End of term

I've got that friday feeling, and it's hugely magnified because it's the last day of term and I don't have to come back for 3 whole weeks.
The department is lovely and quiet today, with 2 of my teachers off having fun in Rome, and there are no practicals ordered, so I can just get on with clearing up and shutting everything down for the break.

Here's one final 'Friday Funny' to end the term:

xkcd

Have a great Easter and eat lots of eggs!

Friday Funny

xkcd

The sad thing is, I know some people like that!

Travel chaos

It's nearly time for this year's trip to the Vatican Observatory and as always I have been acting as travel agent. I'm not even going on the trip this year (to find out why, see my other blog) but I've still booked all the flights and sorted the paperwork.
It's seemed a little more chaotic than usual this year. I think the recession etc has made itself felt, as a lot of kids just couldn't afford to come and those that are going have been quite slow to confirm. As a result I've had to book the flights in about 6 seperate batches. I just hope I've got it all right or there will be trouble next thursday when they get to the airport!

All change!

It's that time of year again, when those who are off to pastures new hand in their notice, and we start to look for replacements.

We've already hired our previous physics PGCE student, which brings the physics department back up to full strength, and they also hired the biology PGCE who was here at the same time. She will be teaching mainly psychology because that dept is getting too big for one teacher to handle, but she'll do biology as well.

We all knew that we were going to be down by 1 chemist because we have a retirement that's been known about for ages, but we're also losing another chemist, a biologist and the HoD of biology. I've been trying to persuade my best mate to apply for the HoD job, but I don't think she will because the hours and the workload are just insane!

I hope we get some good candidiates. *fingers crossed*

Mini eggs for all!

The lovely people at Timstar tweeted earlier that they are giving away FREE mini eggs if you order from them.

I intend to take full advantage! :)

I don't want to hear it!

There are certain words and phrases that I really don't want to hear uttered by a teacher when they walk into the prep room. Sadly I hear most of them every week!

1) Help! - usually cried out in anguish by my HoD as he charges into the prep room. This generally means that he needs some last minute photocopying or that I'm going to end up doing a lot of tedious paperwork which is probably not my job.

2) Could you just.... - I HATE 'just' jobs. They always take 5 time longer to complete than the teacher concerned has estimated.

3) Can I do the ISA? - first things first. Which ISA? Are we talking GCSE, AS or A2? If GCSE then do you want P1,P2 or P3? If A level then do you want P or Q? And anyway, no you probably can't because they take far longer to set up than any teacher realises.

4) Are you busy? - You're about to make me far busier.

5) Can you just sit with my class for 5 minutes? - I'm not meant to be left in charge of a class at all, and 5 minutes has a nasty habit of turning into 15 minutes.

6) At my last school... - You aren't at your last school, you're at this school and we don't have the expensive piece of equipment that you are asking for. No amount of pouting or puppy-dog eyes will cause that piece of equipment to miraculously appear.

Friday Funny

xkcd

I still get this dream with alarming regularity!

My hours, part 2

Just had a meeting with the Head of Science and, amazingly, it went the way I'd hoped.

He thinks that slightly longer hours during the week and fewer work days during the holidays is a much more sensible option, and the other 2 technicians are happy to go along with that. *victory dance*

Now he just has to have a meeting with HR (Boo, hiss!) and see if they will go for it.

Friday Funny

Can't remember where I found this, but i <3 Kermit!

My hours

I didn't want to get into another fight with HR, I really didn't, but somehow every time I have to interact with them it turns into a fight.

My contract says that my hours of work are 8.30-4.30 during term time and for 15 days during the holidays, but there are a number of reasons why I prefer to start work at 8 instead.

I live a stupid distance from work and the roads are so much quieter if I leave home at 7 than if I left at 7.30. Also it's much easier to find a parking space before 8am. It's also better for the department if I start earlier. 3 days a week lessons carry on until 5.15, so any equipment they've been using won't get cleared away until the morning and it's good to have more time for that and I also get a chance to see my teachers before they head off to assemblies, tutorials etc.

Anyway, I've been working from 8 for well over a year now, and for some ridiculous reason I thought it might be a good idea to formalise the arrangement, so I e-mailed HR and said that I would like to either work 8-4 or  alternatively 8-4.30 but with fewer days during the holidays. The total number of hours would be the same either way as those that are set out in my contract. I foolishly thought that this was a simple request and could be resolved quite quickly. How very wrong I was!

Apparently my hours can only be changed if the Biology and Chemistry technicians also change. Why?? We are doing different jobs in different departments and I can't see how the hours that I work can have any impact on my colleagues. There are technicians in DT and Art as well. Should they be working the same hours too? After all, they are technicians too.

Thankfully my HoD has my back as usual. He thinks HR are being ridiculous and he's going to make that point very strongly when he meets with them.