3rd day

Wednesday, October 6th. 2004. The beeping of the mobile wakes me up suddenly, and straight away I call to the school to make sure they're open today. "We're open as normal today", that's the answer to the phone of the school's receptionist. Today is later than yesterday; no boys in uniform, nor white collars waiting for London. I am alone With a boy listening to rap music in my right. I think I have to hurry with the DTs if I want them done by Friday. I have only two more days... Straight away arriving in Witham, I receive a call from APU reminding me that the school is already open so that I can go. "OK" -I say. At the school I have to check in at the reception desk and wait for "the runner", who is a little girl in charge of leading me to the head of the Language Department. One corridor, stairs, another corridor and a closed door at the end of it. A teacher comes out the classroom and explains to me who he is. Straight away he asks me whether I have more formal clothes. - No. - Well, you'll have to buy some then. Cheap ones, don't worry, it's for the job. He expected me to teach Spanish and French, but I dissappoint him a little by talking about my German... He invites me to come into the classroom, where he is teaching French. He places me at the back bench and follows teaching. Suddenly he starts sepeaking in French something that I don't understand at first, but in five minutes I start getting what is the class about. "Hey -I think- I can learn French here too!". Ten o'clock. The lecture (shall I call it like that, or "class"? or... anyway!) finishes at half past ten, but one of the boys arrives late. The teacher welcomes him with a very enthusiastic British accent. - What kept you? - ... The boy takes a card out of his pocket and swap it in a clock-in machine (clog-in (?)), which beeps rarely. "Amazing!, tienen que fichar y todo!" (:= They even have to clog in on top of it!). The lesson keeps going... Today's topic: the countries and its capitals. In French, of course. The teacher asks the pupils which is the capital of every country, in French, but he gives grammar explanations in English, everything else is in French, even any small comment he does. Pupils speak in English when asking the teacher, but they're quite quiet during the lesson. The teacher gives five minutes or ten, depending on the task pupils have to do. There's no blackboard or chalk in the class, instead, there's a white big pad and special pens to write in it. It reminds me the academy where I used to teach (English) in Spain. In the classroom there's a corkboard on the wall where you can stick things, and it's full of A4-sheets with many things in French. On the wall you can see posters of Europe, France, flags and a skeleton. Something curious: on the wall you can see a lot of A4-plastified-sheets explaining every level from one to eight, about listening, writing, speaking and reading. I think is the same as the National Curriculum levels. I like that. I notice some resources like a wall projector and a OHP. Year 8. Set 1: this means they're the most capable of year 8. There's a French pupil in the class who doesn't speak any English... The teacher gives me the school's timetable: I have to be here from 8'30h. to 15h. 08'30 - 09'30: Lesson 1. 09'30 - 10'30: Lesson 2. 10'30 - 10'45: BREAK. 10'45 - 11'45: Lesson 3. 11'45 - 12'45: Lesson 4. 12'45 - 13'30: LUNCH. 13'30 - 14'30: Lesson 5. 14'30 - 15'00: Registration. Five minutes before the end, the teacher asks for a pupil to collect all the books numbered from 1 to 20. "Au revoir!" say all the pupils at the same time while leaving the classroom. The French teacher leads me to the Spanish teacher, who is Portuguese, and leaves us alone. The Spanish teacher explains me some things about how this school works and he gives me the syllabus for years 7, 8 and 9, together with two books for me to have a look. For the next two weeks I'm only going to do observation. The bell rings and the Spanish teacher tells me to stay in the staff room, which key has been given to me by the French teacher. So I go there and write a little. Let's have a look around this office. ... DT1: "Analise two contrasting examples of teachers' strategies for classroom managements". (This means pupil's behaviour and how teachers manage it. p.B39 of the red booklet). Sample 1: French lesson. Right. The French lesson's pupils were behaving quite good, so the teacher didn't have to manage any bad behaviour. About the boy arriving late (1/2h late), the French teacherjust asked him what happened and, at the end of the lesson, he wrote something in a boy's small red notebok, which is a book to monitoring pupils on behaviour. Pupils must follow this to behave properly in this school: - Arrive on time. - Raise their hands before speaking. - Not swearing. It is scored from 1 to 5 in the red note books, so if everything is correct, they get a 5 at the end of every lesson. This morning's pupil had an excuse to arrive late: he was at the dentist's, so the French teacher scored 5. Sample 2: Spanish lesson. Year 8. The Spanish teacher invites me to go to his lecture. The description of the classroom is more or less as the one of the French classroom, but everything in Spanish. Today's class objectives are written on the whiteboard: Grammar. Directions. Prepositions. Word and sentence order. All the pupils raise their hands before speaking when the teacher asks something. By the way: the pupils' ties are really short!. The child in front of me has a piercing in his left ear. Boys are whispering a lot, while girls just look around. This class looks less serious than the French one, you cannot hear the silence here, but it makes it more comfortable (perhaps is because the French teacher is also the head of the Department (?)). Pupils raise their hands and the teacher picks them up to speak. He speaks very fast mixing Spanish and English. One of the boys in the front is laying his back on the wall, and messing the class about a little, so the teacher turns his face down and tells the pupil to sit properly. Some loud repetition, in which the teacher doesn't want pupils to copy, just listen and repeat, although some of them keep copying and the teacher tells them to put the pens down. The boy in the front keeps laying his back on the wall but the teacher doesn't pay many attention to him, although this pupil doesn't seem to be very interested in the lesson. He is said to sit at the back of the classroom and he moves away while whispering swear words and with lazy movements, throws his bag at the floor. He starts writing on the wall and not paying attention to the teacher. Pupils in this school are taught Spanish only once a week, and French twice a week, therefore they are in level 3 (KS3) for Spanish, and level 4 (KS3) for French. The teacher leaves 5 minutes for the pupils to do an exercise and explains me that there are two pupils missing. "They are the ones who have "character", fortunately, they're not coming today". Some pupils don't pronounce very well, but this doesn't look to bother the teacher, who repeats the word properly. Some pupils are picked up without raising their hands. Then comes when I do something with the pupils: the teacher asks them to speak with a partner, so I speak with the one in front of me (the one wearing a ear piercing). Exercise: directions. The boy behaving badly (the one at the back) joins us: probably he thinks it's funny to hear a national Spanish citizen. Plenary: Write 3 directions with prepositions. I use to flick the pen around my hand, and some pupils try to imitate me and they ask me how to do it. I spend ten seconds for the explanation, but I realise that they are not paying attention to the teacher, so this --> me, could be an extra reason for him to manage pupil's behaviour. So I tell them to turn around and listen to the teacher. The teacher helps the boy at the back writing on his notebook some exercises, although the others do it by themselves. Then comes homework. The pupils queue for the teacher to mark their red notebooks with merits (some college stickers). Detention: After the lecture, we stay in the class talking a little and one pupil with a very stuffed hair appears, clogs-in and sits down. The teacher explains me that he is detained because he didn't do his homework, so he will be in the class for 15 minutes doing it. Pupils misbehaving are detained in this school. If they have to stay in the school after 3pm, a note must be sent to their parents 24h in advance. Sample 3: Spanish lesson. Year 9. Set 1. 14 years old. Topics of today's lesson: the future, demonstrative pronouns. In Britain, pupils move to different classrooms depending on their timetable, and is the teacher who stays in the same classroom teachin his/her subject. In Spain is the opposite, so it's only teachers who walk around the school in between lectures. Year 9, 14 years old, but still there's other pupil in front of me wearing an ear ring in his left ear. They look quieter than the year 8 ones. You can hear the "silence". You can also hear other class' repetition exercises in French, often. The teacher writes 8 verbs in infinitive for them to write in the future tense, so the teacher has time to arrange/set some things. There's only one pupil who fail 7 out of the 8, so the teacher writes in his personal organiser (the red book) that he will have to review the exercise tomorrow during the break. One of the girls goes out the class for a while and she swaps her card when she leaves and when she comes back into the class... amazing. The lecture finishes and the "registration" begins. It's only half an hour and it's a time when kids are supossed to do homework, or something useful for their lectures of tomorrow... During the registration, a couple of girls are listening to a CD player, and the teacher asks them to switch it off, they are quiet rude from my point of view, but they switch it off. In this time, pupils do whatever they wantand behave as they please, so I can notice who is the bully, the freaky, the coolest girl and boy in the class, and things like that. Another teacher comes into the class and cheks that everyone has something to do. Registration ends and a staff meeting is held in the staff room, it's about a new way of detention, which it has been performed by a teacher of the school: - 1st warning. - 2nd warning. - 15 minutes detention... and if missed - 30 minutes detention. Once in the train I look back through the day and I think: "Busy... and fast". Let's see tomorrow...

4th day

Thursday, October 7th. 2004 Today is the beginning of the forthcoming three months. Eight o’clock. Prime time at the train station. Full of white collars and school boys. When I arrive to the school all the teachers are already in their classes, so I go to the Language Department and have a look to the language games, programs in the computer and read about my assessments. The bell doesn’t ring, but the first morning class is finished. The Spanish teacher gives me my teaching timetable for me to carry on with it in two weeks. The Spanish teacher recommends me to go to other Spanish lesson, which I will have to teach soon. Lesson 2 of the day: Year 9. Set 1. This Spanish teacher is English, with red hair, and his accent is funny for me. He checks that everybody is in the class (register). Today’s topic: demonstratives. - Starter: copy and translate some vocabulary of the house. He speaks both in Spanish and English. Instead of writing on the whiteboard he uses his laptop and the projector, so he just types it down!! - Some sentences to translate from English to Spanish. - He sets the objectives for today: “Hacer falta” vs. “necesitar”. This teacher’s way of teaching is quite similar to my way, so I enjoy this lecture, and I even take some notes! (I learn English with his Spanish lessons). - Repetition of what the teacher says (listening), loud. He does it in a very funny way, with different accents and so... Later, he makes a pupil to become the teacher for a couple of minutes, speaking and giving instructions, so the rest must repeat what he says. The teacher behaves as a pupil, repeating what she says, even if she doesn’t pronounce peoperly... it’s funny. Then, the other pupils score her, and the teacher corrects her mistakes afterwards. This teacher looks really funny in the class, I can’t believe that he was the speaker yesterday at the staff meeting, talking about detention. While observing the pupils, I have the feeling that they are treated sometimes as customers, all the time informing them about what will they do beforehand and how they did it afterwards. - Plenary: one exercise and some homework, which he explains thoroughly. He finishes three minutes early, so he does revision (having all the students ready to go). A little of improvisation is always good to have at the back of your brain. Duty: Once or twice a week, one of the staff teachers hast to stay at the cantine making sure that all the pupils behave properly. (S)He takes care of things like: they queue straight, they don’t smoke, etc. While writing in this diary in the middle of the corridor, three girls from year 8 stop and talk to me. - Mr...... Daniel? –The hesitate. - Yes? And we start having a short but nice conversation about what do they study and what do I teach... Some pupils already recognise me. Lesson 3 of the day: Year 7. 10’45h.: Pupils queue by the classroom’s door until the teacher (the portuguese one this time) tells them to come in (and clog-in). 18 beeps in a row. The teacher explains how he is going to label mistakes in their exams/essays: S Spelling. Gr Grammar. G Gender. V Verb missing. VE Verb Ending. Sing. Singular. Pl. Plural. P Punctuation. WO Word Order. - Vocabulary: months and some sentences about relationships. - Repetition. - Talk in twos. - Use of the tape. Questions about what the’ve heard. - Homework. And the lecture is finished... I have an appoinment with the doctor, so I have to leave the school earlier. I have to say it to my language mentor (the portuguese Spanish teacher) and to the director. Next Monday is going to be very busy...

