Yes, it’s almost the end of the term and the academic year, and it really can’t come soon enough. This half-term is always a long one it seems, although the last week or two are pretty much a waste of time in teaching terms, because the kids are demob happy and it’s a challenge just keeping them in the classroom, let alone trying to actually teach them anything!
My school had the right idea this week, though. Monday was Sports Day – albeit not in the conventional sense – rather, it was an “outdoor” activities day (with a few indoor ones, too) which seemed to go quite well. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the kids are engaged on various activities, some in school, some outside, and Friday is a half day.
Thing is – those of us who didn’t have a big enough number sign up for our activities instead have to babysit the “remnants”; those kids who couldn’t be bothered to sign up for anything or for whatever reason couldn’t undertake a particular activity. As you’d suspect, the majority of them are the kids that we’d all rather had just bunked off. It was made clear to all those who hadn’t signed up for something that there would be normal lessons, they were expected to wear uniform – in short, these will be normal days for them. About two thirds of those on the list didn’t bother to turn up at all, and those that did… we had year 8s for a couple of periods and year 10s. The 8s weren’t too bad, but the 10s were appalling. The thought that in less than a year these kids will be let loose in society is a pretty scary one.
Given the small numbers, we decided that we’d put on a DVD (with the proviso that those behaving badly would be removed and given actual work to do!) – but even that wasn’t good enough. When I was a kid, we didn’t have DVDs- or even videos – but I’m sure that given the option of watching a film in a lesson or doing some worksheets, I’d have opted for whatever was offered. These kids? Thought they were going to come into school and do exactly what they liked for the day. Newsflash – we’re not a free leisure centre or place you can come to doss about with your mates.
Seriously, by the end of the day, my colleagues and I had been a cross between babysitters and sheep-dogs. I only wish I’d had the option of sinking my teeth into a few of them. Although perhaps not – who knows what I might have caught?
We’ve got our fingers crossed that more of them bunk off tomorrow! I’ve got a load of work I want to do before the holiday and managed to get bugger all done today. With any luck, the kids that do come in will be the ones who can be given a job and trusted to get on with it with minimal supervision!
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