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| A good few years ago now! |
The mad rush is almost over (apart from the last min trek 60 miles to Cheadle Hulme for Bella's new uniform tomorrow)!
Pencil cases have been bought and filled, shoes are shiny and new and lunchboxes are packed.
Another year begins.
A different year.
Susie has now left school and is at work.
Luke and Bella, having successfully passed their G.C.S.E's enter the 6 th form in two completely different schools, 40 miles apart!
Martha starts her G.C.S.E courses, and Jono starts high school!
Mair's wonderful village school has sadly closed it's doors for the last time, so she moves too a much bigger school, where her eldest sister starts her first year of teaching! Both newbies,18 years apart!
Ella and Mair, for the first time ever are split up, as Ella is still on the very long waiting list for the school Mair has been fortunate enough to get a place. They may well be reunited this year.
My babies are going to be prepared to have a day at the childminder.
Only a day.
My other work, I will do around them, as I want to spend as much time as I can with them.
The school year is always bitter sweet.
As teachers, both Simon and I have to prepare for the mad rush of work after so long a break (I am not complaining).
I always feel sad letting them go back to school, and there is a part of me that wished they could stay at home.
That is until, in the holidays I try to get them to settle to any work, whatsoever!
They have missed their friends and their routines, and so have we!
So many times, of late, I have seen our education system slated by, mainly the press, but also by others who really have very little real idea of what they are talking about.
As a teacher for (blush) over 25 years now, these complaints wear a bit thin on me, my husband, now my eldest daughter, along with most of my colleagues.
I trained long and hard to teach. It was bloody hard work, as anyone who has been on teaching practise can verify!
Over the years I have been on endless courses and read endless books to both update my qualifications and add to my expertise and my experience.
I value the relationships I work so hard to develop, and given so many of my past students have found me on face book, I reckon I must have done a pretty good job.
Contrarily to what some people think, teachers care greatly about the pupils in their care.We take time to develop relationships with them, and get to know them, we worry about them and we look after them, knowing how precious they are. I find it quite offensive when we are criticised. I am so grateful to the teachers who in turn have looked after and cared for my own children and brought out talents and abilities that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Our education is free.
Granted many children do not appreciate this fact.
My daughter Susie worked in a Ugandan orphanage for two summers when she was just 16 and 17. For her it was an eye opener that the children who are not sponsored to go to school, simply did not receive an education and were desperate for one.
Whatever the issues and the problems that have arisen over the years in Education, very little of this can be apportioned to teachers! A lot, I feel is the governments rather too embracing policies of accepting all. If we had continued to be firmer, I think we would not see some of the low levels of behaviour displayed in classrooms today.
I am not advocating beatings but I must admit, when I was in year 7 and the Deputy Head patrolled the corridors with her kane and swooped into any disruptive classroom, bodily picked up the offending pupil and gave them a quick whack, our school had very few behaviour issues. The year later, corporal punishment of pupils was banned and disruption commenced.
Saying this, my children have benefited from state education. They have been part of clubs and societies, they have been in shows and productions, been on camps and trips, developed life long friendships and have met and been taught by some incredible teachers who have pushed them in ways we could not thought of not imagined.
They have learnt to accept others views in debates and discussions, learnt first hand about others beliefs and practises and had their minds expanded and opened along the way.
So next time you want to have a gripe about us, think of the hours we put it (we don't knock off at 3pm), the time we take to carefully prepare work (at a variety of levels) and how we are always looking to find interesting ways to impart lessons to the students in our care.Students are not just shoved through a grade or level like a cattle market, and individual needs are carefully considered and planned for.
I for one, despite my own gripes and reservations at times, am glad my children return tomorrow, to their new schools, old schools, friends and peers, teachers and all the wealth our education system offers.
Lets make the most of what we have!
We have been very happy with the state education our children have received. The two eldest are now at university, the third is in upper sixth, fourth at college and the others (minus the baby) at secondary or primary. We are very fortunate to have a lovely little village school. A lot of families in the village choose to send their children to private schools which are miles away and probably have bigger class sizes than our local primary! The main thing is, our children have always been very happy at school and have made lots of good friends and you can't ask for more than that. What age groups do you and your husband teach?
ReplyDeleteHi Mum of 9,
ReplyDeleteWe have both taught every age from Nursery up to sixth form, then adults from 18-80! We have taught in state education, private education and overseas. Currently I work with the 14-19 yrs pathways in Health and Wellbeing as well as training teaching assistants and my husband works on the advisory team for E.A.L (English as an additional language).
I am so pleased you have had such a good experience with all your children as well.:)