5th day

Monday, October 11th. 2004 Vaya Hombre! You have 34% discount with the ONE Railcard only IF you take the train after 10am., otherwise it's prime time and you pay the normal fare... not fair. Anyway... Today I will have to run if I want to be on time at 8'30am. at the school because I missed the 7'39am. service and I am now waiting for the 8'06am. one... Let's see. I get off the train and run all the way to the school. I arrive on time. The teacher of Spanish tells me that I will do a pupil tracking on Tuesday and a teacher tracking on Wednesday. Today, I have to attend to lessons 1 and 5, this means one at 8'30h., and the next at 13'30h. I'm going to redraft last week's essay and prepare this week's one. Lesson 1: Year 8 (set 1). Spanish. Structure of the lesson: - Review (of lasts week's topic: giving directions to places). ... Vocabulary. ... Expressions. ... Use of a city plan. ... The teacher asks. - Practice in couples (here is when I get involved with a couple of pupils). - Loud repetitions. - The teacher asks for translation into English. - Copy new vocabulary (prepositions). ... meanwhile, the teacher does the Register (!!). - Book p.84: Map of the city. ... Grammar explanation: de+el= del. ... Exercises (the teacher gives 10 minutes). - Listening to a cassette and later the teacher asks for translation into English. - The teacher praises the students and introduces me as a teacher as of next week. - The teacher sets the homework. I believe pupils get their homework done here, so I think I could rely in it to do my class plan then. (Things like them having prepared a list of prepositions in English or something to discuss in the class). This Friday is the "Open Day" (I saw the add in the local newspaper). People, pupils and parents, coming next year for year 6 will visit the school and probably some lessons. I have beeen reading through some information and I find there is too much paperwork for something like teaching a lecture. I don't want to say that teaching a labguage is something easy (for pupils that age by a native speaker), but I have the feeling that I will be busier doing all this paperwork and preparations rather than teaching the actual lessons. between lessons 1 and 5, I stay in the language staff room and rewrite my essay from last week. Lesson 5: Year 7. German. Year 7 is the firs time pupils learn a language. And German is the third one they chose. They prefer first French, then Spanish and later German. The teacher of German is the same teacher of French I know. The lecture begins. He sets the students and tell them to sit down and so... One of the pupils has a very dirty and refolded piece of homework and the teacher tells him off about it. The teacher starts doing a revision of what they know, he speaks in English and German. Structure of the lecture: 13'30h: - Presentation in German. He asks pupils for translation into English. - He sets what they should be able to do by now (say their names, age, where do they live, hello, bye, etc.). - He gives orders in German and the pupils must do what he says. - Repetition of words. 13'40h.: He gives their homework books back to them. - He shows the pupils the KS3 levels on Reading Writing, Listening and Speaking and talks about levels 1 and 2 in german, and in their own language! - He introduces me to the class in a very funny and childish way. (He is behaving in a very different way now than when teaching French for year 8... amazing). 13'48h.: - He introduces today's lecture and gives the books to the pupils. - The pupils copy from the books. 14'00h.: - He makes me correct the spelling of some children. 14'10h.: - The numbers: children must copy them from the whiteboard. - The teacher makes the pupils to pronounce the numbers. - Repetition. 14'25h.: - Homework. - "Pack zusammen". During the registration I saty at the Spanish teacher's classroom, but I am supposed to be in other teacher's classroom, which name I don't know yet. Every Monday there is a staff meeting in the school to up date the teachers about everybody's queries, meeting to which I have to attend too. Back in the train I start thinking about what happened today, and there was something that called my attention more than usual: During the German class, one of the pupils asked my name. - My name's Daniel -I said. But I shouldn't have called myself as that, because when the teacher heared that one pupil called me like that: "Mr. Daniel", which I don't find very unpolite, he looked surprised, and after the class he told me that I should call myself as "Mr. Duart", so should the pupils... Here in the British schools, teacher-pupil distance is relevant to the school's relationships and, thus, I shouldn't approach very much...

6th day

Tuesday, October 12th. 2004 It's raining today. A pupil entered to the language staff room to handle an essay or something to the French teacher. - I want to leave this in the late homework box... - Ask me how I am... - How are you? - Good!, some social skills! This was a little useful minute for the beginning of this day. Today is my Pupil Tracking Day, so I have to follow a Year 10 girl the whole day in her lessons, for me to see how is a pupil's life in the school. Thanks God I still remember my days at school though. Lesson 1: IT 2 (Information Technology). Year 10... of course. She (the pupil) looks like a very quiet girl. She sits at the front and don't speak too much. The teacher looks quite young. The pupils have to work in couples with a computer and the teacher asks one of the pupil to choose his/her partner, then he picks somebody else to do the same, and so on... They sit in the computer and have to write about the school organisation. One of the girls in other computer asks me what is the plural of "mouse". - "Mice" or "mouses"? I know they are 14 year old pupils, but still it's kind of amazing for me to see those mistakes from them, they are English! Lesson 2: Arts & Textiles. The whole classroom is really full of drawings and pictures. The teacher tells them off because of the bad presentation of former works. This time, they have to do a box to put all their work in it. I miss lesson 3 because I have a meeting with my language tutor, it's a pitty, because it was the English lesson and I was very interested in seeing how English pupils learn English at school, but I will arrange another day to attend to one of those ones. During our meeting, my tutor and I talk about our targets for this week and the next one. I see that he has been told to do something with me too, not only letting me observe and teach a little... These are the targets for next week: - Maintain observations and taking of notes. - Look "professional" (that's surprising for me, because I am a native speaker and very... really accurate with the language I use, specially in Spanish, nevertheless I don't want to be scary for pupils, but at the same time I have to look professional... anyway). - Punctuality and dress code. - Think/prepare excerpt of lessons for the following week (which I will be already teaching). Lesson 4: History. The teacher shouts a lot and during the registration she asks for the pupil's homework; of course, our pupil has them done... The teacher looks quite strict. She starts asking the pupils about what they know about the confrontation between France and Germany, meanwhile, she writes a summary on the whiteboard quite thoroughly. After that, pupils read their books loud. The teacher picks up some pupils to read, among them, the girl I'm tracking today. This girl told me that all her family has come to this school... wow! Lesson 5: Maths. The teacher does registration straight away and pupils call him "sir" to answer. - Yes, sir. - Here, sir. Everybody is given a calculator, although some of them have already one, like our main character today: today's tracked girl. The Math's book is very thick and it has a shape of those books from Uni: thick and not very big. The teacher tests them a little and later introduces today's topic: Trigonometry and Proportion. This teacher looks quite calm and is very accurate when speaking. I like his way of giving a lesson, is very interesting (from my point of view). I'm listening to the explanation and thinking that I'm starting to forget all these things, although I like them a lot. I will have to refresh my mind if I don't want to lose this knowledge! I feel like one more pupil, because I am really remembering things I had in the back of my brain, and I'm glad to see that still I know some maths... Registration: The last 1/2 hour at school. The little girl tells me that during registration she does some homework, or sometimes nothing... Before today I thought that, in only half an hour, a pupil doesn't have enough time to do his/her homework, but after seeing what do they have for homework, and if the student is a little smart, this half an hour is enough for them to have many of their homework done, so they don't have to do anything at home. But still, if I would be a child their age, I wouldn't take all the profit of this time... The teacher in this classroom tries to keep everybody busy, but it looks like impossible sometimes. When I hear some of the children, I sometimes get surprised about how deep their voice pitch is at that age. Pack up. Go home.

7th day

Wednesday, October 13th. 2004 I do not bother in taking the diary out of the bag and writing in it anymore, I just wait until the moment I can start writing at the school, and write... Today, I have to do a teacher traking . I have to be the whole day following the Art teacher, the difference from yesterday is that I wouldn't be running around the whole school from class to class, but I will stay in the same room... Before the start of the period 1... by the way, here they say "period" for every class/lesson they have, anyway... The Art teacher told me that he has been to five schools and you can say that this is a very typical comprehensive school, so everything I learn here could be useful knowledge for other schools. Period 1: Year 11 (Art... of course). The Art teacher leaves one sheet on all the tables of the class, before the pupils come in. he explains me that the art lessons are not really useful for the students to become painters or something, but for them to think individually and to have self motivation, so that is why I can find students in the class at different stages of the work they have to do, because they are told to plan it as they please, and this method works when the students work, and in year 11 normally everybody works well, except one or two who are messing around a little. What I like of Art is that there are no stablished rules to do what you want to, so you do it your way. Month's topic: Patterns. The teacher introduces me to the students and tells them that I am here to observe their behaviour... that way, I think students look at me and think: "Uuuuh, I have to behave properly today...". Good trick. I think I'm going to call children from KS3 "pupils" and the ones from KS4 "students". The teacher invites me to feel free to walk around in the class and be as intrusive as I consider, well, I do so... and I see that one boy in the class has an amazing sketchbook, he draws thing with a pen, black and white, and you can see the shape, texture and relieve of the things he draws perfectly, it's really amazing. A gifted one among fifteen, and probably among all the pupils I'm going to see today. I watch him drawing and I notice his patience. The teacher walks around checking their progress and he takes notes in a big classroom book. Period 2: Year 10. "Some pupils are quite larry and sometimes they don't behave peoperly, it depends on how much you push them to do some work, the problem is that you never know how much you can push them". Month's Unit: "Myself". This class is really quiet, they have work and they do it. Sometimes the teacher breaks the silence by saying something to a child or to me. This teacher works in a very calm and confident way. Plenary: the teacher gives intructions on what thwy should have done on the deadline. He praises the children for working so quiet. BREAK Period 3: Year 11. Those ones do not behave what I would say "properly". Right coming into the class I witnessed two boys showing off and fighting and at the same time the teacher was trying to separate them to finish the riot, and I arrived only one minute late!! After that, the lesson continues as usual, y'know, chatting, messing around, painting... it's Art, innit? (Students register in Art because they think it may be easy, but when they realise it is not, it's like a pain in the ... neck, for them). The teacher sits together with one of the worst students of the class, and helps him to do his work -he even provides him the material!- Year 11 do a "mock exam" on Christmas to practice thier GCSE final exam in April. Suddenly, the teacher rewards the students by giving them a Cadbury's small toffee candy. He gives me one too!! Then the teacher sits near me and we have a conversation about the difference between the English and the Spanish schools and pupils behaviour. With these schools experiences I think I'm going to get the English childhood that I've never had for being Spanish... Period 4: Year 12 Those students did their GCSE last year, and this is not KS4, but the 6th Form (That's the way it was called on the olden years). They don't wear uniforms and are listening to music from a CD player in the class. In the walld you can see some nude paintings (which I think they are totally forbiden in younger years). Some of the works are really nice. Thay are not "pupils" anymore and they don't have to com to school, it's their choice to do so, that's why they're not obliged to wear uniforms. I have the feeling that with Year 12 studens, the distance pupil-teacher disappears and you can get closer, but still they address the teacher as "Sir". I have to learn from this teacher. he spends his time teaching very relaxed. I was always under stress when teaching English in Spain. I hope I will learn this year how to teach and be relaxed (although I am asked to write an essay every week, and PDPs, QTS tests, and so on...). LUNCH Period 5: Year 9. There are much more pupils in this class than in any other one I've seen today, and they are quite quiet, but still the teacher asks them to be quieter (could it be that he is tired, or is just that they are younger so they must learn how to behave more strictly?). Registration: 6th Form. This teacher's registration is with the teenager students. He deliverswhat I reach to see as the School's Newsletter. The students are sit in their places, talking to each other and reading some pieces of paper. They finish early than usual if they have nothing to do or, like today, they have to join some sport's activity later. I go home.

