September 30, 2008 at 10:47 pm (Education)
After 3 weeks of lectures about how to teach, we (PGCE Geog at UoC 2008/9) finally got let loose in schools – yahoo! I feel on the receiving and of a lot of jealousy as my placement is a 5 minute walk away and I don’teugh. I’m sooo getting somewhere miles away for my next placement :-S. have to leave the house until 8:30am. My housemate has to leave at 6am (as do many others) to get to her placement -
There at 6 of us at my school, and the school seems great – very well organised and a good mix of kids. Today I watched 2 lessons and had 2 meetings and had a free. Apparently this week will be just watching and getting a feel for things – but I already couldn’t hold back and was wondering around the room helping. The head of geog seems really cool – she has very pierced ears with bars and things, and generally has an air of awesomeness. She’s also admittedly anal about her coloured pencils getting mixed up – glad I’m not the only one with OCD!
Behaviour management tip of the day:
Situation: Child A purposefully moves a pink pencil into the yellow pencils, doesn’t put it back when asked, and then gets his yoghurt out ready for break.
Response: Ask if you can have a look at his interesting looking yoghurt and pick it up (once he’s agreed). When child A asks for it back, tell him ‘Of course… when you’ve put the pencils back 
‘. Then praise him and return the yoghurt, and feel proud that you got one over on him and he knew it 
This develops mutual respect using teenage boy language.
Things I learned today… erm… that I don’t have to be in for 8:00ish… just 8:40ish, well not even that at the mo – apparently 8:50 would do. I’m going to be with an art teachers form, which I’ll meet tomorrow. OOh, and very exciting – I have a desk!! Such gifts were not granted at kings for staff, never mind PGCE students. W00T! And I have keys for the rooms and office 
I feel special.
Bon nuit mon amis
xxx
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April 21, 2008 at 7:44 pm (Bull Sh*t Gripe, Education, Life)
Presently, I’m off work with a chest infection. I think. I may have found this out today, but after ringing the doctors for an whole hour from 830am this morning, I finally get through to be told that there are no appointments left today, and my best chance would be to go to the surgery at 8am to ensure I get an appointment. Up until now I would never have bothered with the doctors with this kind of infection. Uni was easy with a bad cough/cold/sore head/lungs that get out of breath merely talking. However, cover teaching aint so simple! It’s not entirely up to me when I have to talk, and although not impossible to do without speaking, handling groups of 30 teenagers that you don’t see regularly would be more than challenging. Especially if I’m coughing all over them and they cover their noses and mouths when I’m helping them with their work. This did actually happen last Monday, and although they were doing it mostly in jest, I took it as a cue to go home poorly.
Although it’s not as bad as it was cough wise, it’s still a little dodgy in the whole breething department. I could have maybe gone back to work last Weds/Thursday and ‘managed’. But last time I did that I got ill again and had more time off. Which I don’t personally have a problem with, I went back to help my colleagues because I knew it was busy. What I didn’t know is that Wakefield council have the most ridiculous sickness policy. If you have more than 3 seperate absences in a year, then you get to a “Stage One” on this sickness level thing. Because of my goodwill last time I was sick, I managed to rack up 3 absences in the space of 2 weeks. From just one illness I got to a “Stage One”. I was meant to have some sort of meeting with someone from the council, but after months they have decided not to bother. So, this time I am not going back until I am rid of all symptoms restrictive to me doing my job.
So, I need a sick note. I’ve never had a sick note before so don’t really know what to expect or say. Do I exaggerate how ill I feel at the mo in case the doctor tells me to bugger off back to work? Or do I tell the doc the truth, that although I don’t feel as bad as I did, and could manage at work at a push, I run the risk of not recovering and ultimately getting ill again? I’m sure he’ll understand my reasoning what with the silly policy. So fingers crossed I can get a note till the end of the week to get rid of the crap currently residing on my lungs. Well, fingers crossed I get an appointment first. That’ll be an achievement.
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