UKC

Anyone else seen this doing the rounds?

"A teacher somewhere in your neighborhood tonight is grading and preparing lessons to teach your children while you are watching television. In the minute it takes you to read this, teachers all over the world are using their "free time", and often investing their own money, for your child’s literacy, prosperity, and future. Re-post if you are a teacher, love a teacher, or appreciate our teachers."

This is normally accompanied by a baffling picture of a man with a folder open looking stressed, with the lamp on reading... whilst it is full daylight outside!

Please read and tell us what you think. A bit bemused myself.

In reply to FreshSlate: The last one of these I saw was for nurses

In reply to FreshSlate:
I am a teacher and I say bollocks to that!
Work hard, sure. Be professional, compulsory. Pretend to be a martyr...sod that!

It's a good job. It remains just a job. I am convinced that doing that description is doing everyone, including the kids, a disservice.
What about your family? What about giving kids an unrealistic picture of the world? Very few people will ever dedicate that time to you, so why rely on them? What about yourself- can you still be a good teacher if you roll in class tired and stressed? I think not.

Anyways, that is my opinion. I am sure some people will disagree with me

In reply to French Erick:

I'm confused by your comments. Whose family? Why rely on who?

In reply to FreshSlate:

Facebook is full of this sort of guff, my advice would be unfriendly those who persistently post it.

In reply to VPJB:

...and who's being given the unrealistic picture?

In reply to FreshSlate:

The ones in my immediate vicinity have mostly been drinking wine and dancing. Maybe they don't care.

In reply to FreshSlate: in my experience, even supply and part-timers work 7.00 till 2.00. Both hours anti-meridian. Perhaps NQTs haven't got to that delightful state of jaundice.

In reply to FreshSlate: Mrs The Dog has worked out that this half term she could take yesterday and today off, half of tomorrow and if it goes well wednesday and half of saturday. That's it for her week off.
Then there's the fact that she puts in a 7:30 or 8:00 start until 5 every day and then an extra two hours a night. She's recently decided she has to have one of the days of the weekend off regardless.

I hate all the facebook guff about stuff like this, it's trite and meaningless in my view. I also hate the 13 weeks a year off suggestions.

In reply to puppythedog: oh and I'm underestimating the extra she does rather than exaggerate. it can be different from one week to the next.

In reply to puppythedog:


Does she start work at 7.30/8 till 5? Or is that what time she gets up?

In reply to FreshSlate: Don't really want to talk in depth about anyones wife btw just a curiousity.

In reply to FreshSlate:

I'm sure there are teachers working hard of an evening, but the idea I'm sat watching the TV whilst they do so isn't exactly spot on. It's not like the little horrors collapse in bed at 6, they're up til at least 9 demanding answers to all the stuff they want to know about that they didn't learn at school, whilst I try to cook dinner and do odd bits of work.

Mind you, it is possible I browse UKC, too. As might some of the teachers I know

In reply to FreshSlate:

That is pretty lame and posssibly even counter-productive. However, teachers do work harder than the general public give them credit for and are not respected as a profession as much as they should be. A key problem with workload is a lot of the paperwork prep they do is not properly accounted for in their contracts and not always strictly speaking neccesary and if it gets the teacher stressed or over-tired it can obviously significantly reduce the quality of the experience they provide their kids in class. The public sector professions are sadly beset by parasites trying to make pigs fatter by weighing them (a bloated OFSTED in the case of teachers). The best modern management experience shows extra resources spent on inspection doesn't help but designing in quality processes to start with does. Other countries with much better systems survive without the level of our external measurement fetish.

In reply to FreshSlate: Yes to being at work at that time. Despite me not needing to get up until 8 for my job we get up at about half five every day.

In reply to Carolyn: A good point but let's not forget that MrsTheDog and I are not isolated from the demands of life outside of work too. We need to cook and clean and so on and so on. I'm not sure I understand what you having those things to do has to do with this discussion. There are plenty fo teachers with children too.

In reply to Offwidth: Nicely put. it shocks me constantly in the health service that budgets to do are cut whilst budgets to check up increase.

In reply to Offwidth:

I suspect this particular Facebook thing started I the States, most of them do and it does contain a few Americanism. Teaching is less well paid and less valued in the States than the UK.

In reply to The New NickB:

Yep and they have arguably the worst system on average in the world for a major developed nation.

