Author Topic: The Teachers' Thread  (Read 180248 times)

Offline Dish shhh

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The Teachers' Thread
« on: July 24, 2008, 04:49:34 pm »
Been teaching ICT now for four years (including my PGCE, awarded from Liverpool Hope) and I have to say it's definitely not a bad job at all.

However, sometimes little issues tend to arise when it's good to talk to those within the profession to bounce ideas off/get advice etc.

Most teachers are now on their summer hols so there may not be too many snooping around but I thought setting up a teachers discussion thread would be a great idea for all reds involved in teaching to come together to proovide help and support when required.
Brian Reade - "Rafa Benitez was many things at Liverpool but unlike every manager since Kenny Dalglish, he was not a failure. Indeed a majority of Liverpudlians will remember him as a legend. Because like Bill Shankly, on more days and nights than those expert pundits ever care to recall, he made the people happy".

Offline barnseysbarmyarmy

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2008, 05:08:00 pm »
Good idea, not a teacher yet, but I'm doing a pgce at MMU (Manchester Metropolitan) starting September, and it will be good to discuss educational matters within the confines of such a prestigious venue and mecca of intelligence as RAWK undoubtedly is. Funnily enough I'll be teaching citizenship and social sciences. I say funnily due to the fact that I'm not actually British, though I have undergone all of my education in English since the very first grade. Don't think it will be a problem as new perspectives are always useful, and I have plenty of experience of England and its beautiful North West! Are you a supply teacher or do you have a steady teaching position mate?

Offline Dish shhh

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2008, 05:15:07 pm »
Good idea, not a teacher yet, but I'm doing a pgce at MMU (Manchester Metropolitan) starting September, and it will be good to discuss educational matters within the confines of such a prestigious venue and mecca of intelligence as RAWK undoubtedly is. Funnily enough I'll be teaching citizenship and social sciences. I say funnily due to the fact that I'm not actually British, though I have undergone all of my education in English since the very first grade. Don't think it will be a problem as new perspectives are always useful, and I have plenty of experience of England and its beautiful North West! Are you a supply teacher or do you have a steady teaching position mate?

Luckily got a full time position at home (Northern Ireland) in 2006).  My big sis is actually head of History and Citizenship in her school.  Don't worry about your heritage mate, schools in England are more multicultural than I ever would have thought, which is obviously a good thing.
Brian Reade - "Rafa Benitez was many things at Liverpool but unlike every manager since Kenny Dalglish, he was not a failure. Indeed a majority of Liverpudlians will remember him as a legend. Because like Bill Shankly, on more days and nights than those expert pundits ever care to recall, he made the people happy".

Offline Dish shhh

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2008, 05:18:00 pm »
Funny story actually - I was doing my first placement in a school in south Liverpool and there were a few kids picking on a Somali pupil telling him to go back where he belonged etc.  It turns out that the kids in question had Irish surnames and couldn't understand that they were from an immigrant background.
Brian Reade - "Rafa Benitez was many things at Liverpool but unlike every manager since Kenny Dalglish, he was not a failure. Indeed a majority of Liverpudlians will remember him as a legend. Because like Bill Shankly, on more days and nights than those expert pundits ever care to recall, he made the people happy".

Offline G a r y

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2008, 09:16:33 pm »
I teach ICT myself, been keeping myself busy this week with loads of odd jobs and trying to get fit again. Got a holiday next week for 2 weeks then i'll probably bored off my tits and want to go back to work haha.

Bloody great job though.

Offline bigal

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2008, 10:06:54 pm »
I'll join in as the auld arse. I've been teaching for 27 years now and I'm Assistant Head in a secondary school. I do still like the job though many of my peers don't share that feeling. I'm currently working on a new curriculum for Year 7s and that's got me excited again. However, thank goodness the holidays started today and this is the best time of year, the main perk of the job. France here I come.

