If there’s anything to be said about teaching, it’s that it gets arduous and exhausting toward the end of the academic year for a myriad of reasons. Especially when the finish line is just in sight. Here’s a few things that, if heard by a teacher at this testing time, might just cause them to turn the air blue. Quietly. Under their breath.
“So we’ve arranged your final observation for the last week.”
Ohhh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Absolutely not. On what planet does that even begin to sound like a remotely good idea? I barely have the energy to get myself out of bed after my 5th alarm at this point at the end of the academic year… an observation on top of that? Nope. No. Nuh uh.
“Can we watch videos?”
These students weren’t even around during the wild-west days where a teacher might pop on a cheeky film to pass the time, crack on with some marking or just have a quiet hour at the tail-end of the school year. Why do so many students insist that they get to watch a video/film? Who even makes videos anymore?
“We have a compulsory ‘Goodbye!’ meeting for leaving staff on the last Friday after school!”
Credit where credit is due, some teachers have probably spent their entire teaching career at one school and their goodbye is likely to be a tear-filled farewell to what is essentially part of the furniture… but it’s also the last day and I have pyjama bottoms and a baggy sweatshirt to change into. Can we not wrap this up quickly and take it to the pub?
“We will be having a Four Week Timetable Roll-Over To Get To Know Your New Classes”
You’ve lived through the trials and tribulations of year 11 this year. They’re out the door and awaiting their results. The tiny modicum of ‘free’ time (probably already taken up with marking and planning) is your reward for a job well done. Suddenly you’ve got soon-to-be-year-7 students from your feeder primary school and you’re having to learn names you’ll forget come September. Whyyyyy?
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