In reply to Carolyn:

^^^This^^^ + I don't watch TV.

In reply to FreshSlate: Clearly they don't realise its half term! My teacher friends were busy getting smashed at a party last night as they had a whole week to recover.

In reply to Andy DB: Another problem with stress is overcompensation in R&R. I knew this as a kid from watching M*A*S*H.

In reply to Offwidth: I love M*A*S*H could make me laugh and cry.

In reply to Andy DB: MrsTheDog too. I don' think anyone's suggesting teachers are locked away in nunneries [sic].

In reply to puppythedog:

It's relevant because the FB thing suggests all parents are sat about watching telly of an evening - not juggling kids, housework, and job. Working in the evenings is fairly common to most professional jobs - I'm certainly reading work stuff or answering emails outside of my paid work hours - it's not exclusive to teachers.

In reply to Carolyn: And yet the trolled out time and again comment on teachers relates to them starting at 9 finishing at half three, having thirteen weeks per year off, being paid lots of money. I find it very hard to believe there are that many people in a profession with post graduate level qualification a minimum for starting working the hours my wife has to for the money she earns.

In reply to Carolyn: Oh and within my job I also read etc outside of my paid hours, I go in to work early and finish late but it comes nowhere near what I've witnessed over the past two year with MrsTheDog.

Were anyone to aske me now about getting into teaching I would advise against it. The same is true of nursing, i wold advise against getting into that.

In reply to puppythedog:

Can we not all just agree that the original quote is bollocks for a variety of reasons?

In reply to DaveHK: Happy to but that I agree the sentiment behind the post is valid. I think teachers are undervalued in our society, but then I feel the same about a lot of professions so I';; bow out now happy and secure in the knowledge that my thoughts and feelings have not impacted upon anyone anywhere as is always the case when there is a UKC discussion about anything.

In reply to FreshSlate: In my time as a teacher, one year I meticulously logged the hours I worked, after all the stories of short days and long holidays, just to prove friends wrong. After that year, which included all the extra hours preparing for an OFSTED inspection we had three months notice of, and so made sure things were right for it, this was my conclusion;
If allowed that my friends, on average, and including bank holidays had 26 working days holiday. I totalled up my hours and divided them by the remaining working days and multiplied them by 5. Decided to not inform said friends, as I averaged 40.5 hours equivalent for a working week. I was not a bad teacher, my OFSTEDS were all in the upper half, I enjoyed working for my pupils, I always marked and graded my pupils work, I changed displays regularly. I think the main problem for many teachers is time management. They think that staring blankly at homework books, while the TV goes on in the background and their own children are absorbing their time, is productive. If I tried this it took forever to get the work done and it was not my best. I rarely worked Saturday and Sunday. I did have the advantage that I had work in Industry, Sales and also run my own business before illness allowed me the opportunity to get a degree and go into teaching.
My pension for teaching 10 years is nearly 6 times what I get for slightly longer in industry.
Teaching is hard work, but many teachers make it much harder for themselves. (I have a couple of relatives who are always telling me that they can hardly cope with the workload, while sitting with it infront of them, watching the footy on TV and drinking the odd can!)
To complete the picture, I gave up teaching when I went to the USA (where my Education Degree [not PGCE] was not acceptable and I would have had to do another expensive 6 months in college) When I came back 2 years ago I was too expensive, as a result of the annual pay increment I recieved, regardless of my ability. The schools and the LEA's and the agencies wanted cheap newly qualified teachers. Guess what they get! People out of their depth.
Many of my older collegues are biding their time until they can collect their very generous pension. They do their all for their pupiuls, but avoid the extras that some believe they should do for free.

In reply to FreshSlate:

What a pile of trite, sentimental shite.

Teachers choose to become teachers, often because they don't know what else to do and it's a respected profession. Sure it's really hard work, so are loads of jobs. They do the work, put up with loads of government buullshit, they make a great contribution to society, get paid a reasonable wage and earn a reasonable degree of status. If I wanted to do it, I would, and if they don't want to they can quit.

Thank god I don't get bombarded by this pointless crap - glad I'm not on facebook.

In reply to puppythedog:
>. In reply to Dave Kerr) Happy to but that I agree the sentiment behind the post is valid. I think teachers are undervalued in our society, but then I feel the same about a lot of professions so I';; bow out now happy and secure in the knowledge that my thoughts and feelings have not impacted upon anyone anywhere as is always the case when there is a UKC discussion about anything.

