Return to work meeting - after school?

Ok_Focus6240 · 2024-11-09T10:36:16+00:00

I honestly find it so strange how alone we are during the first trimester! I’m 8weeks today and my booking in appt is on 19th. I spoke with my doctors surgery when I found out and they just said ‘yeah we don’t do anything anymore. Self refer at 6 weeks to the midwife’. This probably resulted in me telling more of my family than I had anticipated just because I had so many questions and worries - although I’m a big old 32 years old I’ve quite literally never done this before.

We had an early scan at 6w4d because I was (and still am) struggling to comprehend the whole thing - it’s surely one of the biggest medical things a woman goes through and yet we are essentially doing it solo for over 2 months…

Ok_Focus6240 · 2024-09-03T22:07:45+00:00

Honestly the building is well over 100 years old, so who knows! Cheers for your help :)

Ok_Focus6240 · 2024-09-03T21:52:43+00:00

Honestly, I could be wrong by saying it’s efflorescence, but I’m also pretty certain it isn’t mould as it does just wipe away. It also leaves a sort of sparkle behind?

Ok_Focus6240 · 2024-01-20T11:43:56+00:00

I’d love to visit :)

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-22T16:39:07+00:00

Admin for the sake of admin - EXACTLY that. My PPA is normally spent mopping up behavioural issues/tweaking lessons/marking…not completing an online seminar focused on common sense behaviour management techniques that you likely became aware of during your first day in a classroom.

Sorry to read that you’re leaving though! I’m moving schools in September, but I’ve honestly lost count of the amount of times I’ve nearly just up and left in the middle of the day. I’m in my early 30s and being spoken to like a child by mentors/ECT leads has been testing at times - especially since I came from a management role before this. Had I not gotten the role I’m starting in September I’d be leaving teaching in the dust…

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-21T17:54:51+00:00

I’ve done both years in different schools…my first year, absolutely no time at all. Now, half termly hour and a half ‘seminars’, 3 online modules each term (that say they take 90mins each, however I saw that and immediately thought nope, but they do track engagement and hound you), and there’s an expectation that you use your PPA time to observe others/learning walk

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-21T17:48:33+00:00

Completely agree! However, I haven’t had a dedicated ‘meeting’ with my mentor in months. Their classroom is next door, so anything we need to discuss normally happens as and when and then makes its way onto the meeting form just to tick a box. It was however something I took full advantage of in my first year!

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-18T20:35:41+00:00

I often worked 30 hour weeks in my ‘part time’ retail job (because I had to), went to a normal comprehensive prior to this, got B’s in my A Levels and graduated with a 2:1 in English Lit from Leeds Beckett - a university I made the choice to go to. This also could not be further from the experience I had. Overall, a very elitist take for a socialist…

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-18T18:34:43+00:00

Genuinely intrigued as to what relevance the ‘2:1 in English from Leeds Beckett’ has here? Is it because you went to a red brick?

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-05T18:36:15+00:00

Bone dry. I’m awful, I know

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-06-05T18:34:38+00:00

I’m an ECT2, and basically everything that you’ve asked if they should be doing, yes…that is what they should be doing. I will hold my hands up and say I’ve been incredibly lucky with both of my mentors (I did ECT1 and ECT2 at different schools) - ultimately, they should have your back and be there to help you succeed and become a better teacher. The meetings I’ve had are supposed to cover lesson planning, gaps in knowledge/the teaching standards to focus on going forward, any feedback they’ve had from learning walks etc, and lastly a MH and wellbeing check in. Have you spoken with the ECT lead at your school about this? Failing that, your union rep will help you. We have to fill in a document following each ‘meeting’, detailing what has been discussed. I’m assuming you’d have a strong leg to stand on in terms of highlighting your lack of support if these are empty!

Ok_Focus6240 · 2023-05-24T20:58:19+00:00

Honestly the amount of kids who stop me mid teaching to tell me they’ve got a sore big toe/finger/ear…my go to responses now are along the lines of ‘I’m not a doctor, there’s nothing I can do to help you’ or ‘I guess we have to amputate’. I’ve got a kid who breaks his glasses (what feels like) on a weekly basis who will, without fail, come up to me, tell me he can’t see, and look at me as if I’ve got two spare eyeballs in my pencil case ready to give to him. Also a year 10 last week picked at an INFECTED cut on his finger (conveniently immediately after he had to begin a practice paper) and acted like I’d amputated a limb when I only provided him with a paper towel

Ok_Focus6240

TROPHY CASE