One of our teachers used the 'N' word in the staff room the other day, an infant teacher. The hubub of gentle conversation ground abrubtly to a halt and you could have heard a pin drop. There was a sharp intake of breath as she was instantly and severely reprimanded by a senior colleague, "I don't think we want to hear that word again..................certainly not in October."
Like a coward I kept quiet. "When do we start to plan for the school nativity" I thought, along with, "better not be first to mention the 'C' word."
Most of you will have heard this joke
Q: "What are the three best things about being a teacher?"
A: "Christmas, Easter and Summer"
Well I have just finished my first 'real' holiday as a teacher (my October week) and despite being warned how important it was to get the life/work balance right, you will know it is nearly impossible to "switch off". So I used my holiday to
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get my CPD folders (which were a mess) up to date and in some kind of order
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better plan the next few weeks of my topic work
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investigate how to teach biology
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read about "Big Writing" becuase I bore myself in my writing lessons and
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draft pupil logs in advance of parents' night in a few weeks time
Now you might think "silly old goat" (and you would be right) but I only worked during the day (unlike real life when I have to work in the evenings) which meant I was free at night to read, watch Scotland at footy (twice) without feeling guilty and party at the weekend.......and that made it feel like a holiday.
The upshot is I look forward going back to school because I now feel better prepared for this part of the term than I did the first.
For you probs about to embark on your week off this week, I still envy you.