I don't think they are undervalued. We all know the after school and weekend demands that it has become a cliche. No one works for a pat on the back, they are their for the cash, living, career and perks. Anyone in any profession who goes above and beyond of the call of duty should deserve praise, I don't think a profession itself does.

I know a paramedic, they work 12 hour shifts 6 whilst 6, if they get a late job and get home 2 home 2 hours late that's tough. They do get to go in an hour later however the next day as everyone needs 13 hours between shifts by law. They break their backs lifting overweight people and the one I know is working christmas, new years, boxing day as do most of them, you have no choice. Any overtime is on standard pay. People are working whilst teachers are sleeping. In his free time he is doing odd jobs around the house and has a full list of domestic chores to get on with. Does he moan? Does he count the hours of his shift or the time he is up from/back at? (Mainly this is a dig at a friend of mine who counts the hours he spends in the pub with colleagues after work).

Teachers have extra work they complete at home, or after hours at school, marking and lesson planning but they are only required to be at work for 6 and a half hours and TA's cover several lessons a week so teachers have some free periods to catch up on planning and marking. I know teachers who leave at ten past eight and are home at quarter to four everyday without fail (school is local). Yes they will do some prep sunday night for the monday but I don't feel sorry for them and they don't ask me to.

It sounds like your wife is putting the extra mile in but I imagine she is happy and not looking for another job? How long has she been at it?

In reply to johncook:

When did you leave teaching in the UK John? Workloads got steadily worse over the last two decade and that impacts conscientious starters way more than good experienced practioners like yourself. The pensions and pay also got a lot worse recently for newbies and early career staff.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

This is, frankly, wrong. Teachers become teachers because they love the job. Not because of some utopian idea of long holidays and cushy hours. Having gone through teacher training myself just last year, I know exactly what I am getting myself in to and it's not because I had nothing better to do or didn't know what else I wanted to do - I've always wanted to become a teacher and those that 'give it a bash' just for the sake of it quickly learn that it's not all it's cracked up to be.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

I know loads of teachers.


Hmmmm. You're speaking for all teachers are you? I know some that love it, some that tolerate it and some that hate it. I know a couple who always wanted to be tecahers, I know a handful who became teachers when they became disillusioned with a previous career, and some who did it because it was the job they could train for that would allow them to live in a certain location.

So you're clearly just projecting your own ideals onto all teachers, without thinking about whether it's true or not.


I didn't suggest that at all. My view is that it's a very hard, time-consuming job that wears people out.

In reply to FreshSlate:
I can see how there might be more work for an NQT as they will presumably be teaching many lessons for the first time. However I would assume that over the years one would build up a bank of topics/ lessons that would need little input to roll out year after year.

Loads of jobs require work to be done outside of the normal contracted hours. Is this not all part of being a professional?

If the teaching profession was as bad as some make out there would be no teachers.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I was talking about the reasons for BECOMING a teacher, not the reasons for remaining in a profession they have come to hate. The ones that come into the job with pre-conceived (wrong) ideas of what the job entails quickly learn at training stage that it's not what they thought.

In reply to puppythedog: for every mrs the dog i suspect there's an "andy's mate". He's a teacher at a very, very good secondary school. From his Strava page i know that at least two afternoons a week he's out on his bike before 2pm. He also goes away for virtually every holiday, so it's clearly possible (with a few years' experience) to have a pretty easy time of it and hold down a job in a good school.

In reply to Offwidth: Left teaching in July 2006. Young relatives are still in the profession. They are split half and half, those who agree with me and those who don't. I make myself unpopular by telling those who don't like teaching and all it entails to get a different job. The usual response is that they can't get one that will pay them the amount they need!

In reply to johncook:

Speaking as an ex-Headteacher of a large and very successful secondary school, I never appointed anyone because they were cheap and I know of no colleagues who did. If a young teacher got the job, it was because they were the best candidate. We operated a fairly comprehensive interview procedure including professional interview, lesson observation and interview by student panel. To knowingly appoint someone who was second best would have been potentially costly in the medium term and consequently rather foolish. I may not have always agreed with my more conventional colleagues but I certainly didn't regard them as fools.

In reply to puppythedog:

I will guarantee you that I earn less than your wife with the same level of post graduate qualification as she has.