8th day

Thursday, October 14th. 2004 I get to the platform and there’s a broken down train in it, so there will be a delay in the train I have to take. People start coming and you can see how they (we) start accumulating on the platform. More and more people are coming. Suddenly, the speakers say something for the people going to London, and we start running around the station changing from one platform to another... crazy morning. Period 2: Year 10. Spanish. The teacher of Spanish has some exercises ready for the pupils. 09’30h.: Pupils get into the class 09’38h.: The teacher writes the objectives of the lesson and switches on the OHP with an exercise ready. “La Ciudad”. Pupils do the exercise. Pupils from Year 10 won’t do a writing exam, but a coursework; they will do an exam developing the other skills, Reading, Listening and Speaking. 09’44h.: The teacher explains the exercise and corrects it. Pupils say their answers. 09’48h.: He introduces me and explains that I will be their oral language assistant teacher. 09’50h.: OHP: Brief report about Ciudad de México, with a few questions at the end. Pupils and teacher do the exercise together. He explains how do they have to do this kind of exercises in the GCSE. 09’55h.: He distributes some books to the pupils. p.20: Revision: The school timetable. 10’05h.: p.20: Revision: the times. 10’09h.: The times: practice (on the whiteboard). Pupils do the exercise of times (on their notebooks). 10’14h.: Correction by the teacher and pupils. 10’16h.: The teacher asks and the pupils answer about what time do they have to do things. 10’20h.: Exercise: Pupils have to write their own timetable in Spanish. 10’30h.: End of the class. BREAK Period 3: Year 8. Spanish. There’s the red hair Spanish teacher here today, so I expect this lesson to be a good and funny one today... let’s see. 10’45h.: Pupils get into the classroom. 10’52h.: The teacher switches on his laptop and connects it to the projector. He gives instructions in Spanish for the register of the pupils (they must say something in Spanish, but not the usual “sir”, “present” or something). He asks for explanation in English. 11’00h.: STARTER: Game: "Blockbusters". Pupils must say a word beginning with the letter of a cell. later, the teacher focuses the game by asking a word regarding a specific topic (already taught). 11'09h.: The teacher asks two pupils to distribute their notebooks. 11'10h.: The teacher sets today's objectives: what they've learned to create larger conversation. Exercise: Fill in the gaps with the correspondent letters (on the whiteboard). 11'19h.: Correction: Pupils must say the letters missing by giving the answer they had in mind. Pupils score themselves and say it to the teacher for him to write their marks down. 11'25h.: The teacher asks questions about what they already know, expressions and so (about directions). 11'35h.: Pupils copy a conversation given by the teacher on the whiteboard (also about directions). 11'40h.: the teacher sets their homework. 11'45h.: pack up and go. As I will have to teach those pupils for the first time next Monday, I'm going to write down here my first idea of giving a lesson: Lesson Plan for 8zSh1. On Monday, 18th October. 2004. 1- Introduce myself to them: 1.1. Where do I come from. 1.2. My city: Valencia. 1.3. My languages: Spanish and Valencian. 1.4. My flags: the Spanihs and the Valencian one. 2- Alphabet. I want to understand them properly, because I am not English, and as a start I will make them to pronounce the alphabet properly in Spanish, focusing on the vowels: 2.1. Write the alphabet. 2.2. Listen how do I pronounce the alphabet, specially vowels. 2.3. Repeat with me. 2.4. Pronounce it by themselves. 3- Texts in English and Spanish. Use the OHP, or the laptop + the projector, to show them two texts. 3.1. The first text will be in English: 3.1.i. Pupil: I will ask somebody to read it as good as they can (in English). 3.1.ii. Me: I will read it as good as I can (in English). 3.1.iii. Me: I will read it with a Spanish accent (and exagerate it!). 3.1.iv. Pupil: I will ask somebody to read it with a Spanish accent. 3.1.v. Pupil: Somebody else wants to try? 3.2. The second text will be in Spanish: 3.2.i. Me: I will read it in Spanish. 3.2.ii. Pupil: I will ask somebody to read it in Spanish. 3.2.iii. Me: I will read it with an English accent (just for them to mock around with my pronunciation and themselves’!). 4- Revision of the vocabulary they know, “and, please, pronounce as good as you can”. 4.1. Directions. 4.1.i. If there’s time: Draw a map explaining me how to get from the train station to the school. 4.2. My Town: vocabulary they know of “La Ciudad”. 4.3. New vocabulary: Adjectives to describe towns (see the book). Training Lesson: By our Professional Tutor. I have to attend to this training lesson every Thursday at period 5 time. Let's see... Our professional Tutos is here to follow up our observations. Today we are going to speak about bad behaviour in the classroom and its management.

9th day

Monday, October 18th. 2004 Period 3: Year 8. Set 1. Spanish. Before this class, I was very excited about it because I was going to teach during this class. I decided to teach them a little of phonetics and phonology, how Spanish is pronounced and make contrasts with English. The only thing I was scared of was timing. I planned my lesson to cover the whole hour, and my mentor told me that I was supposed to take only ten or twenty minutes of the class, but I wanted to check the pupils, and myself, teaching the whole hour. It went good. Pupils were interested and I didn’t go blank at all. Now I’m back in the staff room, and back to the boring part of this job: the essays. There was a Special Needs boy (SEN) in the class, but I didn’t notice him until the teacher (the red haired one) asked me to fill a green card scoring him on "Behaviour" and "Effort". This green card is supposed to be held by all the SEN pupils in the school, and be scored by all the teachers after all their lessons. That is the only way a SEN pupil can be monitored properly by all the teachers. The thing is that this card is only held for one or two weeks, and later, those pupils are still SEN, but they are not monitored, unless they have a behaviour or ability-to-learn problem. I only have one problem with the kids: they sometimes speak too fast for me and I don’t understand them... but I turn this in my favour telling him/her that I am Spanish and not English, so they must pronounce properly and speak better than they do, and this helps them to do the same in Spanish, whis is a good trick I think. I make them realise how would they feel if I spoke too fast in Spanish... then, they understand and repeat their questions slowly for me. Registration: I missed this registration last Thursday with this teacher because our Professional Tutor took too long with his explanation, so I left the school straight away he finished, because it was only one ot two minutes to the end of the school's day... anyway. With this teacher (is a she!), pupils are very quiet, although some of them are whispering to each other. This makes me think how I am going to manage with the class when I will be alone by myself. I wouldn't like the class to be a mess, but I wouldn't like to be in total silence, I know that's not good for children, but it is very difficult to get that balance, let's see. This teacher has work set for the pupils to do, so the class is quiet reading. later she asks some questions about the environment and why it is important to have it clean. Staff meeting: The best part comes now. As every Monday, I have to attend to the staff meeting, held in the staff room. I don't really have nothing to do there, but listening the teacher's concerns. Thanks God it lasts only fifteen minutes or so. After the meeting, the Head of the Language Department tells me that we are going to have a meeting upstairs. So all the language teacher meet in a classroom. At first I really wasn't in the mood for this meeting, -you know, I want to be at home as soon as possible, prepare tomorrow's stuff, have my dinner and go to bed- but while beig there, listening to the Head Teacher, I became more interested in what is happening in this Department. We are supposed to be one of the best Departments, concerning school's work to handle, although I didn't do anything, but the way he was praising the other teachers made me fel like one of them. He congratulated the teachers for their attendance to the Open Day on Saturday, to which I didn't go (and hence, he didn't look at me when speaking about that), but it looked like a very good and close team, and I liked that. Let's see whether I am integrated in that team. I don't want to be rude sometimes, but I prefer to keep some time for me and my weekly essays (which are driving me crazy) rather than the extra activities that the school does... but I will have to attend to, unless, one of those for my assessments, and, if I like them and I have the time, probably I will go to more than two... but I don't want to tell them anything, just in case. Well, tomorrow I will have to teach some German, and I am a little scared about that. I'm going to have a look to my German books now, and I will prepare the lesson tomorrow morning, with the teacher in my side. Wish me luck.

10th day

Tuesday, October 19th. 2004 I have now my timing totally under control. From home to the train station: 8 minutes, queueing: 5 to 6 minutes, train journey from Chelmsford to Witham: 12 minutes, walking from the train station to the school: 15 minutes, arriving on time: priceless. There are some other ways to do this kind of things, but being at the school twenty minutes before the ring bells is like heaven for my reputation and my image for the other teachers... Today I have to teach German (period 4) and Spanish (period 5). I’m going to prepare now both lessons and, probably, write something about this week’s essay. During the break, I go to the staff room, as usual, and have my chocolate bar and a glass of water while checking my Email. After the break, I was walking towards the language department, when I heard some piano music playing. It was in the atmosphere, all around, and I love it, so I followed the music to see where and who was playing. It was a music lesson. I didn’t know that there was such music lessons in these schools. If I had known it before I would have asked whether I can join them... I will do it anyway (or ask for permission to stay a couple of hours after the school to play a little). In my way to the language department, I found a friend from the PGCE, and we started talking about how it is going to each other. We arranged to meet our Professional Tutor all together for this week’s essay, which is an interview to the SEN assisstants, so we don’t bother the Head of the SEN department asking the same things one after the other. Period 4: Year 7. German. I was supposed to teach this lesson, or a part of it, but I didn't know that this teacher (the Head of the Language Department) wants my lesson plan 24h. in advance. I prepared it during this morning, and he didn't mind, but he told me he was going to teach as usual and that I will have to be listening. That's what I've done, and thanks God, because I didn't feel ready to teach German, but I will study during this weekend for me to be able to teach... the numbers and the months! This is how the class was: - The teacher did a test in the class on numbers and he shifted the children's seats. - Children wrote down the numbers they remembered (seven minimum). - The teacher takes their marks. - The teacher explains the ordinals and the months, for the children to be able to say birthday dates. - Pupils repeated loud the months with the teacher. - This teacher makes the pupils to guess a lot about what's coming next. - Children said their own birthday. - Later, the teacher said some famous dates for the pupils toguess. - At the end of the class, the teacher set their homework, which was: learn how to spell the months. LUNCH Period 5: Year 8. Spanish. I did teach this lesson... it was not as I expected. but I did some success. These pupils were very loud, and my plan for them was to read and pronounce properly some words... loud. This meant that I will have to cope with a loud class. Well, what I did was explaining them what I wanted (after the starter and the introduction of myself) and then I had the idea of telling them to read the text I had prepared, but quietly, and then underline the words they might think are really difficult to pronounce. And it worked!! They were really quiet while doing this task, so I had time to rise up my sight over all the pupils and relax for a few seconds. At the end of the school, my tutor and I had a conversation, and this is what he told me I have to improve (this are the targets for next week's PDP): - Control for listening. - Make them not to shout out. Do not let them to take over. (ask them to raise their hands before speaking, etc.). - Give praise when a pupil does it well. - Praise good behaviour as well. - Pick up pupils not listening (this is going to be difficult, but I'll ask my Uni Tutor...). - Use easy and simple Target language (Do not use the subjunctive right the first day in the class... but it's going to be kind of difficult to lower my level of spoken Spanish). - Write up the objective of that lesson (and not only say it, as I did; so pupils have no chance to get lost and they follow the track). Registration: This class was as usual: very quiet. But this is because the teacher is very strict with pupils' behaviour. For sure, if it were me, pupils would be talking all the time, and only the ones who wanted to study, would be doing something.

