We've just been told the the dreaded inspection is happening next week. 9 Inspectors are expected on monday.
Cue many worried looking teachers. I am battening down the hatches (metaphorically speaking) and preparing for the worst.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Now hiring
Yippee!! We're advertising for a physics teacher to start in September.
As I mentioned previously, we've been short staffed this year because a teacher left but wasn't replaced. We've had 2 chemists and a biologist filling the gaps which hasn't been easy on any of us, and to make matters worse one of the chemists has been off since october with major family trouble so we've had a cover teacher (also a chemist) filling in for her. That cover teacher has been off sick for the past fortnight so HoD has been covering for the cover teacher. Phew!
We've been warned by senior management that they consider physics to be one of the best departments in the school(!) so when the inspection happens they will be steering inspectors in our direction. That's very flattering, but also a bit of a worry.
It'll be lovely to have a full complement of physicists again, especially since a lovely teacher I worked with at a previous school is thinking of applying. I have my fingers crossed that we get someone awesome!
As I mentioned previously, we've been short staffed this year because a teacher left but wasn't replaced. We've had 2 chemists and a biologist filling the gaps which hasn't been easy on any of us, and to make matters worse one of the chemists has been off since october with major family trouble so we've had a cover teacher (also a chemist) filling in for her. That cover teacher has been off sick for the past fortnight so HoD has been covering for the cover teacher. Phew!
We've been warned by senior management that they consider physics to be one of the best departments in the school(!) so when the inspection happens they will be steering inspectors in our direction. That's very flattering, but also a bit of a worry.
It'll be lovely to have a full complement of physicists again, especially since a lovely teacher I worked with at a previous school is thinking of applying. I have my fingers crossed that we get someone awesome!
Monday, 23 January 2012
Just another monday morning!
We've already established that I am not a mind reader, but some of my teachers are continuing to vastly over-estimate my powers.
My HoD didn't get his requisition sheet for this week handed in by close of play on friday, and instead e-mailed it to me yesterday which meant that I didn't see it until first thing this morning. For lesson 2 today he's put down 'electromagnets'. That's all. Just 1 word.
Maybe he's doing a theory lesson and is going to talk to the class about electromagnets. Maybe he wants to do a demo or a class practical. I don't know, because he didn't say and I couldn't get hold of him before lessons began because he was in a meeting.
In the end I gave him a class set of long nails, lengths of wire and paper clips so that the class could make simple electromagnets. Amazingly that was what he'd wanted all along.
Maybe I am psychic after all!?!
My HoD didn't get his requisition sheet for this week handed in by close of play on friday, and instead e-mailed it to me yesterday which meant that I didn't see it until first thing this morning. For lesson 2 today he's put down 'electromagnets'. That's all. Just 1 word.
Maybe he's doing a theory lesson and is going to talk to the class about electromagnets. Maybe he wants to do a demo or a class practical. I don't know, because he didn't say and I couldn't get hold of him before lessons began because he was in a meeting.
In the end I gave him a class set of long nails, lengths of wire and paper clips so that the class could make simple electromagnets. Amazingly that was what he'd wanted all along.
Maybe I am psychic after all!?!
Friday, 20 January 2012
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
An inspection looms
The fear of inspection is most definitely growing!
Last week I did a lovely notice board display with the photos from the most recent CERN trip. This has apparently indicated my supreme skill at putting stuff on the wall so I've now been asked to do another board highlighting all the extra-curricular and enrichment activities that we are involved with.
Once we started making the list it was actually quite an impressive array of stuff!
The latest big idea is to design and build a solar powered car with the ultimate aim of competeing in a race across Australia. It's a huge project and it'll be amazing if we can pull it off!
Sadly that is somewhat in the future and for now I am helping my HoD sort out the schemes of work so we've got something tangible to show the inspectors. No one will ever actually work to the scheme, but management want them done, so we have to do them. Lots of photocopying, laminating and organising files involved! Remember what I said about stuff that isn't my job? Yep, lots of that.
Last week I did a lovely notice board display with the photos from the most recent CERN trip. This has apparently indicated my supreme skill at putting stuff on the wall so I've now been asked to do another board highlighting all the extra-curricular and enrichment activities that we are involved with.
Once we started making the list it was actually quite an impressive array of stuff!
The latest big idea is to design and build a solar powered car with the ultimate aim of competeing in a race across Australia. It's a huge project and it'll be amazing if we can pull it off!
Sadly that is somewhat in the future and for now I am helping my HoD sort out the schemes of work so we've got something tangible to show the inspectors. No one will ever actually work to the scheme, but management want them done, so we have to do them. Lots of photocopying, laminating and organising files involved! Remember what I said about stuff that isn't my job? Yep, lots of that.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Happy New Year (slightly belated!)
Woo!! It's 2012 and everything is... well pretty much the same as 2011 actually.
Term is underway although thankfully there are mocks for 5th and 6th form this week so we get to ease ourselves back into things gradually. Once the exams are over though we'll have to hit the ISAs, especially for the 6th form.
The other headache on the horizon is that we are expecting an inspection this term. Word on the grapevine is that it'll be the week after next so the first signs of headless chicken syndrome are starting to appear. For my part, I shall attempt to carry on as normal although I may spend a bit of time making sure the notice boards look pretty. That always seems to make teachers happy.
Term is underway although thankfully there are mocks for 5th and 6th form this week so we get to ease ourselves back into things gradually. Once the exams are over though we'll have to hit the ISAs, especially for the 6th form.
The other headache on the horizon is that we are expecting an inspection this term. Word on the grapevine is that it'll be the week after next so the first signs of headless chicken syndrome are starting to appear. For my part, I shall attempt to carry on as normal although I may spend a bit of time making sure the notice boards look pretty. That always seems to make teachers happy.
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