Summer Holidays – how much are holidays??

One of the overriding observations that the general public have is that teaching is an excellent job because of the long holidays, especially in the summer. 6 weeks of doing nothing, just relaxing after the long school year. But how many of you actually do just that?

How many of you spend at least the first week filing that mountain of assessment work, sorting through resources, and trying to decide what to do with that piece of paper that doesn’t fall into any particular group! Were you the one who drew the short straw and had to move classrooms as well?

And then the week before you are due back in its planning, (with another new initiative to incorporate) classroom organisation, and hunt the resources. Before you know it you are asking yourself ‘Where did it go to?’

Not this Year! Don’t waste this precious time. Summer holidays are the time to do all the things you put off. Say yes to seeing friends and family. Say yes to visiting an exhibition or a place of interest. Say yes to doing a new activity like rock climbing or pottery painting. Read all the Whitbread nominations. My target, from my sons teacher at parents evening is to take him roller skating, something I haven’t done since I was in my teens. I have to say I’m quite looking forward to it.

So tell us what are you going to do to really make this summer holiday different? How are you going to get that work/life balance? Let us know … add a comment!

Teachers to have licences

From September 2010 teachers will need to gain a licence to teach – a licence that will then need to be reviewed every 5 years through assessments. Children's Secretary Ed Balls states the proposal is “intended to weed out weak teachers” – but what exactly is a weak teacher?

Union leaders have had mixed views, with ATL stating they think it’s a “bureaucratic nightmare” and NASUWT saying the licensing scheme would give teachers "the long overdue recognition that it is a high status qualification".

Although it may be seen as a positive factor, with parents knowing their children are being taught by teachers approved by the government, it could also be something which may have negative effects – what happens to the teachers who don’t pass the assessment?

Let us know your view, do you think the introduction of a licence will boost the teacher status to that of a doctor or lawyer? Does this new law put you off from studying to become a teacher, or do you feel more encouraged? Is this unnecessary pressure on teachers, or something that’s best for children and teachers alike?

Students being expelled – a lesson taught, or something that should be avoided?

You know the situation, the same child in the class is being disruptive yet again, so what do you do? Well, you have a couple of options, you can send him out the class, but you’ve already done that twice. You would give him a detention, but detentions don’t exist in Primary schools. This child is rude, he swears, hits other children and is stopping everyone else from having a productive day, so, you expel him.

Harsh? The above scenario is all the more common, with Ofsted reporting 13,460 fixed term exclusions in 2006-07. But how can this be avoided? The root cause of the problem could range from anything from problems at home, bullying, wanting attention to name a few. Ofsted Inspectors say the whole situation can be avoided with better classroom management.

What are your views - Have you had a similar situation in your class or school? Do you think exclusions should be avoided, or do you think they are the only effective method? Do you have any tips for better classroom management? Share your thoughts with us!