11th day

Wednesday, October 20th. 2004 Period 1: Year 11. Spanish. I enjoyed this class very much. My duties here were as a teacher assistant in conversation, so I had to monitor some pupils in their speaking and, mainly, I had to speak to them and correct their mistakes and so. I waited for the first group in the the red-haired teacher's room. A group of four pupils came and I told them to sit down in the chairs. We were speaking very little, I have to admit, but I think I made them to think about what do they need to be able to communicate, which is very good, from my point of view. The first three minutes I had to pitch their level, because I had no idea what they have done and how much I could push them to speak. I realised that I couldn’t do much with them, except make them repeat the things I said, changing some words, and things like that. I have to teach Spanish for years 8 and 9, during periods 4 and 5. While I was writing this in the staff room’s computer, the Head of the Department broke into the room with a child behind him. He looked very annoyed because of the child’s behaviour in his class. He was writing something in a yellow paperslip and repeating to the child that he should have taken the chance he gave to him, several times. It was a detention, but it looked like a huge detention from the tone of his voice... I will ask him later what happened. YWBAT. "You Will Be Able To". This is what all the language teachers agreed to write on the board at the beginning of every class. Encouraging, innit? Period 4: Year 8. Spanish. This was the red-haired teacher's class. I like him, so just for that I think I was quite relaxed. Depending on the teacher, not only the pupils, the atmosphere could be much warmer. During the class we all had a conversation about me, my country, my language and of course, today's lesson. Pupils looked very interested in having a new face in their class, and I felt very confident when answering their questions. Today's lesson was about some adjectives in masculine and femenine. While in the class, the teacher explained me that those children have Spanish only once a week, but that they are expected to know as if they had it twice a week, so you can imagine that it is not possible to teache them properly, things like proper grammar or too much repetition is not possible in Spanish. I had the feeling that children are taught with a book like those conversational booklets for travellers, because they are only taught sentences already made up, not even the conjugation of the verb TO BE in Spanish... properly. LUNCH. After my lunch, I had the idea of going to the piano and play it a little. That's what I did. I found one empty classroom and I started playing. A teacher came and I had a conversation with him about whether I could stay, and he told me that as soon as the class is empty there's no problem. "Cool -I thought- then I can come to practice everyday after my lunch!". It really was very relaxing. I went to my next lesson with another face, having balanced all my thoughts while playing. Period 5: Year 9. Spanish. The class was fine. All the students were listening to me, and I managed their behaviour; although the teacher there (who is my Subject Mentor) wrote some thing I should improve: - Don't keep telling/giving the translation. Get pupils to try the translation. - Use vocabulary they know as often as possible. Use things like "Levantad la mano", "Qué significa" or " Cómo se escribe" is very useful for them. - Use the Target Language: "Silencio por favor", "miradme", "mirad la pizarra por favor", etc. - Use cognates (words that look the same in English and in Spanish). - Use the text book, the OHP, etc. Registration: Year 8L. All the students from year 8 went to the Gym to have an assembly, and they walked really in silence. It looked like in the militar service. All the pupils were sit on the floor, set by the year's letter, and the teachers were sit on chairs... now I can recognise some teachers, like the history teacher, the maths one, etc. I like that. Topics of the assembly: - The environment. - A pupil was given a prize. - Some other pupils got a first certificate for the merits they had obtained during the course. That was all for today. As of next week (or the following one, because the next one is half term and I don't have to go to the school), I will mark the pupil's yellow books.

12th day

Thursday, October 21th. 2004 Right before the start of the lessons I had a chat with the Head of Department about how this job is and about my opinions written in this diary. I hope I won’t write nothing inconvenient. Pupils in British schools (unles in this one) do not own their books, they are given by the school that, surprisingly, buys them for the pupils, not like in Spain, where pupils have to carry all their books for that day, and usually it’s a bag about nine kilos. This system is better, BUT, the teacher (this means: me), cannot rely on the book to set the homework, and this is one of the things I have to get used to, because many times I say: “Homework!: page 16...”, and then I realise that they don’t carry the books home, so I have to make something up for them to copy and carry home. Period 2: Year 9. Spanish 1. Red-haired teacher. The teacher explains in the class how pupils will be marked in the G.C.S.E.: - Contents. - Quality. But the contents side of the marking is more important, although the do not have to forget the quality, but they are not really marked on that. Today’s lesson: - Set “Thank you” letters. - Adjectives; masculine and femenine genders. - Vocabulary: the teacher takes ir from the scheme of work. The scheme of work is something very useful, because in this department, in Spanish, they (the teachers) have set a piece of sheet with all the lessons they have to teach, everything in detailed, from the starter to the plenary, with grammar points and everything; so I only have to follow it and prepare the material and sources. At the moment I am not following very much, I mean, for my first lesson to the pupils I wanted to get to know them by teaching something easy (so I know who I can push more up or not). BREAK. A little view to my Email, and back to teach... Period 3: Year 7. Spanish 3. My Subject Mentor teacher. It went really good. The lesson I had prepared was exactly what they wanted to do. I prepared a lesson with the cassette, for them to listen some spellings and write down the whole word. It worked very well. Pupils enjoyed it and they got involved in the lesson. Although there were a couple of things that my Mentor told me at the end: - I should pick some pupils who don’t speak too much, so I can assess them during the class, and I will have an idea of how much they know or whether they understand. Now it’s time for lunch and later I will go to the weekly meeting with our Professional Tutor. We are going to talk about our week’s essay, so we will have to meet at the Head of SEN’s office. In between, let’s see if I can play the piano a little. LUNCH. Period 5: Professional Tutor meeting. Today we change the usual meeting and we are going to do our interview to the SEN Head of Department and to one of the LEAs. It was nice to see that I already knew some of the things, but I needed some explanation to be aware of what I saw during those past weeks. Next week is half term. That means I won't go the school for the whole week, but I do not have to worry, because the university keeps me busy with a engaging timetable. ...

13th day

Monday, November 1st. 2004. After half term holiday it is a little difficult to come back to the routine, but, you know, you have to go to school and do the best out of yourself. The time was changed on Sunday, one hour less, so we had one more hour to sleep. Today is the 1st of November, and, as every first of the month I put many home clothes to wash (sheets, curtains, and so), and I do it before leaving home to school, for me not to forget. When I arrive to the train station I find a huge queue, longer than usual, an amazing straight 20 people queue in every window; all of them waiting patiently, and me at the end of one of the five queues in the station hall. My train arrived late, this is becoming the usual, but this time it didn’t come one on its behalf ten minutes later, so I had to wait until the next one on the timetable. While in the train, my Subject Mentor called me on the phone asking me where was I, he looked stressed. Once in the school, arriving ten minutes late, the Subject Mentor told me that I was supossed to teach the first lesson of the day (period 1), and I was confused because I thought it was not Monday “A”, but actually it was. I apologized, mainly because he didn’t have anything prepared (that’s why he looked so stressed on the phone), and I went inside the classroom with my planning for Monday “B”, which worked anyway, and I catched up the lesson he already had started. I was thinking that I don’t want to be, or look like, so stressed, so I think I am going to take many things easy and not to get nervous or stressed because some things don’t happen or are not supossed to be as they are. I think that way I will perform better classes and my life as a teacher will be more productive for me, and for my pupils... This is what I did right entering the class: Starter: - Read the text on page 88. Main Body: - Match the cities in the map that correspond to each text. - Translate the text into English. - Read the text loud, and repeat the teacher’s pronunciation as accurate as possible. Plenary: - With the same descriptions, could you find a city like those in England? - Describe your city/town. Homework: - Find 8 cities. Be aware of the adjectives as you will describe them. Behaviour management in the class: Every pupil was behaving as expected. They repeated the text as I was reading it, some of them louder than others, but not reaching the “dangerous” level of noise. While the translation of the texts, pupils were quiet at the very beginning, but they started to talk to each other too much, in a way that they were disturbing the ones who were really working. In fact, their speed while translating was very different, some were doing the third text while others were still in the first one. That was the moment when I decided to call the attention of everybody to correct their texts. One girl at the back was shouting and swearing, but I was not paying attention to what she said, except when she started swearing. After two warnings and a change of seat, I told her to stay in the class to tell her off. The class continued as usual and I finished the expected lesson plan. After the class, that girl was waiting for me in the class door. I told her to behave properly nex time and not ruin my work and other pupils’ concentration and that, because of her behaviour today, I had to give her a 15 minutes detention during the break. In the break, she came to the classroom and we were talking about how easy is to behave and not be given a detention and about what things she likes to do, so she can use them to learn a profession in the future (although she did not want to study at college). www.nc.uk.net www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm This evening we have a staff meeting, again, but this time, my Subject Mentor has something to tell us. I am waiting for it to start. The Subject Mentor was telling us how should we do things to improve our teaching. things like methods, ICT or focus on learning instead of behaviour were the most relevant things that came to my ears. It has been a meeting to focus all the teachers in the same thing during this year, having in mind last year's mistakes or things not achieved the former year. That was all for today. Before the end, the Head of the MFL Department asked how was my reaction towards the girl I detained this morning and, after telling him what happened, eh told me that he will read my impressions tomorrow, so, I thought that he reads this diary almost daily, if so: "Congratulations man!, you read through thick stuff everyday!" (This means "thanks for reading it"...). See you tomorrow.

