>> Case Studies >> Case Study 6
A day in my life...
- • Arrive at school at 8am for 8.35am start
-
- • sign on
• if need be do last minute photocopy for the
days lessons
• in staff study organise materials brought
for the days lessons
• first period / here off spend it, trying to
track down work that should be copied for Year 11
• second period Year 8 HSIE ........ History
portion we are covering immigration ........ how do
I deal with racism within the class.
Comments such as Japs buying out Qld. "They
shouldn't have been allowed in."
• Recess Year 8 students who didn't finish work
here to stay till they complete it.
Across the hall meet with Year 11 General Studies
to provide them with work as we are missing our double
lesson because of the strike day. They have also previously
missed a double because I was at an inservice and
work left wasn't give as no cover is being provided
for Year 11 classes (I wasn't told this before I left
for inservice)
Explain task to Year 11, Year 8 finish work. I have
time to go back to staff study and pick up items for
next lesson.
• Period 3 and 4 double Year 9 History
World War II ........ We end up looking at reaction
to declaration of WWII. I have a Japanese torture
story to share that they are all fascinated with.
It's disgusting and they love it. We also look briefly
at propaganda and its role.
• Lunch Year 9 students who didn't finish off
group work have to stay to complete work. I get back
to staff study for 2nd half of lunch.
• 5 period Year 9 Commerce ........ we
are starting in class research assignment. Class consists
of 21 boys and 6 girls. I am at a loss at times regarding
management methods ........ class contains all those
students named by other staff as trouble makers. I
had thought that because they were to research a form
of income ref. job they want to do they would be more
enthused. Some don't care others are interested, some
decide to pic careers that is hard to research like
football star. They all want help at the same time
and none of them can cope with wanting.
• 6 period, my other Year 9 commerce class
they are completing the same assignment, this group
is much more enthused and motivated as a whole.
(Don't ever believe that if you are teaching
2 classes for the same subject that you can carbon
copy the lessons, it won't work).
• Bell goes for home time students leave.
I go back to the study chat for 1/2 hour with people
around me. They wonder home. I start work for the
evening. I stay till 5 like every other day preparing
work, reading and I still don't get every thing done.
I go home and work some more.
I wonder sometimes when there are only for,
teachers left for the entire school, whether I'm unorganised,
slow in preparing. I know I just don't have the same
base upon which everyone else stands it takes time,
I know I just get sick of hearing everyone else who
has taught for 20 years tell me every second day.
-
........ 7 weeks ........ who thought it would
be such a long time
-
-
........ Faculty meeting ........ all other members
of staff have years of experience, being new and
slightly overwhelmed by what is required I often
sit and the meeting and think that whatever they
decide will be fine. I think that they have all
the experience and I have so little that I have
little to effectively contribute.
1. I received phone cal from DSE 3 days before
Christmas, how totally unexpected, everyone had
been told there was a 5-7 year waiting list. I was
asked if I wanted the job, my mind was screaming,
of course, I want it, are you crazy. I answered
YES and embarked on a journey filled with
surprises.
2. I received general back ground on the school
and a contact number.
3. Finally made contact with the head teacher,
for and a bit weeks till school started. I wanted
to meet and obtain programs and books, as panic
had set in I wanted to be prepared. Contact asked
"Could we meet the week before school?" My mind
is screaming NO. We did finally decide to
meet the week. I found out my placement.
I went home with a thousand things that needed
to be done, programming and lesson preparation that
needed to take place. I should have waited till
the week before school went back.
4. I arrived at school for my first day, glad that
it was staff only. After general introductions and
a very brief run down of the school, we broke off
into KLA groups.
The words I remember most from this meeting are
Lisa, I've swapped your position, you're actually
going to teach the 3rd load.
(3 new positions existed in the school. I had been
told I was doing 1 and had prepared for that.)
Any work that I had previously prepared was now
useless, for current survival.
* I had 1 afternoon to reorganise, prepare
lessons for the next day.
* Was the swap that bad lets consider
o 1 gained 2 Year 9 commerce classes ........ I
could re use info. materials for the 2nd class ........
I felt great.
o Gained Year 11 General studies should be interesting
and a challenge (small problem, no programme existed,
no resources either, I can survive steal (borrow)
resources programs etc. from other.
o No Year 7 classes to teach that's okay.
o Gained a K6 relief period once a fortnight. This
should be fabulous, go into the primary school and
teach HSIE. A refreshing change.
o Biggest negative, gained a Year 9 History class.
Shouldn't be a problem except the last time I studied
history it was 1982 and I was in Year 7
DON'T EXPECT TO TEACH WHAT YOU ARE TRAINED IN.
- Sports day today ........ This should be fun I've
taken bush walking, well provide me with exercise
and allow me to get out of the confines of the school.
There should be no problems, Suzanne has done bush
walking before, or so I believed it doesn't matter Suzanne
isn't in on Thursday's sports day, anyhow.
Not a problem, I've been put in charge, I'll simply
check with the sports co-ordinator and obtain maps of
local tracks. None existed, there were none. I'm not
familiar with and the local community ........ what
to do.
Thank God the kids have to run cross country through
parts of the local bush land and that they know where
we are going. Find 'good' Kids take advantage of them.
We head out, 2 teachers, 30 students, we managed to
reach our destination without incident, no one was hurt,
no one got lost. We decided to have a break before we
headed back.