Offline G a r y

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2008, 10:55:51 pm »
i've just finished my nqt year quite successfully in a tough school. Got on really well and enjoying it a lot! I'm still only 22 and got my first promotion at the end of the year as key stage 3 coordinator

Offline Dish shhh

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2008, 11:50:39 pm »
i've just finished my nqt year quite successfully in a tough school. Got on really well and enjoying it a lot! I'm still only 22 and got my first promotion at the end of the year as key stage 3 coordinator

Well in my man.  Where is your school mate? Is the KS3 coordinator a curriculum or pastoral role?
Brian Reade - "Rafa Benitez was many things at Liverpool but unlike every manager since Kenny Dalglish, he was not a failure. Indeed a majority of Liverpudlians will remember him as a legend. Because like Bill Shankly, on more days and nights than those expert pundits ever care to recall, he made the people happy".

Offline Dish shhh

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2008, 11:52:23 pm »
I'll join in as the auld arse. I've been teaching for 27 years now and I'm Assistant Head in a secondary school. I do still like the job though many of my peers don't share that feeling. I'm currently working on a new curriculum for Year 7s and that's got me excited again. However, thank goodness the holidays started today and this is the best time of year, the main perk of the job. France here I come.

It will be colleagues like you that will keep me motivated and interested.  It just seems to me to be a profession where everyone turns cynical within 4/5 years
Brian Reade - "Rafa Benitez was many things at Liverpool but unlike every manager since Kenny Dalglish, he was not a failure. Indeed a majority of Liverpudlians will remember him as a legend. Because like Bill Shankly, on more days and nights than those expert pundits ever care to recall, he made the people happy".

Offline TheKid.

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2008, 12:02:57 am »
bloody teachers, overpaid and underworked! Go on then, where does everyone work? Macauley, which south Liverpool school was that placement in?

Offline G a r y

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2008, 12:10:18 am »
 It's going to be a pastoral role really looking forward to getting stuck in. I do the football team as well and they are brilliant - got some class players got a good chance me winning big things over the years.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2008, 10:42:45 am by G a r y »

Offline TheKid.

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2008, 12:15:14 am »
teacher from all saints is gonna be my new HOD when I start at Maghull High in September! Small world

Offline G a r y

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2008, 12:19:32 am »
it sure is! Sorry my role is going to be curriculum based not pastoral. Do u know who its going to be? Ste lewis by any chance?

Offline TheKid.

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2008, 12:21:36 am »
tis Steve lewis indeed! What's he like? Nervous enough about starting my first proper job, even tho it is just maternity cover, after two years on supply

Offline Cochise

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2008, 12:24:57 am »
Bit off topic but did anyone see that 16 year-old in todays paper who is living with and going to marry her 50 year-old RE teacher?
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Offline Mirra

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #15 on: July 25, 2008, 12:32:23 am »
Bit off topic but did anyone see that 16 year-old in todays paper who is living with and going to marry her 50 year-old RE teacher?

Didnt hear about that but tis shocking! Dirty old bastard! A teacher at one of the schools I went to was knocking off a girl in my English class when I was in 4th year, fucking hated him as well. Hes still with the girl apparently, I remember he bollocked me for talking during the lesson and since I didnt like him or have any respect for him I told him where to go and added the word Nonse at the end of it. Of course he went ballistic and tried to grab me, the result was him with a bust nose and me expelled, charged by the police and sent to that hour a day school they had for the bad kids. I enjoyed my time their actually!

But him aside, I think teachers do a great job. My sister is an English teacher and she loves it, id loved to of been a teacher but sadly thats never been able to happen.
Mirra, 7777 wake up the thread needs you!

Offline LFCsnoopz

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #16 on: July 25, 2008, 12:53:15 am »
yer all bastards you teachers are.


;D

Offline G a r y

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #17 on: July 25, 2008, 09:06:05 am »
I think my job is amazing. I enjoy working with the kids from Kirkby party because they remind me of what I was like in school so I can have some fun with them. I couldn't see myself working in a school like Blue Coat I just don't think i'd have anything to speak to the kids about.

Yeah Ste is sound, he is a good Liverpudlian so at least you have one thing in common ;)

Offline Degs

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #18 on: July 25, 2008, 09:25:39 am »
Can I just ask the ICT teachers what they teach because after coming out of a 4 year computer studies degree looking back the school wasn't very good with it.
There was no GCSE offered to my year (although this has now changed) and the A level course was basic stuff like using Adobe GoLive (instead of proper HTML), doing a leaflet on Microsoft Publisher, and learning about stock replenishment.

I would have thought there should be some introduction to coding, a little bit of basics about how the machine works (binary code, what ram is etc.), etc.