14th day

Tuesday, November 2nd. 2004. The Head of Department was talking to other teacher when I arrived to the MFL Staff Room in the school. He was pinning a red plastic flower in his jacket and I asked what was that and why everybody wears it. - “That’s a poppie... you have to guess it for yourself”. But he didn’t cope to wait until that moment, so he told me. - “It’s something we wear because of the end of World War, which was in November 11th, at 11’11h. (So, the 11th/11 at 11’11h). I prepared the two lessons for today during period 1. I did some photocopies and kind of memorise what did I have to perform in the classes. Period 2: Year 9. Spanish. Those children were very quiet, so my lesson plan went fast, so fast actually that I had to make them read a text to think about what did I have to do next, because my plan was set for a class with some misbehaviour pupils, so you spend time managing it, but those pupils were much quieter than I expected. Even that most of them did the exercises properly and fast, I didn’t give any merit to anyone, this could be a mistake. Nevertheless, I was praising them, “but not enough”, said my Subject Mentor to me. So, next time I will have to bear in mind giving praise to the pupils (even if I think that if I do it too much it will loose sense). I have now another class in period 5, year 7, Spanish. Let’s see how often do I praise them; and later the school staff meeting, postponed for today, instead of Monday. Period 5: Year 7. Spanish. This was an enthusiastic class. Pupils were all asking me and wondering all the time. I tried to teach them the personal pronouns and the conjugation of the verb "SER" (to Be), without realising that they do not know a word of grammar, but they r.e.a.l.l.y. don't know anything of it (!!), but I noticed that at the very end, when they were asking me during the whole class what was that, what did they have to do and how were they going to memorise so much things for homework (that was "only" the six forms of the verb "SER"!). I think I will have to reschedule my teaching in a way that it will be both suitable for them to learn and interesting for me to teach. I made up a personal system to carry on with the pupils: while in the class, I give the pupils points when they answer the questions properly, so I do the register at the end of the class. That way, I praise their good knowledge and attention of that day's class, and -the most important for me- I avoid starting the detention process by delaying it a bit, so if somebody is misbehaving, I just take him/her off his/her points, as a warning, before any warning actually. After the lesson, my Subject Mentor told me that at the beginning of the term, before I came, he was tempted to give me some of the most difficult (behaviour management speaking) classes, but he didn't do it... Thanks God! School Staff Meeting: As usual. Concerns, queries, praisings and so on... I went back to the train station with my bag full of stuff, it was very heavy; lots of things to read and to think about. Step by step I'm getting into the job, and becoming something that looks like a very busy thing to do. But, I have now two agendas, one for the school things and other for my personal things, so I don't mix them up and I on't get stressed with the tings I have to do for the following day at school.

15th day

Wednesday, November 3rd. 2004. Before lessons start, a kid came into the MFL staff room and asked ME somehting about their homewrok. I was confused, because pupils always come asking for somebody else, but this time he came looking for me… Today I have to teach periods 2 & 3. I already have the lessons set and organised, so I will read them again and prepare my performance. Periods 2 & 3: Year 8. Spanish. I planned this lesson (and the next one) with all the timing in it, so I don’t have to worry about the watch, I just look at it and start the task when I previed it… BUT, it was more difficult than I expected, because you never know the pace of the children that day, so I had to manage to be “on time” with the tasks and start the next task right afterwards. It was good, though, to have my piece of sheet on the table and have a quick look at it to know how much time did I have for the exercise, the thing is, as I am a novice, I wasn’t paying attention to the children’s behaviour. That was my mistake of today. But the rest was good: timing, praising, explanations, use of target language, etc. The teacher of that lesson was the red haired one. He was sit in the back of the class while I was teaching and sometimes I looked at him and noticed that he was writing a lot. Yes. Right that. Straight away every class, he gave me a sheet with all the timing (the real one) and a lot of opinions about my teaching during the hour. It was a lot (one full sheet, front and back), but after I read it I found it very useful, because it was like reteaching my own lesson, but from other’s eyes view. I will need the whole weekend to analise it accurately and apply the “lesson” he just taught me. I am thinking that I am going to keep a record of all the lesson plans that I do, and all its comments by other teachers. After the whole year, I can give those lesson plans and my Teacher’s Planner as a proof of my teaching. After the classes I had lunch, read some things about the school policies and type up a little bit. Tomorrow I will prepare next week’s lessons at once, so I won’t have to worry about them during the weekend.

16th day

Thursday, November 4th. 2004. Today was one of those days when you don't think very much about what you have to do tomorrow, and just do what you have to do today. I had to teach during periods 2 & 3, Years 10 & 8... Spanish. I enjoyed very much year 10s, because for them (and for year 11s) I am like a conversational teacher assistant, so I speak to them and correct their mistakes, which make me laugh a lot sometimes. Period 1: I just prepared today's lessons and read some things. Period 2: Year 10. Spanish (Oral). I was receiving a group of three pupils every twenty minutes, so I had three groups. The first ones were very witty and amusing. I had fun. Period 3: Year 8. Spanish. Same lesson plan as yesterday, but now I had almost everything under control, so I wasn't stressed about my timing and I was able to concentrate on the pupils and their performance. This is remembering my lessons in Spain... Period 4: I used this time to type up some things I had to write, to have a look to what do I have to prepare for next week's lessons (I will do it properly during the weekend, without so much children noise) and to write a kinda essay I had to handle to my Mentor right afterwards. Period 5: All of the PGCE students in this school had a meeting with our mentor, but he didn't appear. Somebody told us that he didn't come to the school for the whole day, so I went back to the MFL staff room and spent some time talking with some of the teachers about how is a teacher's life, and it sounds interesting, but really busy (specially about paperwork). Registration/Duty: I was scared about this time, because today was going to be my very first day doing it by myself. But, the teacher in charge helped me telling me what did I have to do at all times, she was very helpful, specially wtih those children, which are supposed to be not the best ones of the school... One of the main problems I had with them was that , as usual, I don't understant them very well, so I ask for silence for me to hear what they tell me properly, but, even with that, I still don't understand some of them, because it doesn't matter that they are young, they speak like Ali-G most of the times, and I don't get what they say, so it's very easy for them to take the mick of me, but I try to avoid it and, having another teacher with me (who is the teacher of English) I can have some help with that... Thank's God. Well, that was my day today. I won't go to the school on Monday because I will have to do the QTS tests, ICT on Monday 8th and Literacy and Numeracy on Monday 15th. Let's see.

17th day

Tuesday, November 9th. 2004. Yesterday I did the QTS Test on ICT... and I failed. I didn’t have time to get used to the system they want you to do and to answer all the questions, although there werent’t too many (3 tasks with 6 exercises each, all in 35 minutes). In normal conditions ("of pressure and temperature") I would have spent half of that time in completing those tasks, but I didn’t know how that system worked, so I spent almost half of the time guessing how I was supposed to do the tasks. It was an easy thing, though. I had to play that I am a teacher in a school and I receive some Emails from a poet who’s coming to the school, and I have to send certain information by Email to the head of department, and so on. Normal Internet stuff, and easy, if it is not when you are playing in a fake internet interface, where nothing works as you expect (key shortcuts, procedures and things like that). I was kind of angry when I realised that I had failed such a thing, but, that’s the system, and I have to “pass through the ring”, as we say in Spain, and do whatever they want, and the way they want it. Anyway. Today I am back in the school. I have spent the period 1 time preparing today’s lessons. Doing photocopies and revising my notes both for the school work and the university work, which is getting a little more relaxing now that all the directed tasks are almost done and I have to focus on how do I teach my lessons. But, now that I remember, I think I have to have everything done by the end of this month and print it nicely to handle it to whoever requires it. So, I’m going to revise my duties and update my tasks (buf,,, now I hate that word!). I have to teach periods 4 and 5. German Year 7 and Spanish Year 8. Let’s see how my German lesson develops, because I have not a lot of confidence in teaching a second foreign language, which I have to review everytime I have to teach it. Period 4: Year 7. German. My God! It has been horrible to be in front of eleven children, looking at me, waiting for an explantion of today's topic and me teaching them what I know about my German. Definetly this lesson put my confidence down. I was finished with my lesson plan when there were still 15 minutes to end the lesson, so I had to make up something, quick, in German, and be correct and at the same time not too much for them. So, I was messing around with he alphabet for thosefifteen minutes. Thanks God theywanted to know about it (some of them asked me to revise the alphabet), but then I spent most of the time trying to get to know how an English person would pronounce a German vowel (or consonant), ad pronounce it wihout looking like a Spaniard! Hell. After the lesson the teacher of German (the Head of the MFL Department) gave me what he wrote about my lesson and we had a brief conversation about my weak and my strong points of today. He told me it was not bad, could be, the kids learnt some things and heard other pronuntiation, but I still believe that I didn't do my best with the kids. (It's a matter of time to improve my confidence with it). Next time I am really going to "study hard" for those kids and I will try to have plenty exercises for them to do and for me not to go blank again (in Spanish I have a lot of resources somewhere in my brain, but in German... I know what you see, that's not only the surface, it is what it is). Period 5: Spanish. Year 8. Three minutes before the bginning of the lesson, the teacher (my subject mentor) told me that it was going to be only half an hour, so, in the other two minutes remining I reschedule the lesson for it to last half an hour, so I missed the starter, the listening, the writing, the speaking exercises and I taught today's lesson as it came: managing behaviour and getting pupils to know a little of grammar of today's topic: "What do you like to do?" It was OK. Registration: Year 8. As usual. But this time it lasted one hour, but it was fast, so I didn't realise about the hour with them.