In reply to gazhbo: in a professional role?

In reply to The New NickB:

Although the good new is that Michael Gove is doing his best to change that.

In reply to puppythedog:

Does your definition of professional imply that someone who is worth more money?

In reply to timjones: no but there are plenty of people with post graduate qualifications unable to get employement in an apropriate field for their qualification or level of qualification and comparing those would be like comparing apples and bananas.

In reply to johncook:

Well I guess we would both agree that those whom you know who don't like teaching are wrong on both counts (I also think they should leave and the only thing that will normally keep them from getting equal pay elsewhere would be laziness). Yet I've seen newer teachers and lecturers who love the job nearly go under at times... not because of the normal day job but because they are working so hard that if something else goes wrong at work or in their life there isn't always enough slack and management sympathy to cope. Things have also changed a lot since 2006... pay and conditions on the carrot side and faster change, OFSTED tightening and much removal of generic LEA protections on the stick side.

In reply to puppythedog: What I didn't manage to say so well in my last post is a job where post graduate qualification is an entry level.

In reply to puppythedog:

But a post grad qualifications isn't an entry level, hence why you can be taught by non-qualified teachers. Which makes me wonder, what qualifies teachers as professionals? Lawyers, doctors, vets etc all need to have a qualification allowing them to practice, plus need to be members of regulatory bodies (I think this is right, I'm sure I'll be corrected if I am wrong!), but AFAIK teachers don't need a specific qualification or membership of a regulatory body?

Is this right? Either way, if it is or not, what does count as a profession?

BTW, in no way slagging off teachers, some work massively hard, some not so much as in any job, however the good ones are worth their weight in gold.

In reply to sweenyt: I think Academy's and private schools can employ someone without the qualifications of a PGCE however one free school was recently criticised for it and all the jobs MrsTheDog went for had PGCE as a pre-requisite.
So unlike myself as a nurse she is not registered in the same way but she does have a specific qualification she needs and when she has completed her first year she will getanother peice of paper saying she has completed NQT year (Newly Qualified Teacher). It's not the same I'll acknowledge but in practical terms for her it may as well have been.

In reply to sweenyt:

At work we see ocasional job postings for private school teachers in the sciences, it's interesting to note that these adverts often emphasise the fact you do not need a PGCE. I suspect if you look at private schools you will find many teachers whose students go on to achieve excellent results without their teacher having a PGCE.

In reply to wintertree:

Sure but private schools have a much higher proportion of highly motivated kids with supportive family environments and better facilities (including extra student support). Allowing the freedom to do this in academies dealing with a more standard entry under state budgets many people feel strongly is a massive mistake; even where it works you could argue the school has set up a protective enclave and is in breach of the admission mission they should have. The PGCE deals with all sorts of stuff beyond how to teach.

In reply to Offwidth:
I often wonder if as much difference comes from the management, or relative lack thereof.


I just don't see the PGCE as much - some great people go and do one, some competent people go and do one, and some other people go and do one, and not a lot seems to change about their abilities before and after. Except that a sizeable fraction of the better ones run a mile from teaching and never come back.

In reply to wintertree:


Pretty much spot on. In the group my ex wife did her PGCE with, there were a wide range of people with a wide range of suitability for teaching, from a middle aged woman who was stressed out just getting herself to college in the morning and with no intention of teaching more than part time as she "would be too stressed", through a couple who just winged the whole year doing the barest minimum, through to a few who worked extremely hard and shaped their whole life around wanting to be a teacher.

They all graduated and graduated with much the same individual ability and attitude they started with.

In reply to wintertree:

It's what the private heads want you to think as its their business model. There was some research in the US that showed supportive family environments was by far the most important factor in success. The Freaknomics crew I think looked at this as well. The exception of course is where the only local state schools are problem schools where a bright motivated kid will get bullied (which is why dealing with this is so important for the state system).

The importance of the PGCE is about a guarentee of professional minimum standards in some important areas. I'd be more relaxed if staff without it had to at least formally demonstrate the basic minimum issues independantly (for most it would be way easier to do the PGCE).

In reply to Offwidth:

Found the freakanomics summary post, which links back to the earlier research:

http://freakonomics.com/2007/10/04/more-evidence-on-the-lack-of-impact-of-s...

In reply to FreshSlate:

I think you/they will find there are plenty of jobs that require unpaid overtime and most not in the comfort of ones home. I'm not entirely sure what the implied martyrdom is all about..

