When we arrive I round up my class, and once everyone is seated its time to go home. I wish! Though it is about 20minutes later. At the beginning of every assembly we stand and sing the national anthem. Which doesn't sound like an anthem at all. Instead of sounding like we are proud and free, it’s sung in a droning tone. When we sit down I shush all the chatters and the assembly begins. As a teacher it’s our duty to listen to what is happening around the school while also keeping a small eye, quite like a hawks, on the class. We all usually sit back, act interested and see all the small things that go on. Like the two kids who like each other keep pretending to 'look around the room' but are really trying to catch a smile. Then there are the bad kids, who are trying to make peashooters and all the usual blabbermouths who can't even wait until recess to talk. Since this assembly is so boring and I am bored I will go over, grab the troublemakers and sit them next to me. The rest of assembly goes on like this and is pretty much a huge waste of time and effort. At the end we ask our class to move off. We head off and back to class, when we are all finally in class I give out a quick spelling test. It's really a time waster and a fill in until recess. When the bell goes I think of how nice it will be to relax in the staff room. Then a student comes up and mentions something about handing a form in today, Wednesday. It hits me then that I have to do.. yard duty. Out I go, trying to avoid the smaller kids who seem to want to follow me around, some even cling my leg.
At the end of recess I have a 5minute break in the staff room. Some break! I quickly get a drink and then hear the bell, time to go to class. Back in class its maths time. Everyone lines up, and then I tell him or her to go inside. I ask my class to sit on the mat after about 10minutes and 2 disagreements everyone is seated. I have release time so I wait for the principal to come, because he is taking over my class. Release time, although it is called ‘release’ is a time where we just do things that aren’t done yet. Like marking work, writing a program, or putting together all the things we need to. I have reports to write, since it is the end of the term.
There are a few simple things to do when writing reports to make the process as simple, easy and stress free as possible. First sort out the kids. There’s the good, the bad and the in between. The in between are really good kids, which you personally don’t like and torture for the fun of it. Then write a set paragraph for each of the groups, with 3-5 different wordings, which really mean the same thing. Once children are categorized the fun begins. Comment after comment is inserted into the report, but when I feel that a student stands out, I add my own personal touch. Two words -Be creative. After report writing I have to mark work, this is a very slow and boring process. After a few minutes a fellow teacher of mine comes into the computer room to tell me that the Principal has left for a meeting and I will have to go back and take my class, even though there is only 10minutes until the lunch bell rings.
When I arrive the kids are out of their seats, jumping around. Let me describe to you what I see when I first walked in. Well actually what I see when I first look in through the windows. I am walking down the corridor to the classroom, and as I walk I make the shoe heel on the floor tap loudly to warn the class to get back to their seats. It doesn’t work. I see in through the window two faces pressed against the glass. Ugly as the kids are, this makes them look a whole lot worse. With a peep and glare at me they peel their faces off the window and they run back and try to tell everyone I am coming. I walk a little faster. It’s always fun to catch them in the act. But don’t get me wrong, screaming and shouting takes a lot of energy out of us teachers. I approach the door and quickly turn the knob and take a step in. Everyone is still moving for just a split second, but then they all notice me for sure, they freeze. The scene I see is this. A ball of crumpled up paper flew past my head a couple of the naughty boys are standing on chairs around the room, they would be the ones playing with the ball. Over in the corner are a few girls giggling, the rest of the class have found individual projects, like making paper planes, some are drawing, some are drawing on the desk and some are playing games, like hang-man on the whiteboard. After a few steps in the classroom, everyone stops what they are doing, drops it and gets back into their seats. I then give a little spiel on behavior in the classroom and pronounce that now they have to clean the classroom, then I will set a math practice test.
I hear a lot of groans but they d get out writing paper, and I hand out the test. Most people get on with the test, but there are a few sharpening their pencils over and over. Makes you wonder if they want to ever start the test. I watch the kids up the back, they are usually the ones who seem to think I’m not looking and have a little chat. Everyone seems to be going well so I am going to write up a few things in my student log. A student log is just a progress report on which students are doing what, and how well. I can see that there are a few notes being passed around the room, so as I pace up and down the rows I see a note on the floor. The student looks in shock as I pick it up and read it. It’s quite interesting and funny, nothing serious though. I read the note in class, there are a few laughs but then I say back to work and things go on.
The bell rings and I say to hand in the papers up the front and then they can leave. There is a huge rush to my desk and papers fly everywhere, then the students pour out of the classroom for their lunch break. This lunch I don’t have yard duty and so I go strait to the staff room to eat my lunch. In there I have a bit of a chat with my colleagues and we share stories about what we have been doing today. I mentioned the note and how I caught my class mucking up. Lunch goes quickly and soon I’m heading back to the classroom. Today we have our art lesson so I come prepared; I have got in a guest parent to teach the kids how to do string art. I have a chat to the class about being on their best behavior for the guest and then I ask them to set up the classroom. They do this and I pick out the kids who are likely to cause mischief and send them strait up to the office. I have no time and energy to deal with them. I have a rather small class now so I actually have a nice afternoon watching the kids and marking work. I ask them to pack up and that takes a while but I think the kids don’t mind because it’s always fun to do art. Even cleaning up! The last bell goes and I sigh a breath of relief. It’s a busy day for a teacher and the afternoon has just begun.
After the students leave I then go ahead and work for another hour or so typing and planning for the next day, I get so much more work done when the students are all gone. When I feel I’ve done enough I go home and spend the rest of my day doing ordinary things, like crafts, or watching TV or grocery shopping. I love what I do because I’m interacting with people all day and children can be wonderful sometimes!
Emma Crossland 1936words