Has it changed?

Offline G a r y

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #19 on: July 25, 2008, 09:41:35 am »
It was the same when I was in school mate.

It depends really, in our school we offer a BTEC course at GCSE worth either 2 or 4 GCSEs - Databases, Spreadsheets, Graphics, Web Design (Dreamweaver) and Computer Hardware.

Top sets do OCR Nationals which is also equivalent to 1, 2 or 4 GCSEs which is similar but reuires more work.

At A Level we offer GCE Applied ICT, the pupils have to produce their work in the form of an e-book - to reach top grades this does require good knowledge of HTML and inserting videos etc.

We have also just started to offer A Level Computing which is the more advanced version which I think we should be teaching anyway but it is probably too hard for most of the kids in our school.

At the moment our school is running the pilot for the IT Diploma at GCSE and A Levels. I hate it, to me it's a dumbed down education for kids, ok, it might be good for some pupils who may struggle to gain 5+ GCSEs including Maths and English but not for everyone its terrible.

I think you'll find the top schools will offer GCSE ICT and Computing A Level as they are probably the most difficult. But then again schools such as these don't worry too much about ICT as they concentrate more on the academic subjects such as Maths, English and Science.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2008, 09:43:57 am by G a r y »

Offline Degs

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #20 on: July 25, 2008, 09:46:01 am »
It was the same when I was in school mate.

It depends really, in our school we offer a BTEC course at GCSE worth either 2 or 4 GCSEs - Databases, Spreadsheets, Graphics, Web Design (Dreamweaver) and Computer Hardware.

Top sets do OCR Nationals which is also equivalent to 1, 2 or 4 GCSEs which is similar but reuires more work.

At A Level we offer GCE Applied ICT, the pupils have to produce their work in the form of an e-book - to reach top grades this does require good knowledge of HTML and inserting videos etc.

We have also just started to offer A Level Computing which is the more advanced version which I think we should be teaching anyway but it is probably too hard for most of the kids in our school.

At the moment our school is running the pilot for the IT Diploma at GCSE and A Levels. I hate it, to me it's a dumbed down education for kids, ok, it might be good for some pupils who may struggle to gain 5+ GCSEs including Maths and English but not for everyone its terrible.
Alright nice one.

Wish I could have done an extra 4 GCSEs on easy shit like Databases.

Hope you lot don't give lines.
We had one teacher who when you would line up in the yard (around year 7/8, we had a separate school for the 1st 2 years, gone now) would stand at the front counting 5,10, 15, 20, 25, 30 but in the quietest fucking voice ever, until the entire line was quiet.
Then when you least expected it he'd go "Right so that's 75 lines for next Wednesday", oh you dyed tasch twat!

Offline TonyTheRed

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #21 on: July 25, 2008, 09:48:17 am »
yer all bastards you teachers are.


;D

Is right. All my teachers at West Derby Comp (a hundred years ago now) were all vicious, mean and horrible bastards.

In fact, I think I'll give that fuckin' school a little visit with some of my friends   :wave

like one day u will find out im not female :)

Offline Dish shhh

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #22 on: July 25, 2008, 10:52:40 am »
Can I just ask the ICT teachers what they teach because after coming out of a 4 year computer studies degree looking back the school wasn't very good with it.
There was no GCSE offered to my year (although this has now changed) and the A level course was basic stuff like using Adobe GoLive (instead of proper HTML), doing a leaflet on Microsoft Publisher, and learning about stock replenishment.

I would have thought there should be some introduction to coding, a little bit of basics about how the machine works (binary code, what ram is etc.), etc.

Has it changed?

Have to agree with you mate and I have been trying to get the kids to look more closely at what it is they are actually doing introducing some very simple php and javascript when studying the web development unit at A-Level. 

To be honest the biggest single issue with how ICT is taught is the fact that there is no requirement to teach coding and teaching HTML in depth is pretty pointless with the amount of excellent WYSIWYG editors available.  However I do expect the pupils to be able to read it at the very least.
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Offline JonnyCigarettes®

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #23 on: July 25, 2008, 11:17:31 am »

The rest of the RAWK teachers are clearly down the pub, passing round the ready rub.