We start our walk back only to shortly discover that
the group doing bike riding is closing in fast, speeding
along the same track, the riders hurtle pass us just
missing students. They all pass and I think that we're
Okay, 1 boy was hit but he states that he is fine.
Arrive at school next day to find student hit by the
bike rider isn't at school, sports co-ordinator is receiving
flack from all sides. Can I fill in an accident report.
I have no idea where they are, what they are,
how to fill it in. I have flashes of me being negligent
because I didn't see the incident and therefore can't
comment.
Colleagues eventually explained the procedure I needed
to follow, and what happens with the reports. I think
that it would have been nice to have seen a report before
so that I didn't panic.
Little things happen that you don't even think about
on the first day because you are taking in so many other
things.
My advice ASSUME NOTHING
Eg. I had been allocated a home room, this was
great, a room of my own to maintain and display work.
I assumed that within that room I would have
adequate equipment ie. enough tables and chairs, had
it not been for a colleague who casually mentioned going
up to set up desks and check her room. I would have
gone to my room, my first day of teaching and found
that didn't have enough tables and chairs for my students.
Can you imagine the impression that would create and
the management problems that would follow.
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Being a K-12 school teacher, there are some particular
problems that will arise. We have no bell to signal
change of class, the bell only rings for recess and
lunch. No one told me this, the staff were used to it
and it merely slipped their minds.
As there is no bell students know the precise minute
that the period is to end if they believe it's time
to go they pack up and start to walk out of the room,
in those first few weeks it's hard to change their mind
set and actually have them wait for you to dismiss them.
It's also very hard to get used to not having a bell
indicate its change of period. You end up relying on
the movement from other classes as your backup system,
if they're moving so it must be time to go.
-----------------------------
If any one ever ask you to organise the Commerce excursion
to Coca Cola run a mile or start organising now for
next year.
Second day ........ "Lisa, since you have 2 Year 9
Commerce classes you in charge of the excursion they
need to go to Coca-Cola."
........ "These are the dates they should go, check
if they fit in with Kim. The 3 classes will have to
go on the same day."
- "Also check with Jo (Head teacher)."
In between trying to prepare classes and stay on top
of things, attend meetings, do play ground duties. I
managed to speak to Kim so we decided on a date and
rang Coke.
This excursion is so popular people come from interstate,
try to get a booking for the entire day on the dates
you want impossible, we are booked in for the last week
of term 3. That is the earliest a whole day was available.
This isn't good but what can I do. I tell Jo ........
'Well, if that's the only day that will have to do,
have you put it on the calendar.'
'What calendar'
No one previously mentioned the calendar outline in
the office that lists all activities, I was lucky that
nothing else had been scheduled for the Wednesday last
week of Term 3.
-----------------------
My Year 11 General Studies class is great 13 students
most doing 3 Unit Maths and only doing General Studies
to make p their Unit load. The others are a mix of JSST
who are involved in debating and other school activities
the class together are great. I enjoy teaching them,
even though there was no program, no assessment schedule.
3rd week of the term, however, I hear the rumour start
to spread, they are all planning to sit the HSC in General
Studies this year as a practice.
Why would they want too!
I can't cope. Not if they are planning to sit for the
HSC this year. Nothing is in place.
And it's not just for General Studies, it's also for
preliminary business and legal studies.
(I should explain, this is the first year that
a Year 11 class has run within the school. People knew
that theses Year 11 classes were running, but no programming
was one. I couldn't believe it. Most people won't find
this as it is a unique situation within my school.)
------------------------------
• Classroom Management ........ apart from
lesson plans this is where a lot of time is spent. You
learn about all different management, techniques but
there are many that you don't know, many that you haven't
tried. Even knowing what a particular student is like
and which technique may work best with them. None of
this exists.
• 'Mixed Ability' is a term that we are all familiar
with. In your first year however, it is very difficult
to effectively and efficiently cater for that mixed
ability grouping.
Strategies are presented and available for use but
implementation, effective implementation is difficult
Be prepared for lost of paper work and red tape. There
are forms for everything including
- leaving
early
- going
to the dunny
- picking
up papers at lunch
- being
late to class
- being
out of uniform
- inappropriate
behavior in class
- Roll call
(attendance)
- Mark books
- Variation
to routine (I still am not sure what this form actually
is)
- Budgets
- Memo's
- Excursions
- Booking
Library and video's.
-
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Problems
a) Playground duty ........ I was never officially
told certain areas were out of bounds. We were given
a map with designated areas some listed out of bounds
but other places within these areas are out of bounds.
b) We issue slips for students to pickup
paper but there is no explanation of how we supervise
that child in the play-ground and what you do with
the slip.
c) You feel that you are imposing at times
either you don't want to continually call upon head
teacher and others for help.
d) You feel you have over-stepped your place.
At a recent sports carnival I was given the role
of record keeping along with other members of staff
who have performed this task before. You see a way
of reducing work or realise that they need an item
explained but it is difficult to do so without feeling
like you are criticising them.
e) It takes forever to learn all students
names, which makes it awkward in addressing them
and creates problems with your classroom management.
f) Resources that you assume to be available
will not exist:
-
Overheads, projectors and screens
-
TV & Video
-
Text books
-
Library facilities
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