So here I am still alive and kicking after my first week as a Carpentry Lecturer in a Further Education College. The first two days were pure induction, now you know I’m not one to pick fault 😉 but really? All the teacher training I have done to date (and that’s not a lot) emphasises ‘students are not empty vessels’. Obviously teachers and lecturers are. Where was my diverse lesson? Where was my differentiation? Why have I just been assaulted by numerous Heads of Departments with a torrent of information none of which I remember because they did not, ‘ensure that learning had taken place’? It’s ok my colleagues on my wing department put me right.
The students, sweet sixteen and never been kissed? Hardly, was I really like that when I was sixteen? They have more mood swings than a pregnant Albanian (if you’re Albanian you’ll know what I mean if you’re not and you go to Albania keep away from the pregnant women). I realise that teenagers need a lot of sleep, but guys, does it have to be in my theory lesson?
To be fair it went well for a man who had no lesson plan, no confidence and at one point no classroom, which had been taken over by the External Verifier.This seemed to cause a lot of head scratching, ‘Oh, what to do with the Yorkshire geezer and his bunch of construction boys’.
I suggested in my best, ‘Pride of Miss Jean Brodie’ voice that, “I’ll take my boys to the park, after all we are the creme de la creme”. After some serious discussions out of our earshot we were dispensed to the library. Twelve, hormonal, male, trainee carpenters in a library? Oh boy did we have fun! They won’t take my room away again in a hurry ;-).
It’s interesting to see the perspective from the other side of the lecture room!
We honestly think that you can’t see us sleeping, and I promise it’s nothing to do with you or the lesson and everything to do with the fact we are yet to grasp the idea of ‘early bedtime’.
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Thanks for taking the time to read it 🙂 always like your comments Jessica, I feel a lot better now but its not the sleeping I mind so much, its the snoring 😉
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Charlie , sounds like a start full of variety! Well done – my pupils stop at 11. I’m full of admiration.
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I taught military stuff to 16 year old cadets, they were equally enthused. I also taught instructional technique, one thing I learned was throw the lesson plan away and embark on the theory that if you are a teacher/instructor you will know what they are expected to learn in the allotted 45 or whatever minutes, teach it; however if you are not a teacher, a lesson plan is as much use as a roll of toilet paper, and probably more effective.
Good luck.
AV
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Ah the lesson plan I only wish I could throw it away. They have an online Dashboard where we publish our lesson plans, which are monitored lol. I’m quite lucky really they are not a bad bunch of lads. Thanks for calling by 😉 Thanks for the #FF by the way.
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Bloody technology, and they call it progress… Good teachers were around long before the net, and they got on just fine. I usually #FF Tweeters who RT my tweets.
AV
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I’m thinking about that poor librarian! Ha ha
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Thanks Denise, they use students in there, the girl just vanished for half an hour ha 😉
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That reminds me of how much I liked that film!
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I haven’t seen Jean Brodie since it was first released, but I read the book last year. Thanks for stopping by. 😉
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It’s good to shake it up in the library – as a librarian I applaud you….
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Thankyou, at the time I thought it was a stupid idea but it kinda worked, for us anyway. Thanks for reading 😉
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Libraries are rapidly becoming the way station for carpentry students. Don’t you read the American Library Association rag? It was the big story of September 🙂
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Ha!! Damn, how did I miss that issue? It must have come out whilst i was on vacation 😉
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Maybe you could use it for laying down underneath a carpentry project.
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Oh, we use apprentice Plumbers for that 😉
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hee hee
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I just wanted you to know that I nominated you for One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks for having a great blog! Have a wonderful weekend.
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Thankyou soo much and thanks popping in. I hope to get around to some blog reading this evening so put the kettle on 😉
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YOU GO, TEACH! Take them to the hillside and make them dance in lines singing ‘Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti!’ if you have to! Whatever works!!!
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If I could keep them offa U-Tube as soon as my back’s turned I would be happy. Libary today for a little research OMG! Nice comment C 😉
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G’luck Babe!!!
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Happy New Year and a big hug.
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