Monday, August 9, 2010

The trainee

Today I got a trainee teacher. Oh joy! Today she sat in my year 12 English class taking notes as I told the class what we were doing today. I wondered what she wrote "asks class to be quiet" or was it something scathing, pulling apart my teaching style. Was she taking notes and then making points on what she wouldn't do. She is a lot older than me and on of the first questions she asked me was "how long have you been teaching?" I decoded this to mean "you are not old enough to teach, what could you possible teach me" I could be wrong of course maybe she was just making polite conversation. She asked me as we left my year 12 English class "how many of them will complete that homework overnight" to which I replied "maybe half" she wanted to know what I would do about that, I replied that if I didn't have them before interval or lunch tomorrow that there would be very little I would do about that except remind them that it was their chances of success that they were screwing up. She did not look impressed. I could see she wanted me to run a detention, then run aonther one the next day for the girls that didn't turn up to the first one, then run another one the next day for the girls that didn't turn up to either, then phone home and so on. (yes you still have these problems in an all girls so called good school) Turns out I do have them before interval tomorrow so I will be able to keep them in. What this will actually teach them I don't really know. I don't think it will make them do it next time. I don't think it will make them appreciate what we are learning. But at least I may have gained one small point with my student teacher. I am looking forward to her teaching my class, and me taking notes...

8 comments:

  1. Don't take it to heart dear. Perhaps she was writing down some personal notes. I find, with some of the relievers at my school, that they are getting a little bit on in years and have to write everything down or else they forget. If you had had a little peek at her notes you may have found "...staff room is at the end of the corridor. FREE coffee and tea but no biscuits. Toilets upstairs on the left..."

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  2. I too have a trainee teacher this round. He is younger than me, but I have the advantage of wearing glasses, being bald and wearing ties which ages me about ten years anyway. Actually he seems like a cool guy. Today outside my classroom window two students were pretty forcibly arrested by two police officers. The female officer tackled one of the students to the ground, and they were made to lie on the ground while they were frisked. My whole class were lined up along the windows, and as they were led away started singing a song. I think the trainee was quite impressed (either that, or I'll never see him again).

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  3. Wow, what a lot to comment on..
    Fflur, I suspect you are getting a little bullied by your trainee. Remember your training during the Nuova Lazio survival classes.
    1. Look them in the eyes
    2. Ignore what they're saying
    3. Boot them in the balls (or other sensitive areas) before they can do it to you.

    Ignore her. You're a great teacher. She is there to LEARN FROM YOU.
    Don't back down from your normal practices. We (all experienced teachers)know that constant threats and punishments to get the homework done is counter-productive. A little encouragement, a little stick perhaps. But if they don't want to do it to gain experience or credits then why bother.
    Tell her to get stuffed, and ask to see her notes so you can "add some of the subtleties you might have missed"

    Elma: Take some more Valium and caffeine. The rush and calm so produced may actually create a simulacrum of life in your old withered and decrepit body.

    MoE: Goodness, I start spending some time in an office and all hell breaks out. I can't even leave you youngsters for 5 minutes and look at what happens. AND NOBODY TOLD ME.
    seethe

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  4. "and as they were led away started singing a song."

    'Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do? '

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  5. I feel that my life is a little tame after reading all this. I was at school for ten hours and then played a gig at the Mayfair Cafe in Upper Hutt. We were well received, there was a reliever from Nuova Lazio there who complained about not getting any work, the police didn't arrive and no one sang as I left the gig. We played my song (My Gentle Giant) and everyone seemed to like it. Well, there you go.
    Fflur, I've had trainee teachers who thought they could do a better job than me. Fuck them, they couldn't have played my bass solos tonight.

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  6. Ah, the master and the apprentice - something that exists in every culture. The young buck wants to out do the old buck. Let the young buck find the greener grass before he decides to become the dominant male.

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  7. "there was a reliever from Nuova Lazio there "

    If the reliever was who I think it was, then you're lucky to get away with your life. She tends to look down on us Nuova Lazions, and frequently tells our kids (when she's supposed to have them engaged and motivated)that they're basically scum, and why bother studying, as they're all going to be P addicts and spend their worthless lives in Rimutaka Prison.

    That's one of the reasons we don't give her a call very often.

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  8. Yes, that's the one. TSB you are very astute.

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