18th day

Wednesday, November 10th. 2004. Period 1: Year 11. Spanish. I managed to have three or four pupils with me for ten minutes. Wow!, I have to praise myself for it, because eI had fun with them, they had fun with me, they learnt a little of the Spanish prounciation and vocabulary and I even gave them some extended tasks to do at home! I really enjoy doing this. Now I am going to have a look at my next classes, periods 4 & 5: Spanish to years 8 & 9. Timing the lessons and write something about my Directed Tasks and some other stuff I have to do for the University. Period 4: Year 8. Spanish. I had everything under control, specially timing. I don't know what happend, but I didn't look at the watch and I finished my lesson 15 minutes before hand. When I said "you can go", I saw the teacher (the red-haired one) walking towards the door and saying me: "There's fifteen minutes left, still". Well (glup), I have to do something then. I had plenty exercises and things to do with the pupils, so I was not worried about what to do, the thing was that they were excited because the lesson was already finished, so they asked me to play agame or something. We did so, kind of. I taught them the conjugations in Spanish of the verb ODIAR, and I made them to guess the conjugation of the verb JUGAR, which is quite easy to guess the endings (not so the lexem (?), but I didn't care if they didn't say it properly, I just wanted them to state the endings). Anyway. This took me those fifteen minutes that I was missing, and the lesson finished as expected. Period 5: Year 9. Spanish. The teacher told me that they were very good pupils, and I think this helped me to feel a little bit better. I went into the class and I started to teach as things came into my mind, then I remembered that I had to follow a lesson plan, (which I prepared!), so I had a quick look to my notes and start doing what I was supposed to do by then... after 20 minutes of lesson. The lesson went good. I forgot a bit about my lesson plan and taught what I knew it was good for them, althoug a little thick for them: grammar. Everybody knows that Grammar is not that woman who married Grandpa, nevertheless, for those kids, knowing what is a Noun, an Adjective and an Article (definite or not) is going to be good for their lifes and for their own understanding of the English language, so if they know more about their own language, they will feel more confident about learning a second language... and that's my aim: make them to feel secure and not to fear the new. However, it is true that I should make more use of the resources, such as OHP, tapes, even videos, for them to be able to demonstrate their skills in the class and be more collaborative. Registration: Year 8. Assembly. Everybody walked quietly to the gym, and there we were listening to one of the teachers (I guess she was the Head of Year 8s). As the last time, the speaker gave merits to some classes and to a specific girl (although I didn't understand/hear very well what was about). The way back to the classroom was fast and quiet. Tomorrow I think I will have to do more then the register in there. I had a word with my Subject Mentor about my lessons of today. After everything, and before I did my way to the train station, the Head of the MFL Department asked me to stay for the following hour in the school to help the red-haired treacher with some pupils who had to do an oral presentation. He told me where was it. I went to the classroom and saw three pupils and the teacher sat down on the desks; they were writing what later they will have to say, to be recorded. I sat with one of the boys and spent the whole hour with him, correcting his mistakes and letting him guess some of the words he hadn't written properly. The other teacher was doing the same with the other pupil. After that, the usual on Wednesdays: work in the University Sports Office, going home, have dinner and do my best not to join some of the conversations of my flat mates, because otherwise I go very late to the bed and then I can't cope with myself the following day at about 2pm...

19th day

Thursday, November 11th. 2004. Today it looked a busy day in the morning. I know I have only two lessons, but I am thinking in a lot of thing I have to do during the weekend at the moment. During period 1 I set all my things for today; timing, topics, extra exercises (not to get blank), etc. Period 2: Year 9. Spanish. They were very quiet and calmed. My class today was for me to make sure that they know what I want them to know, so I will be able to teach them things I am interested in and pick up from the book whatever I consider convenient for the day's lesson. That means some grammar things. As of now, I shouldn't worry about their lack of knowledge of conjugations, because they are supposed to know it, and if not, I only will have to remind them what we did today (so with only one word they will remember what we did today). I took the opportunity to teach them a little geography and culture, because we were talking about meals... My understanding of their English wasn's very good, but that was a chance for us to have a nice time me trying to spell their names properly and them speaking clearly in English or trying it in Spanish (much better like that). Period 3: Spanish. Year 7. They were as quiet as the Year 9 class, surprisingly... Today we had to stop at 11am because the school was going to ring the bell for two minutes because of the rememberance day, so everybody in the school had to be in complete silent. My class was really in cilence, so after those two minutes I gave them a class merit, the firs one I give to a whole class. I think I felt as good as them. The lesson was interesting for them, I think, because they were paying attention and answering properly (most of them). After the lesson I explain the Head of Department how well I felt and he made me think about one thing: regarding the homework, how do I make it to have the best of every children in a mixability class? Well, they were answering well and interested in the lesson, but I should have prepared some extended work for those who work faster than others, so they don't get bored and squeeze the best out of themselves. Period 5: Training Lesson. Meeting with the Professional Tutor. He was speaking about how the school assesses the children and how they put the pupils in a National Rank called "Yellis", so the school forecasts the pupils results in the GCSE and correct their behaviour, effort or knowledge. After the lessons I stayed in the school because I wanted to attend to a meeting in which some teachers will be talking about "EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE". It sounded very interested so I waited for it to come. During the meeting we had some biscuits and tea. It was a very interesting lecture, mainly when the speaker started to talk about how our brain works: where are our emotional parts in the brain and what chemical substances are released when we have different feelings about what it is around us. Some examples made the evening nicer. So for one hour and a half I had a good time in the school, surrounded by teachers, being taught and not teaching! I would like to have more of these things in the school, with topics that interest me like this one. At the end, they gave us a certificate of attendance!, I didn't know it was "so" formal... Good then, so now I have another thing to give as evidence for my PGCE assessment. Next Monday I have to do the QTS Tests again, but this time on Literacy and Numeracy. If I fail them again, I will have to think in ask for the extended time tests, and lower my proud not trying to be English! See you on Tuesday.

20th day

Tuesday, November 16th. 2004. Yesterday I had the QTS Tests. I failed the Numeracy one and I passed the Literacy test. I didn't have time enough to finished the Numeracy Test, so next time I will book both Numeracy and ICT with extended time, let's see if I pass them at once the following date. I had today not a very good day, I mean, it was a good day until I had to face Year 7 in period 5... Period 2: Year 9. Spanish. I had everything under control here. I decided to have a dictation and everybody was listening and writing. My Subject Mentor told me afterwards that they are not used to have dictations. I had the feeling that the best way to be a teacher of Spanish in England is by using the Spanish traditional teaching methods, thus, the best way to success as a teacher of English in Spain is by using the traditional English teaching methods. Just a swap for a change and everybody is happy. That's the good thing of being bicultural. Periods 1, 3 & 4: During those periods I was preparing all my lectures, I did mentoring with my Subject Mentor and I almost finished the School Experience File "A", which I have to handle around the 13th of December. It has become a bundle of documents which I have to read through to "understand" the system of this (and all) school(s); I think that a national English person might find this irrelevant and overwhelming, nevertheless, for me there are a couple of things that I find very useful to know about... Period 5: Year 7. Spanish. I decided to have a kind of a game as a starter in this class, but the game turned into something I couldn't control and the kids began not to keep quiet and I wasn't able to make them change their minds about being silent. Because of that, I hadn't time to finish the starter and it went on for longer than I expected. At the middle of the lesson I decided to get angry and I remained silent until all pupils realised. It worked, but not for long, because they went back to their bubble conversations about whatever but the verb SER (today's lesson). At the third of the lesson, my Subject Mentor, who was in the class observing, decided to stood up very angry and, almost shouting, told them to remain in silence and not to be so disrespectful with the Spanish teacher (me). He started to tell them off and all were really quiet and listening to what he had to say. After that, my lesson was messed up and I couldn't set the homework I expected, so I made up a new one, with the help of the teacher. It was helpful, really helpful, but I don't know how this will work in the near future, bearing in mind that I have to be harder with them as of now and that they consider myself as a weak teacher, "one of those new ones coming to the school and to whom we can take the mick easily"... Let's see. Registration: Year 8. It went well. Everyday I am getting to do more and more things there. It's good, because I wouldn't know how to manage those kids if they were given to me just like that. After that, the train, some reading, walking home and a cup of tea to forget about today and prepare for tomorrow.

21st day

Wednesday, November 17th. 2004. Today I concentrated in what I have to do and I think it worked, because I did all what I wanted (more or less). Periods 1, 4 & 5: I dedicated this time to have a look to my lessons (as everyday in period 1) and to finish photocopying everything for the School Experience File "A". I corrected some books from the children (and photocopy some of them). Period 2: Year 8. Spanish. I didn't manage with the class behaviour again, but this time it wasn't the whole class, but only one kid who was disturbing another one all the time and this made me loose the pace for the rest of the kids. Again, the teacher helped me (the red-haired one this time), but he didn't say anything; he only sat between those two kids for them to be quieter. Well done ;-), so they don't loose the orientation and know who is THE teacher; although any help is welcomed and I thank everybody for that... After the lesson we had a word with the kid and arranged his detention. Period 3: Year 8. Spanish. This class was better. Behaviour was OK so my delivery was ok as well.

22nd day

Thursday, November 18th. 2004. My day today? Fine thanks. I am writing now during lunch time, but it is raining and all the children are running ariound inside the school, well, they are supposed to be in their tutor's class (I think), but, you know, at their age is a lot of fun messing around in the corridirs in front of the teachers. Periods 1 & 4: I spent this time for my things. Lessons, preparation, Directed Tasks, work for the weekend... Period 2: Year 10. Spanish. Oral. Did I say that this is one of the things I enjoy the most? Well, it is. Four children com to my office and we talk about that week's issue (in Spanish, of course). It gives me a chance not to be a teacher with them, and talk about more things than grammar, and it's a chance to teach them some kind of Spanish culture. Period 3: Year 8. Spanish. They behaved really well. They are the ones I have during registration, and I thought they were going to behave different, but they didn't! The delivery of the subject was OK, the pace, the timing, everything! I didn't look at my notes to have the class in the correct pace, I just did it as THEY wanted (as I used to do in Spain), and eveything went well. Now I have to go to the Training Lesson, with my Professional Tutor. I already have prepared my lessons for next week, but I left the German lesson for the weekend, for me to study all the vocabulary and prepare a nice powerpoint presentation with it (I have the schedule ready, but not the material for the real delivery). Next Monday I've booked a QTS Test on Numeracy, I couldn't manage to arrange the ICT one after that one.

23rd day

Tuesday, November 23rd. 2004. Today everything was OK. I managed to have the German lesson under control and with the correct pace and the Spanish lesson was fine. Periods 1, 2 & 3: As usual: preparing today's lessons. I wrote my essay of last week (GPS-DT4) and I am about to finish it, or di I finish it already?, dunno, I'll check it later. Period 4: Year 7. German. The teacher didn't stay this time with me in the class. He told me beforehand and I thought I was going to loose control over the pupils, but I didn't. I had prepared this lesson very good, so good that I don't know whether I will be able to repeat a lesson like that for German again. I used the OHP and I had lots of exercises ready for them to do and for me to use them as a test to measure their knowledge (and mine too). For a while I had the feeling that I was too fast for them, because I didn't want to spoil such a nice lesson not teaching all I had, but I realised I couldn't, so I slowed down a little bit and I did it in other pace, suitable for them. Period 5: Year 8. Spanish. This was as usual, you know: starter, main (vocabulary, grammar, homework...), plenary, register and pack up. They behaved a little too much for me (that is when you shout more than you expect and your throat start itching), but appart from that, everything was ok. By the way... yesterday I did the QTS Test on Numeracy, I passed it. Now I have to book the ICT one and be ready for it.

24th day

Wednesday, November 24th. 2004. I had to teach three lessons today. Period 1: Year 11. Spanish. Oral stuff. We were in the cantine talking a little, as two weeks ago. I was focusing this time in getting them to pronounce properly and paraphrasing whatever they don't know, so that they can communicate. Period 4: Year 7. Spanish. I managed this class properly, but as it is being the usual this week, I had a lot of exercises and I couldn't be able to teach all of them. It's difficult and tiring if you try to do so, because then you have to push them too much, and if they don't want that day you are #@#?t. Period 5: Year 9. Spanish. I decided that I was going to speak in Spanish all the time at the very las minute, but it worked. I saw they were going to pay attention to me and that's why I did it. All of them were listening to what I had to say and many of them were asking to my questions properly, so I think I was speaking with a lot of cognates and easy understandable words... but again the same thing: too many exercises prepared for me delivering only a couple of them, but it doesn't matter, it would be worst the other way round. My Subject mentor was observing me in a "serious" way, and after Registration we were talking about what did I do wrong and so on. With his pieces of advice, next time I will have to deliver an almost perfect performance, mainly because my tutor from the University is coming next week to do one of the formal observations she has to do (and I think I will be asessed). I have not been able to book my last QTS Test (ICT), the system didn't work and it hadn't ANY time from today to January; there must ne something wrong then. I'll check it again tomorrow or something.