In reply to andy:

I am always so surprised that within the same profession there's so much variety in the time spent doing it. I know people whose working hours sound like those of Mrsthedog, but I also know an "andy's mate" who is away or doing non work things almost every day of his school holidays, in the summer is off biking, climbing, caving, walking and so on after work several evenings a week and so on.

In terms of motivations, I do know a lot of people who drifted around a variety of jobs and then became teachers, probably at least as many as the number who got into teaching straight out of uni fuelled by a burning desire to teach. And I know a lot of climbing teachers who say they became teachers for the holidays.

In reply to sweenyt: http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/faqs/becoming-a-teacher/quali...

There are various specified routes to becoming a qualified teacher. A degree and PGCE is one way, I spent the majority of my PGCE in schools, learning how to teach under the supervision of the experienced teachers in the department, gradually taking charge of classes until I was teaching them by myself, but still with the experienced qualified teacher taking an overview and making sure I was doing things well.

New teachers having finished PGCE have to work through various stages in their first job to get full qualified teacher status and are given further training on the job and a mentor. This seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't want anyone random left in charge of the care and education of children, with no guidance or experience and no checks.

In my opinion putting unqualified teachers into schools is usually a cheap option being spun as a better option and comparisons with the private sector don't hold up.

In reply to wintertree: Possibly because there is a shortage of qualified science teachers? Do English teachers get the same?

In reply to marsbar: It's a hortage subject, it's what MrsTheDog does.

In reply to FreshSlate:

Given that most secondary school teachers have to be in work at 8am...what do you think?!

In reply to Katie86:

That really does not match up with my experience working in a secondary school.

In reply to FreshSlate: The only secondary school teacher I know has been raving most of the weekend...........

In reply to FreshSlate:

The clue is in the spelling of the word "Neighborhood".


In Britain we invest in public services (well-- after a fashion), and treat them more or less commonsensically (well-- apart from Michael Gove).

Whereas in the US what they do is, they trash all the funding for public services, look down their noses at anyone who works for them (try the resonance of "He teaches high school" in any US context), and then get all misty-eyed and sentimental about them on Facebook, as an easy alternative to funding them properly.

If that sounds smug, I'm aware that in this respect we are to Germany and Scandinavia as the US is to us.

In reply to FreshSlate:



Typical facebook armchair Slacktivism - one of the many things that flicks my ranty switch.

"Post this if you care about lung cancer, child abuse, capitalism, the local butterly sanctuary..etc etc"

No. Don't. Do something USEFUL that actually has a real benefit instead. Like donate some cash to the cause. Do a sponsored bike ride. Sell some of your crap on ebay and donate the proceeds to the cause. Volunteer some time in a charity shop. Rattle a tin in the street. Lobby a politican. Write and article. Do some research. Campaign.

you know - something that actually makes a difference

Oh but wait, those things take effort and time don't they. Much easier to repost a facebook message and give yourself a warm feeling that you've 'done your bit to save the world and make a difference', when really you haven't. have you. I despise you.

Rant over

In reply to ThunderCat:
I despise you.


Not 'you' of course - just people who actually post these things for every cause that catches their attention.

In reply to ThunderCat:
Quality, can I repost that? I'd love to see it go viral

In reply to 999thAndy:

Do it!

In reply to ThunderCat:

You wouldn't believe how right you are. I recently ran the Chester Marathon and posted something on Facebook urging them NOT to like what I was doing but to get off their arses and sponsor me. Only 1 person did, but in the meantime my facebook was filled with "like if you hate cancer", "like if you love your dad" kind of crap.

Depressing.

In reply to andy:

Andy's mate might well be off every holiday but none of it will be cheap rate stuff.

In reply to ThunderCat:

Post of the year with 2 months left, I salute you!

In reply to thermal_t:

Well thank you!

As feedback, it's certainly better than being told my username is an anagram of 'Threadc*nt'

In reply to ThunderCat: I totally agree. Going to put it on my facebook and see if I can get all my friends to commit to doing something instead of liking something.

In reply to marsbar: BTW everyone, this teacher is currently making tea for the family, f***ing about on the internet, and watching the big bang theory. Just in case anyone cares like...

In reply to marsbar: Wonder if you can give MrsTheDog any tips? We've had marking most of half term and now lesson planning until 9 ish tonight.

