Three Quarters Theatre

Quite often I have found the university blocks of this course to be pretty dull. Sometimes I turn up just to sign the register and walk away without having learnt much. Other times I have found I’ve learnt a few things but when it came to, you know, actual teaching, I had little opportunity to put these new ideas into action. Some seminars are dull as death and students aren’t particularly…

The introduction of technology in schools has increased more and more through the years and is set to rise even more. From early computers to interactive whiteboards, laptops to tablets, the digital revolution is here and teachers, as ever, need to adapt to the times. The topic has always interested me due to the potential educational benefits technology can bring to children.

It is particularly…

Wow, I have left this blog behind!

I’ve gone from having no time and being determine to update the blog to actually having a good amount of free time and not giving it a second thought! Strange how things work! Anyway, I think my batteries are nice and recharged from my first placement and I’m ready to roar once more. As if I needed to highlight the point any more but teachers needthose bloody…

I was writing some sticky notes to remind me to do some stuff and realised as I was writing how I had adjusted to the cursive writing style that the school I’ve been at since November. My ‘f’s look absolutely gorgeous if I say so myself…

Anyway, it got me thinking about the damned cursive ‘z’…seriously, that thing is a beast.

3 or z? Who cares, it sucks

I remember setting handwriting for the…

So, I broke the news.

After days of depressing rumours and weeks of intimate speculation, the confirmation had finally arrived. Mr Baines was leaving. Naturally, there was shock, disbelief and just complete devastation amongst the children in the room.

But seriously, a few kids were upset and they all went “Ohhhhhh” which was nice.

“Are you leaving for good Mr Baines?”

“Yes I’m afraid so.”

“But I…

One week to go and I sit here, admittedly burnt out, worn and tired but also oddly content. Satisfied. I’ve nearly made it. I’m on the home run, baby! Five days until lay ins galore! Well, 8am is gonna feel like a lay in anyway.

Twelve weeks have past since the day I first walked into this school and after nine weeks of teaching I can confidently reflect and assess my efforts. Whilst there is…

There’s always that one teacher. The one that shouts, roars at children so much that you can almost see the flames dashing out of their mouth. The rumour going round the playground is that satan actually dwells with this teachers soul and when they go home all they do it shout and shout some more…

What if I become THAT teacher.

Confession: I got genuinely angry at a child today. Okay, not like…

My ongoing struggle with 6am starts and a sheer lack of spare time in the evening continues to dominate the negative side of my teaching career. The overriding feeling that I have paid £9000 to work unpaid for 50+ hours a week is quite bizarre to, regardless of the training benefits I am getting. My Lord do teachers deserve their money.

I expect at least £100,000 a month for this.

I went home one…

Confidence: For the most part, I no longer feel like an imposter in the school. Admittedly, I’m still not quite at the peak of the confident mountain and probably won’t be until the sort of observation/assessment period of this career path is over and I’m actually fully trusted to lead the way solo.

Subject Knowledge:Admittedly, Year 1 is pretty basic and you’d expect a 22 year old man to know…

Friday morning is lower school assembly. I do quite enjoy assemblies, generally, they’re a little break and get the children together as a school listening and singing together whereas normally they’re segregated by age. It has a community feel to it and sitting at the side on a chair is kinda cosy. Less cosy, however, is the moment I thought to myself: “I’m gonna have to present one of these bad…

10 o’clock, they said. So, at 10 o’ clock I had the children fresh from a tough comprehension task and ready for mathematics. Five past…ten past…there’s only so long we can count backwards and forwards in two’s…no observer. Oh pants.

Turns out that the school hadn’t informed my visiting tutor about the times or something like that. Communication, eh. Bluergh. Alas, the maths was cancelled so I…

Drafted ferociously into Year 2 after a teacher had abandoned ship (seriously, they just didn’t come back after Christmas, ouch), I was drafted in to assist the poor years remaining teacher with the Swimming lesson. Just helping maintain order, get them on and off the coach, changed and then get them back again. Before I knew it I was alone with 20 six year old boys in a changing room trying to…

Big day on Wednesday, my first observed lesson. As in observed by my visiting tutor from university. Now, seeing as he’s supposedly on my team and he is in fact a lovely, genuine, down to earth person that is actually quite charming, I am still massively intimidated.

I’m not sure if that’s because if I have a dreadful lesson my reputation will be forever tarnished in the teaching world, I will…

So, I’m at the halfway point of this placement and a quarter of the way through the entire school-based training. Another five weeks of the 6am – 10pm grind before I can gently ease into the university world for a cosy 8am lay in.

Oh, if my sixteen year old self could see me now, seeing 8am as a lay in. Any time before midday was an early rising miracle. Hey, don’t judge me! Oh, to be young again.

“Mr Baines”

“Yes, Olivia?”

“You’ve grown a beard”

If you could call it that, my facial fluff is still slightly er…pants.

“Yes I suppose I have, do you like it?”

Okay this probably wasn’t the most professional reply.

“No I don’t!”

“Oh…” said a disappointed 22 year old without beard-friendly genetics

“I like it Mr Baines!”

“Me too Mr Baines!”

“Don’t worry Mr Baines, I like it.”

I think that’s an…

Welcome back!

I’ve struggled big time to readjust to the grueling teachers schedule. 6am starts just blitz it out of me and my body is just not built to get tired at 10pm, I am literally buzzing and stressed that there isn’t enough time in the day to sit back and relax. I try to avoid caffeine as well so I don’t down 20 coffee’s a day like most people tend to do and struggle with fatigue at…