25th day

Thursday, November 25th. 2004. Today I am happy, because I had "one of the best lessons I've ever seen from you", said my Subject Mentor today, after one of his formal observations on the Year 7, Spanish lesson... Period 2: year 9. Spanish. I did this lesson almost everything in Spanish, so pupils can concentrate in listening (to me) and not speaking to each other. As I did yesterday. And it worked, as yesterday. So I was able to deliver my lesson plan without many problems, with the correct pace, timing and behaviour management (of course, I think class behaviour is up to pupils, but also a little bit from the teacher, that's what my Subject Mentor says...). Period 3: This was a "foretold lesson observation". My Subject Mentor told me he was going to do the formal lesson observation today, so I prepared it a little better than usual. What I did beter was mainly to split up the lesson into the real three parts (starter, main and plenary), I normally do not make such a hard differentiation, but I think as of now I will do it, because i realised that pupils behave better when you give them a proper starter, getting them concentrated on the lesson and not on something else. I think I did some mistakes, of course you always have mistakes, but at the end of the lesson, as an overview, everything went ok, and I could go back to the staff room thinking that they learnt something else today so that "the can go to sleep now" (as we say in Spanish when you learn something new that day). Plenary was a surprise for me. I didn't expect pupils to answer the questions as they did. Only one wasn't able to answer properly, but the rest I asked gave a correct answer, even when I was speaking too fast for them. This profession can be hard and tiring sometimes, but some others you get a "hidden" award from the things you do and the things you get from the children. But only you know it... period 5: Training Lessons. Professional Tutor. We had a meeting with the teachers of other schools who are doing the same as I, but not the PGCE (don't remember what it's called). We had tea and biscuits and all. We spent une hour and a half in doing some research about the differences and similarities between the three schools that are ruled by the same institution, that's something I didn't know: that this is an institution and that it has three schools under its umbrella. Well, I think "I can go to sleep" now...

26th day

Monday, November 29th. 2004. Period one and five, separated enough for me to be ready and prepared, but I couldn't. Period 1: Year 8. Spanish. Everybody was talking about their weekend, as I felt, but, surprisingly, most of the pupils were paying attention, but their level of noise was close to be "dangerous" and I couldn't do anything against that. It was tiring to talk louder over all of them... I wasn't able to do half of the tasks I had prepared beacuse of my attempts to calm them down. This is one of the things I didn't think about: the weekend. Period 5: Year 7. German. I had this lesson prepared since Friday, and I showed it to the teacher of German this morning. When I went inside the room I got everybody involved in the starter: labels on objets (prepared from home) and then I taught them the verb HABEN, which is quite important in the German learning at that level. The thins is that I spelt the conjugation wrong in the third person without notice it and I had to erase it and correct it. This wasn't very good for my confidence and made me think that probably I am not prepared to teach German, even at that level, because I am a fast learner and I enjoy a lot languages, but it's not the same when you teach them. If you are confused, pupils get confused; if you have a mistake, pupils learn with that mistake, but the worst is that they think that it is how is it supposed to be, because YOU are the teacher. Registration: Year 8. I arrived late to the classroom where I do the Registration and there wasn't anybody there. Oh my God, where were they? I messed around in the other classrooms but nobody was there either. Then I thought that they could be in an Assembly in the Gym, but it was too late to just go there and interrupt what is used to be a very formal lecture or something. I went home. Well, we could say that this was not a very good day. Let's see tomorrow... and the rest of the week.

28th day

Tuesday, November 30th. 2004. Period 2: Year 9. Spanish. I managed this class perfectly. Period 5: Year 7. Spanish. I didn't realise that it was period five, and that this was the worst class I have in this school. My University Tutor came to do a formal observation of how do I teach, and she saw how I deal with those kids every Tuesday of weeks "A": as good as I can. After the lesson we spent about one hour talking about what should I have done to keep their attention and what were my mistakes. I think after today and yesterday I am going to spend as much time as I consider necessary to keep pupils quiet and to be able to do the things I tell them. Yesterday and today have not been very good days to analise, let's see how the rest of the week goes.

29th day

Wednesday, December 1st. 2004. Today I had two lessons, as usual. I don't remember now what periods were they, but what I remember is that in the second class, Year 8, I had to get really angry at them, shouting and all, because they weren't paying any attention. It is surprising how soft they are after you shout a little, but this shouldn't happen very often, otherwise I could think that there is something wrong with me. After that I was preparing my lessons for next week and, when I was setting the German lesson, I asked the teacher of German a doubt about the structure of it and he told me that I am not going to do that lesson any longer, because, obviously, I cannot manage it with my knowledge of German. After we had that conversation I thought: "Well, one more thing I don't have to worry about", but I got very dissapointed while thinking about that later, because, you know, in this country I should be able to teach two languages; if I know only one, even if I am the best at it, I have no chance to compete the other teacher applicants, because they are trained to teach two languages, and they are more "employable". Well, I think I will have to go to Germany for a year or something, when I finish my PGCE here; so I can do the German PGCE and teach there Spanish and English, while acquiring a good level of German... and become a machine in those three languages. I will think about it...

30th day

Thursday, December 2nd. 2004. Period 2: Year 10. Spanish. Oral. As usual,. this is one of the class I enjoy the most. Pupils come to the office and I have a chat with them. I teach them how to pronounce Spanish properly and they teach me English... mainly slang words, so we all have fun. Period 3: Year 8. Spanish. After teaching the same lesson for three times, the fourth one is almost perfect. I still have some mistakes, but you notice that I have almost everything under control. Tomorrow I teach 6th Formers in the University. We (the other PGCE students/teachers) prepared the lesson last week and we have been sending Emails to each other to confirm our resources and so. Let's see how it will go.

31st day

Monday, December 6th. 2004. Today I was supposed to teach Year 8 during period 3, but the red-haired teacher had to test them, so I asked him not to attend to that lesson in order to finish my assignments... That's what I have done. But, I didn't finish my last essay (2000 words), I am now overloaded of reading and writing. The thing is that I have to write in the MFL staff room's computer, and it is crazy when the ring bells. So every hour I had to stop for somebody to call parents or something. That's why sometimes during this first term I took one week to write an essay. But I don't mind. I learn from the other's experiences and notice little details on how to manage some situations (I would never call a parent at the moment!). During period two I had "mentoring", so my Subject Mentor and I were talking about my/his next lesson observation and what I am going to focus on. It will be tomorrow. After all the lessons, I stayed in the school to help my Subject Mentor to score pupils for the Interim Progress Reports. He looked very busy while doing it. I was scoring some of the class I have had in Effort, Behaviour and Homework completed, but I only had to write down the changes noticed by me during my time here. I think I would have a laptop with all that information and just print it when required... But, anyway, I am not a teacher yet, let's see how do I manage when I become one ;-)

32nd day

Tuesday, Decemeber 7th. 2004. Today I finished my last assignment: Curriculum Studies 1, 2000 words. Now I feel better. Period 5: Year 8. Spanish. This was a usual class: some teaching, some behaviour management, some exercises, some pupils working and some others not. Many pupils were speaking and, while doing one of the tasks, one pupils told me that she had a headache because of the noise. - Do you want an aspirine?. - No. - Do you want to go to the toilet? - No thanks. - Do you want a massage (or what)? ... Big mistake... because I didn't realise that I was not suposed to say that to a pupil, and she started to tell what I said to some other pupils behind her... for a moment I thought I was in hell, because all the fron group was gossiping and chatting about what just happened. Thanks God it finished quickly and I carried on with the lesson... Anyway... My Subject Mentor was there analysing my lesson delivery and my teaching for a formal observation, let's see what does he say about it tomorrow. Appart from that, I think that everything went ok, but just ok, you know: period 5 is difficult, even on a Tuesday.

33th day

Wednesday, Decemeber 8th. 2004. Today was a busy day, but amusing, so it went quick. Period 1: Year 11. Spanish. Oral. As usual, kids coming to talk to me in Spanish some things they do not how to pronounce, so we all have a good time while doing it. 12 minutes each four pupils, four times during the whole hour... Period 2: Year 9. English. Observation. I arranged an observation with the teacher of English, so I went there to see how does she manage with the kids. This is what happened during my OBSERVATION OF ALESSON OF ENGLISH: 9'30h.: Pupils get in and teacher gives booklets ("The Art of persuasive writing and..."). 9'36h.: First Task: Teacher gives 5 minutes to do a task in couples (STARTER). 9'40h.: "Pens down!", correction of the task (say if the texts have a formal /informal register, sentence/text structure, tone, emotivity, assertivity, attitude to the audience...). 9'50h.: Second Task: p.86 of the booklet. While pupils are doing the exercise, the teacher does the register... 9'51h.: Finish the register. Teacher asks for some answeers to the exercise ("Conventions for writing", style, "What is figurative language?, Remind me"- she said). 9'53h.: Third Task: Reading a text froman Editorial (in a Newspaper). Teacher explains what is an Editorial and prepares pupils "psychologically" to go to the GCSE exam. Pupils read the text loud, one after another (the texts has 58 lines). 10'00h.: Pupils finish reading the text. Teacher helps to analyse it by asking questions to pupils. 10'01h.: Fourth Task: Highlight topic sentences. Teacher gives 5 minutes for this task. Pupils have to write a 5-sentence summary. Teacher walks around the class, while they are doing the task, checking pupils' uniforms and uniform cards. Teacher explains individually what to do to some of the pupils with doubts or not sure. Teacher asks for silence when only some of the pupils are talking. The class is very quiet. 10'12h.: Teacher asks for what they have done. Pupils read thir summaries. 10'15h.: Teacher explains how to summarise different speeches and texts by writing in their own words. 10'17h.: Teacher asks for more examples. 10'19h.: Fifth Task: Teacher and pupils do the next task, which is to analyse the text and answer some questions about its structure. 10'20h.: Sixth Task: Allocation in the text. 10'25h.: Seventh Task: Lines 16-28: Bring out further features. Teacher walks around while pupils work in silence. 10'28h.: Correction of the task. Teacher asks around and pupils answer. 10'29h.: Organisers out: teacher sets homework and writes it down on the board. 10'31h.: Pack up. Teacher waits until all are in silence, so they can go. You can see that this teacher has built confidence and respect among pupils. She is the teacxher I have also during the REGISTER/TUTOR, and she is more or less the same: she keeps pupils quiet and in silence and make them work and think. If I have to do the same I would do it in a different way, but I think I should have been stronger and more strict with pupils (as she is) to gaain that respect from them and have the confidence to carry on with the exercises I have planned for that lesson. I think this is a good sample of how a teacher gains the support of other teachers and the respect of all pupils under her charge. Period 4: Year 8. Spanish. They behaved as usual: as the kids they are, that means that I had to cope wit some bad behaviour from some of them, specially one, who was taking profit of my lack of some of the rules of the school, like that teachers are not allowed to look inside pupil's bags, and they keep their organisers inside it and tell me that they don't have them, or things like that. That kid received up to 30 min. detention, and I didn't know what to do with him, because I didn't want to withdrawn him. I think next time I will have to proceed with the system, even if I don't like it, otherwise you don't get any respect. Period 5: Year 9. Spanish. This class was almost perfect. I did a dictation at the very beginning and all of them went quiet, after that I was able to do whatever I wnted with them, even during period 5! After the lessons I spent some time with my Subject Mentor talking about my observations and reports and so on; and after that all the MFL staff had a meetign about how they are going to manage next term with the new Teachers-students. They asked me what was my impression of the teaching during this time, and wished me good luck for the next school I am going. Well, I got used to this school now and I will have to learn new procedures for almost everything, I guess. I hope it won't be too much to read there... because I will be teaching 50% of a teacher's timetable,,, even on Fridays I will be teaching, and I wouldn't like to spend all my weekends writing essays and all, but, you know, if you have to, you do it and that's it...

