Mock is the Week

Mock Turtles, Mockingbird, Mockadoodledoo...

This week has been quite exciting in the life of me. Firstly work, mocks everywhere for all around the college. For me Business AS and Economics AS, very exciting and very nervous at the same time and that's just me!

I was met with very very familiar questions or outrageous accusations at the start of every mock, "we haven't learnt this?!", "what does this mean?", "you didn't tell us to revise this!". All huge lies obviously.

It seems everyone was thrown by the wording that exams use and the situation of a exam environment has wobbled them a bit. Not much hope shown by many but I see it as a positive, it is still relatively early days and the only way is up. 

I shall be engulfed by these mocks all weekend with much marking to do and also squeeze in my planning for next week also, I don't think I'll be getting up to any antics at all but that will probably be a good thing as I can save the money. Speaking of which it was recently pay day...I wish I got paid more but doesn't everyone! However I'm happy with my take home salary, it covers my rent, I can save a little bit and live relatively comfortably and enjoy some nice things now and then.

SO...another week down and 3 more to go, still plenty of work to do and plenty of progress to be made, it's starting to get serious at work now with targets/ambitions wanting to be achieved but the heavy truth starting to come into play also and some learners being 'found out' or starting to realise their aspirations need to be a little more realistic.

In other news George Osbourne has announced the spending review and seems like our sector has not been hit as badly as expected. Still cuts being made but not too severe. Hopefully the government will notice that their aim of having 16+ year old in education and gaining new skills requires funding in this sector. I don't know too much about the spending review at this moment in time but I do know that it is a very tough job with countless difficult decisions that could not make. How can I justify cuts in certain sectors to benefit another. They are all equally important sectors that deserve enough funding to function effectively. Balancing the cash flow of the country would be a major challenge especially due to our size and I would mess it up royally!

Creativity, inspiration, call it what you want it has left the building.

Brain Block

Today I have mostly been suffering from brain block, mind blank, empty head space and general lack of creativity.

Not ideal in my profession. I'm trying my best to conjure up some some creative way of delivering lessons on A) Marketing Plans to my A2 Class and B) Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning to my AS Class. I'm really struggling here, Marketing was supposed to be fun and creative...at GCSE level it was. At A-Level it is mind numbingly dry and boring. It's almost as the more intellectually difficult it becomes to more boring and dull it appears to be. There is only so much I can take. 

I have overcome this problem somewhat. Filling time playing educational games should do the trick based on definitions. Not hardly stretching their capabilities but it will have to do for now and should easily fill an easy 15 minutes of the lesson.

I only had two lessons today but my they were boring. My lessons seem to be so boring at the moment as I slowly send myself to sleep in them. I need some inspiration and other resources I can use, someone must have something out there!! I had 2 economics classes today. First lesson was about Trade Creation and Diversion where I spoke and drew a diagram on the board for an hour. I couldn't believe it! the first time I have ever done such a thing, I felt so ashamed. Later I had a lesson on changes in supply and again very much stand at the front and talk. This is not what I had in mind or how I intend to deliver my lessons. A little bit of stand up talking and explaining but then the rest is up to the students and they can crack on with it all. 

I'll get there...eventually!

In other news there has been some terrible goings on in the world all coming from certain extremist militant groups. Awful acts all over the world, the Paris one in particular has the majority of media attention and of the Western World but lets not forget Beirut and Lebanon. To be honest living in the North it would have not concerned me as much as nobody is really bothered about up north but now I live here in London (just about) it has made me more aware and frightened about any future attacks here and how close I am to what must be a major target for these violent groups.

Also Facebook...the stuff that had been coming out of these keyboard warriors is so stupid that is almost funny. People labelling and pointing fingers, jumping to stereotypes and categorising the majority through a minority is ridiculous. I feel for the honest and good people out there who are suffering because of the actions of the minorities. However that is not my biggest issue...it is the hoards of people who have changed their profile picture with the French flag colours in the background. I refused to do this for a couple of reasons. 
Firstly - how is that actually going to help anyone?
Secondly - what about Lebanon, Pakistan and other countries?
Thirdly - I bet the majority of the people changing their profile picture don't have a clue and will most probably generalise and immediately point their finger at the majority and blame them
Fourthly - It's jumping on the bandwagon and it's just something I don't dig.

Anyway that's just my side and I respect people for their side and how they choose to honour the situation as long as they can justify it and they are educated in the situation. If not... sorry I don't have time for it. 

This will do for now.

Ansoff is everywhere.

Looking Back in Cringe I heard You Say

Cringe

This is the first time I have been on my blog for literally years and what on earth was I blabbering on about?! It makes me cringe so much reading the content but I supposed I needed to be there in order to get to here.

So what's changed, well I've finally escaped the curse of the Pendle Witches which was placed onto the City of Lancaster. I've moved onto pastures new to an extent, moving down to the big smoke that is London. New job, new city and the old cliché of new me.

I've decided that I really need to concentrate on my career, get a job and stop feeding off the petty scraps and lifestyle of Supply Teaching, I have had enough. I worked a whole year almost at a PRU in Lancaster which was a cushy number if I have to be honest but essentially no security and I was going nowhere, the school is at a transitional stage with a change of leadership and direction. There was no future there for me so I had to be proactive and get moving. I still keep in touch with a few old colleagues which is nice and I get the gossip still. 

The new job however is a breath of smoggy fresh air...

It's new, it's a new sector, a new challenge and I'm finally teaching the subjects I want to teach...all is good...however the college is going through turbulent times and the sector is taking a beating from the current government. 

Yesterday we were on strike, a national strike, and I'll be honest I wasn't really sure why I was on strike but yesterday was an education for me. I now know why I was striking but my perception on the strike is slightly different towards my union. The day enlightened me and encouraged me to think, assess and reflect. An extra £1 an hour would be lovely and all adds up but I feel that it is unrealistic and to be honest I can live without that for now. What I am more concerned about is the loss of jobs, funding and courses being destroyed in the Further Education Sector. ESOL being scrapped even though Big Dave wants immigrants to be able to speak English, is a big worry and somewhat silly choice. I believe in Further Education, not everyone gets the opportunity to go to fantastic private schools and amazing 6th forms with the chance to attend prestigious Universities. I understand that not everyone can go to University but everyone should be given the chance to achieve qualifications past GCSE level or less. If you don't succeed during your Secondary School you are basically done is the message I am getting. That is unfair. Where is the second chance or opportunity for those people who don't make it first time round for a whole variety of reasons. Anyway you get my view more or less.

The speakers however I was less convinced and motivated by. I get where they are coming from and the message of their objectives and mission is clear and all very similar but what I don't understand is how we are going to get there, what are we actually going to do?

Then there was the Trade Union Bill, that just made me think that it will be an even bigger struggle to achieve what they want. All those other Unions fighting for the same piece of the pie which isn't even that big to start with. The Government have huge tough decisions to make, I just hope they make the ones that help us all in the long run.

Now on the plus side I'm getting to see great places located in our nations capital. I've been to Camden, the City and a tiny bit of Bethnal Green. I will do more exploring but first there is work to be done which is plenty of effective planning, assessing, inspiring and motivating our students. 

I am glad I made the decision to come down to London, I just ask myself, what the hell have I got myself in for this time?