"While I always make sure that each child's birthday is celebrated by discussing it with them and singing 'Happy Birthday' I am afraid that I will be unable to cut up and distribute birthday cakes that are brought into school whole. I am more than willing to give out sweets or cake if they are already prepared for the children"
This Item 6 out of 7 in a letter I received today from my 6 year old's new teacher today.
As a parent I would hope that she would have a little more to worry about than CUTTING UP F******* CAKES!!!!
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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60349
My heart bleeds!!
tell me about it. my mrs is a teacher. she's been moaning about going back for ages.
That's made me grin Lou
A bird I know has been whingeing non-stop on that thing about how she is happy she has 6 weeks off, how she is bored with 6 weeks off, how she don't want to go back to work after 6 weeks off. I'd hate to have 6 weeks paid leave all in one hit to not know what to do with myself.....
And yes it could be argued that we could easily turn cutting a cake into a maths activity about division and promotes an inclusive sharing ethos but then it would have to go onto our planning with clear learning objectives and success criteria. We also have to make sure there is nothing in the cake that triggers an allergy to any child and also we would have to consider if we are promoting healthy eating in schools if we start dishing out cake.
You might think I am exaggerating on this but I'm not. Welcome to Primary Education in England 2009.
My daughter is a primary school teacher in a very deprived area and I think she and all her colleagues are saints to withstand all the pressures heaped on them from all directions. Teachers in challenging schools like that are usually exhausted at the end of a school year, and 6 weeks is what they need to wind down and recover. Teaching is one of the toughest jobs there is, and in the UK (for some reason) one of the least-regarded.
But most don't get 6 weeks off, spend the whole time moaning about it or expect other people to care / think they are saints
and educating kids that everything should be so rule orientated is hugely counter productive....
education is mor elike indoctrination to me...
Thats well out fo order, but in fairness every teacher I know - and thats a hell of a lot now, atleast 20/30% of all my friends get absolutely shitfaced every wknd like they are still students!!!
Maybe yr daughter should get a transfer to my sons school where the only knife crime she will encounter is the one in the cutlery drawer not being used to cut cakes up for 6 year old kids.
all schools are petrified of being sued.
Smack bang in the middle of summer too! Lifes hard.
all schools are petrified of being sued.[/quote]
That's very true, you should also see the amount of paperwork head teachers get.
Make a coffee and you have to fill 6 different forms out.
As a primary and a secondary governor, my sympathy is with the teacher. However, I think she should just have said that cakes supplied whole will be consumed in the staff room . . .
I thought this thread was about drinking whiskey.
Ultimately you either are able to build on the foundations that parents have laid down for their children or else sadly you are challenging the barriers that parents have unwittingly placed in the way of their children learning.
If a school gets its act right ,the parents are on board and the kids know the boundaries and feel valued for who they are then the place becomes a great place to be, and the job is great, despite all the endless initiatives and pointless paperwork we get saddled with from HM Govt.
But if the school is poorly led and parents and children are not united with the school then it is an awful job stressful and demoralising. When it is like that I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
All in all there are plenty of worse jobs and probably quite a few that are better.
And the holidays, well yes they are a perk of the job. But we can't get huge bonuses or claim for second houses, etc.
It's just goes with the job.
And most teachers do work hard generally in my experience.
As they walk leisurely up and down the exam room aisles, one teacher assumes the role of Pac-man, while others are the ghosts.
If only the kids knew.
Ooops!
Not sure I'd do it for 20 weeks holiday - the teaching that is.