PS - I like Mirra in theory but don't want to meet him. Especially in a dark alley.
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Offline hooded claw

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #24 on: July 25, 2008, 02:44:50 pm »
Fucking hell. A teachers' thread. How many weeks holiday is it you lot get and you still go on strike over pay and conditions? Brought he country to its knees that day didn't you?
Gobshites.

Offline TheKid.

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #25 on: July 25, 2008, 02:45:29 pm »
;D

Offline bigal

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #26 on: July 25, 2008, 03:19:24 pm »
Fucking hell. A teachers' thread. How many weeks holiday is it you lot get and you still go on strike over pay and conditions? Brought he country to its knees that day didn't you?
Gobshites.

Six weeks. So f*** you

Offline bigal

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #27 on: July 25, 2008, 03:20:59 pm »
It will be colleagues like you that will keep me motivated and interested.  It just seems to me to be a profession where everyone turns cynical within 4/5 years

You're right there. Too many teachers are cynical and became teachers because they couldn't think of what else to do. Fortunately there are many more good ones. Glad you're enjoying it

Offline hooded claw

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #28 on: July 25, 2008, 03:36:44 pm »

Offline TheKid.

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #29 on: July 25, 2008, 03:43:19 pm »
if only I was getting paid for it :(

Offline bigal

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #30 on: July 25, 2008, 03:46:47 pm »
:lmao

Good reaction mate ;) 
As I said the 6 weeks is the major perk of the job, I make no bones about it.
What do you do by the way?

Offline hooded claw

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #31 on: July 25, 2008, 03:55:41 pm »
Good reaction mate ;) 
As I said the 6 weeks is the major perk of the job, I make no bones about it.
What do you do by the way?

Head of Inclusion in a good-sized primary school  :wave

Offline eLVIScOSTELLO

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #32 on: July 25, 2008, 03:59:09 pm »
Settle down, settle down.

Its your own time you're wasting........

Offline bigal

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #33 on: July 25, 2008, 04:04:56 pm »
Head of Inclusion in a good-sized primary school  :wave

That's a tough one. You'll need the break

Offline Dish shhh

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #34 on: July 25, 2008, 04:21:51 pm »
bloody teachers, overpaid and underworked! Go on then, where does everyone work? Macauley, which south Liverpool school was that placement in?

New Heys..................
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Offline misskopite

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #35 on: July 25, 2008, 05:23:15 pm »
Perfect timing for this thread.  I was recently offered a teaching position at a secondary school and already looking forward to my summer holidays next year (that is if I survive this term! :P)
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Offline TheKid.

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #36 on: July 25, 2008, 05:44:10 pm »
oh macauly, new heys is what I thought of as hell on earth, did some supply there last year, couldn't go back, even when they offered me double money! Tho I guess people love teaching there, but it really was a bit too extreme for me!

Offline SMD

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #37 on: July 25, 2008, 05:57:22 pm »
Can I just ask the ICT teachers what they teach because after coming out of a 4 year computer studies degree looking back the school wasn't very good with it.
There was no GCSE offered to my year (although this has now changed) and the A level course was basic stuff like using Adobe GoLive (instead of proper HTML), doing a leaflet on Microsoft Publisher, and learning about stock replenishment.

I would have thought there should be some introduction to coding, a little bit of basics about how the machine works (binary code, what ram is etc.), etc.

Has it changed?

That's computing, not ICT. I found that out the hard way. :-\

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Offline rafathegaffa83

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #38 on: July 25, 2008, 06:04:21 pm »
Funny story actually - I was doing my first placement in a school in south Liverpool and there were a few kids picking on a Somali pupil telling him to go back where he belonged etc.  It turns out that the kids in question had Irish surnames and couldn't understand that they were from an immigrant background.

I remember that happening loads of times as a kid in schools that I went to. Oh, the irony.

Offline Degs

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Re: The Teachers' Thread
« Reply #39 on: July 25, 2008, 06:42:16 pm »
That's computing, not ICT. I found that out the hard way. :-\
It was the only course offered at the time, like I said there wasn't even a widespread GCSE at the time.

The education system was (and still may be) light years behind in teaching IT.  Maybe because the IT world moves so fast but I argue the basic principles stay the same and once you've learnt basic stuff (like learning your first C based language) it's a platform for learning countless more offshoots (like learning C++ then moving to Java).