this conversation is over. I said it calmly and civilly, I didn't shout. And then the fire alarm went off....
I taught the rest of my lesson and we had a chat afterwards. I was kinda short with her... Professional, but to the point... there was no friendly smile here! I wanted to be in town to meet Liz for coffee by 4pm. We set dates and times for all the lesson plans to be in. I told her I had spoken to the other teachers whose lessons she is doing, and that if the lesson plan isn't in on time its their discretion whether she teaches or not. She tried to fob me off by saying it would be fine, she had ordered the equipment for Watson's lesson and that he said it was fine... I may need to have a word with him and make the point it really is not fine.
Her tutor is in on the 30th... so I just need to collect my evidence this week and review it with the tutor when she comes in. I can't realistically see the trainee staying with us for much longer... not without some kind of divine intervention!