Categories: uncategorized
Date: 13 July 2003 16:14:47
Did I tell you about the time a colleague stormed into the staffroom and wrote on the notice board "Does anyone here actually KNOW what they are doing?" before storming out again and a show of hands from the entire staff gave only three yesses? Well, last week I think those three would have admitted defeat! The words "organised chaos" would have been giving chaos a bad name!
The problem? The transfer days had been organised by two teachers, who were not communicating with each other, and one of whom was away on a school trip. Staff, rooms, activities such as PE and ICT had all been planned without reference to the relevant people. So, for example, I turned up with my class to work in one room, only to be met by the other class who had also been timetabled to be in there. The ICT lesson that was planned for our groups did not coincide with when the ICT coordinator and the technician were in there to show the new children what to do.
The classic was when I was asked to cover the registration for someone who was off sick. I was quite happy to do so, but was a bit perplexed as to which class he was supposed to be registering. I asked everyone, including the head, and nobody knew. I toured the school in vain, only to suddenly be told he was supposed to be with 6G, so I ran to their room, only to meet them coming down the stairs to go to first lesson. I ushered them back (amongst much protesting) up the stairs into their room for the register, only to find that someone had already done it and sent them on their way.
And that was just the start of it!
Still, one more week to go. It could be a bit chaotic, that. My last lesson with each of my groups tomorrow. Feel a bit sad about the Year Eights who will be off to High School. It's been hard work building a relationship over the course of the year and we're really there to a great extent. I'll miss their banter and the challenge of getting any work out of them whatsoever.
I have a school trip to look forward to, too, with about 160 year five and six in a huge park. The organiser's idea is to send them off into the park in groups, vaguely unsupervised, and meet up with them for a picnic lunch. I don't know how else I'd organise it, but I feel a bit dubious about this approach. I think I shall buy myself a T-shirt which says "They're not with me".
I had a lovely activity all planned to do with the three Year Six groups I have to "entertain" for a lesson each next week. I had done it before with the Year Sevens and it had gone really well. This morning it occured to me - I had done it on transfer day, so the Year Sevens who had done it with me had been the current Year Six! Wonder if they'd notice if we did it again ! ;-)