A full day …

I remember catching a glimpse of my teacher’s timetable when I was at school and being amazed at how little he actually taught. There were mysterious free periods all over the place, sometimes two or three in one day. It made me quite indignant when I compared it with my own non-negotiable full-time commitments as a pupil. Now, on the other side of the teacher’s desk, I see things differently. Once a week I teach a full day and it is a back-breaking enterprise. For a start, six hours of teaching means probably two hours of planning and maybe an hour of marking (if you’re lucky). Plus there are all the things you don’t get done – responding to emails, keeping up with admin, liaising with colleagues, planning the other 15-odd lessons to be taught that week. These things impinge upon the days before and after the big sixer like tremors indicating the approach of an earthquake and the aftershocks experienced in its wake. Nevertheless, in the middle of a six period day, you actually tend to feel pretty good. The body’s adrenaline pump is on permanent full throttle, and you know that behaviour incidents cannot be allowed to happen, as the necessary administrative follow-up would have to be put off until the following day, which will undoubtedly bring its own fresh challenges. So I think many teachers produce their best work on these hectic full days. When it’s all over however, you hit the ground like a stone. After accompanying 7B down to the main gates at the end of the day (they’re still brilliant, God love ’em) I found myself slumped at my desk desperately trying to put together lessons for tomorrow, and unable to complete the most basic tasks. And this will affect the quality of my teaching tomorrow, making it more strenuous, making me more tired, and so on. The key is to approach these full days with an unflinching acceptance of one’s fate, together with an acceptance that they must be planned well in advance. It’s too easy not to think about them until the night before, and therein lies the trap. Of course, I would have done that on Friday had I not been sat with colleagues moderating media coursework for over five hours. As one newly qualified colleague who used to work in advertising has confirmed, the notion that teaching is an easy option is one you believe at your peril.