I really hope this does get better, it's unsustainable. She was talking with colleagues today and there was a fair split of those who'd worked all half term and those that hadn't.

In reply to JoshOvki:

Obviously a chilled secondary school. We started lessons at 8:30 and staff briefing was 8:15. I was a secondary teacher for 3 years in a school that was fighting it's way from special measures. The teachers in that place worked damn hard. I usually got in at 7:30 am and left around 6 pm. Some people came in at 8:10am and left at 3:30 pm but most of those had their own kids.

Please don't forget that teachers do have families too.

In reply to puppythedog:To give a bit of balance, I worked all yesterday (helped by family) and went into school on Friday of half term. I didn't work the rest of half term because I had several weeks of working late upto half term. However much of that was due to my Key Stage Co-ordinator
role.

On a more helpful note, it does get better, I'm several years in, so it takes me far less time to plan than it used to, just because I know what I'm doing, and because I can use resources from previous years.

Is she primary or secondary?

I find that using TES resources instead of making your own is good, other good sites are worksheet works, (although be careful, its American) it can be used to differentiate really well with minimum effort, http://www.worksheetworks.com/
and
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/

As for marking, I have a pot of green pens in my classroom, and where possible encourage the children to mark their own and each others work (under supervision obviously) it means they get feedback quicker, and it means I just have to look through and deal with problems instead of checking every single question. Because they use green and I don't, there is no confusion about who marked it. Peer marking is good for the students to get a real understanding of what is required and how to improve their work. It is also a real time saver!!

I also set some homework that is computer marked, which helps. Not everything has to be traditional and in an exercise book. Powerpoints or posters or mind maps can be very useful and need much less marking.

I am trying something new at the moment, I have printed off some stickers (or you can get stampers) saying things like "show your working out" as I got fed up of writing this all the time.

The other things, don't waste time on unimportant stuff, don't be a perfectionist, and mark books or exams quicker by getting all the books open at the right page, then marking one task for each and every student, then moving on to marking the next task for every student. If you mark one student at a time it takes far longer.

Hope some of that helps.

In reply to Katie86: We have briefing at 8:30, I'm usually in at 8. I leave at 3:45 2 days a week for family reasons, and stay late 3 days, until 7 if I need to. I get 5 hours a fortnight PPA time. Anything I can't get done in that time, doesn't get done.

In reply to marsbar: Secondary, English. Thank you for the tips I will pass them on

In reply to marsbar:

Well I left because along with other things I was expected to mark 350 books every other week. Even at 5 mins a book that is 15 hours a week marking, with reports and planning and pointless paperwork - I don't see how that is feasibly possible.

I used to do 7:30 - 6 on Mon, Tue and Thur.
I did 8 to 4:30 on Wed and Friday.
I would work from 7pm till 10pm on a Mon, Tue and Thursday.
I frequently would work one day of my weekend and on a week holiday, go away Saturday till Wednesday then work Thur to Sun.

Tbh I loved planning and teaching but Gove is a "$*#%. I have friends who teach in some great schools but my school did not treat it's staff well. I would frequently recieve emails at 11pm on a Sunday night with requests to complete some pointless paperwork by 3:30 on a Monday afternoon - despite teaching for a full day. I was even told I should be checking and responding to my emails when teaching, unless I was being observed as that would lower my grade. I was told by my line manager that I should have left Uni and trained as a teacher straight away as then I would have had more teaching experience. Schools need more teachers who know what life is like outside the classroom.

Our school relied heavily on agency staff that they could just sack if they didn't like them with no repercussions - it was the kids that lost out. Some kids in my form class ended up with 8 maths teachers in one year!

I'm just another disillusioned teacher who has left.

In reply to FreshSlate: I'm a teacher somewhere, in a neighourhood who is grading and preparing lessons ... actually I'm not, I'm reading about teaching on a climbing forum... looks like I'm winging it again tomorrow then.

Strangely, I do look like the baffling man with the open folder looking a bit stressed but probably because I am figuring out what to do with my next holiday...

In reply to Katie86: Sounds horrendous. How come you had so many kids, did you just teach each class once a week or something?

FWIW if you ever do want to go back to it, I really enjoyed supply teaching, the paperwork wasn't my problem. It also allowed me to see what schools were really like before applying for a permanent job. Several I wouldn't want to work in.