34th day

Thursday, Decemeber 9th. 2004. Period 2: Year 9. Spanish. Not always the same methods work; and I can demonstrate it with this lesson: it was period 2, ok, so not necessarily was going to be misbehaviour in the class; it was Year 9, so they are supposed to behave and listen; they had a test at the very beginning, so this put them down and quiet; and, on top of that, my plan lesson was the same as the other Year 9 group, which worked perfectly. But... I think they were thinking about something else... Anyway. After this lesson I will have to think in having reserve tasks for different types of behavior. Somehting like: Good behaviour: Reading and Writing Tasks. Some misbehaviour: Listening and some Reading Tasks. Misbehaviour: A shout and later, some Reading Tasks. Very bad behaviour: Buf!, No idea... withdraw everybody?, don't know, I'll have to think about that. Period 3: Year 7. Spanish. My Subject Mentor had a test prepared for them, so I was witnessing (?) how he managed with pupils in an assessment. All of them were in silence and all. After that, the teacher praised them for having such a good behaviour during the test and encouraged them to behave like that next time they have a test. After that, all the PGCEs went to the other school...

35th day

Monday, January 10th. 2005. I arrived to the school and all pupils were wearing casual clothes. it looked like the Spanish schools for a moment. then, one of the teachers in the department explained me that they are paying £1 not wearing the uniform so they can put some money in the help budget for the Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka... nice. During period one I had off, thanks God, because the teacher gave me my time table for this week and, it is 100% full. I have no gap to read or photocopy or get used to this school, all the time observing. let's see how do I manage to do it. As of next week I will be teaching (I think). They gave me the plan for the rest of the term and, it's ok. I will teach on Fridays as well, so I teach 50% of a teacher's planning. Period 2: Year 10. The teacher started explaining some of the differences between the future and the past, and said that he is going to focus in the past tense because it is more difficult. So that's what we did that class. It was a well structured class, but not so dinamic as I got used to witness before. There are listenings in german but pupil's answer in English. This class was only focused in listenings and reading. The teacher doesn't seem to use a lot of target language for common things, such as the page numbers or simple explanations. Period "T": Tutorial. Year 7. I don't know whether tutorial time in between the day is weird or not, that's the way they do it here, so I will have to accept it. (Before was at the end of the day). The teacher makes pupils to get into the class very silently and, when they don't do it properly, she takes them outside and starts again. Three times... There's an interactive boad and a projector in the class... without padlock (!!). This is a noisy class, as expected, but the teacher goes with it very good. Children enjoy doing their tasks and they are not misbehaving or something. This time, they are supposed to write their targets for this term, things like "not falling asleep in class" or "listen to the teacher". I walk around the class and see that one of the children is writing: "Make shore i can spell proply". Good to know ... ;-) The teacher has some candies and chocolate in a drawer in the class desk, good trick. Period 3: Year 9. French. This teacher is French and she uses the target language straight away. She requests pupils to speak in French as well. She praises a lot and makes the class very funny (I don't want to see her angry). She does listening, reading and speaking. This is more dynamic, this is what I can expect for a teacher to teach me. It's a pitty that she teaches French. In the other hand, she looks like very demanding, let's see. Periods 4 & 5 were supposed to be in German and French, but the teacher is not here, so I have two hours off. Time for a deep breath for the rest of the week. Good start. New school, new teachers and not so new pupils (if you follow your "pupil-labeling" system, they're almost the same in what teaching regards). As expected. Let's confront all the theories I made up in my mind during the first term in other school.

36th day

Tuesday, January 11th. 2005. Period 1: Year 7. German. - Register. - Objectives (YWBAT). - Use of Target Language. the teacher asks pupils and they answer in TL. - Repetition with flashcards. - She bases the whole class on the flashcards. repetition, guess, and she gives the guessed card to the pupil for them to go out on the board and let the others to guess again, and so on... - She sets homework. Pupils start doing it in class. - There's an assisstant during the class. Period 2: Year 10. French. - Same teacher, different classroom. - Register. - Revision of homework. - Objectives (YWBAT). - It's a grammar class. She explains with many grammatical terms. - She asks a lot for spelling. - She sets a written exercise for pupils to do while some other pupils take an oral test with her. Period "T": Year 9. Tutorial. - The teacher sets an exercise about the ten commandments. - Pupils work in it. - Pupils are not quiet, so the teacher makes them to work in a silent task. Period 3: Year 7. German. - This is one of the class I am going to teach. - Same teacher as in Tutorial. - Pupils get into the class and stay standing until the teacher tells them to sit down. - Use of TL. - Register in TL. - 28 pupils in the class. - Check material. - Objectives. New topic: "Subjects" (learn it, a game and then some writing). - She uses flashcards and repetition, and she asks for translation. - She makes pupils to guess. - Speaking in couples. - Writing and spelling of the words learnt. - Game. Period 4: Year 7. French. - It's a noisy class. - The teacher's voice "lacks a cough" (Spanish expression). - Choral welcome to the teacher in TL. - There's a teacher assisstant here too. - Teacher moves sits. - Register (answers in French). - Revision of the months. - Objective (YWBAT). - Tape: a song. Pupilssing the song. - Drawings in every month. Meanwhile, the teacher arranges the times for the parents' evening. The task pupils are doing will be their homework if they don't finish it in the class. Period 5: Year 10. Spanish. - In the end... some Spanish. - Register. Pupils answer in TL. - The teacher uses me as a sample for pupils. - Pupils speak in couples. I walk around. - Pupils ask me and I ask them some question the teacher had set fot today's lesson. - OHP. - Exercises. (What, who and when in some sentences I read). Answers in English. - 20 pupils in the class (I will teach this class). - The teacher sets their homewrok and gives them the due date to give it done. - In this school, German begins in Year 7, but Spanish in Year 8.

37th day

Thursday, January 13th. 2005. "Too tight in time". There are allways some things which are implicit, and for some reason you have to know them without nobody saying anything to you, like being on time. In this school, lessons start at 9'00h., asit is written in my the timetable I was given, but being there ten minutes before it's not enough. Today I got to know that "clog in" is at 8'30h. It's written nowhere, nobody told me... but it's there. Period 1: Year 10. german. - Register. - Sentence order + translation + analisis. - Exercise. - The teacher delivers pronunciation and vocabulary booklets. - The teacher makes pupils to speak about a specific topic. - Teacher makes them to learn five useful phrases. - Listening + translation. - Teacher explains German culture through some vocabulary. - Homework is set. - Choral farewell. Today I noticed that they also have week A and week B, but from the timetable I've been given you couldn't say so, because I will have the same timetable during week A and B. I'm lucky, then I don't have to worry what week do I have to prepare and get confused (as it happened in School A). Period 2: - Same teacher. - She explains me that this is a difficult class. Pupils there are misbehaving, have autism, etc. - There's an assistant teacher. - Teacher resets the seating plan. - Pupils get excited for my presence and start speaking in Spanish. - Teacher get their attention and focuses them into the book. - Register (answers from pupils in T.L.). - Teacher asks for several places + translation and praises the good answers). - Test: teacher says a word in English and they write it dow in German. - Correction of the test. - Pupils get difficult by now. - The teacher gives points for bad behaviour to the whole class, threatening them to stay after the class. - Teacher gets angry and claims for silence. She writes some names on the board. - One of the kids goes out of the class, he's the one assissted by a teacher. The teacher assisstant goes after him. - The teacher starts an exercise from the book. - Listening: tape. Pupils raise their hands when they understand something from the book. Theis exercise goes well (better than the teacher thought). - Exercise: copy a table from the book. - Teacher erases the marks on the board because of the good behavior of the class. They behave better now. She erases some names too. - Choral repetition for farewell. - Teacher stays with the three boys whose names were still on the board and tells them off. Period "T": Year 9. Tutorial. Teacher makes pupils queue outside the class and only get inside when they are in silence. - Pupils get into the class and stay standing behind their chairs. - Revision of targets for this term. Discussion in small groups afterwards. Period 3: Year 8. French. - Pupils queue outside. - Pupils stand by their chairs. - Choral welcome in French. - Register in T.L. - Test of the words learnt: she speaks in English and pupils write in French. - Teacher collects the tests. - Teacher corrects the answers by asking pupils. - Exercise: describe your hair: writing. - Pupils explain their description: speaking and reading. - Teacher explains the conjugation of some verbs. - Teacher makes pupils guess a conjugation of other verb (to wear). - Teacher makes pupils look for words in their dictionaries, words related to things you wear. - Teacher goes round the class, correcting. - All the vocabulary answered by the pupils is written on the board. - Teacher sets homework (Things you wear on a regular basis). - Choral farewell. Period 4: Year 10. Spanish. - Today: Test. The teacher leaves five minutes to review some information. - Register. - Pupils copy some questions for today's test, from the board. - Teacher sets their homework. - Teacher rearranges the seating plan for the exam. - The test starts. It includes listening, writing and reading. Having a look to the school's timetable, I noticed that they put the tutorialperiod in the middle of the day and, on Thursdays and Fridays, there's no period 5. Clever. That way they don't have to cope with bad behavior children at those times of the day. Instead of period 5, all the NQTs have a meeting on Child protection. PGCEs are included.

38th day

Monday, January 17th. 2005. Today is a NON-PUPIL day, or, called as well, a "pressure relief" day. Pupils don't come, but teachers must attend to the school and prepare this term's schemes of work, and everything. The teacher of Spanish gives me some work to do: prepare Wednesday's lesson for Year 12. After that, we have a little meeting because today is the launch of the new computer system for the school administratin, and we must know how it works... And after that, the teachers for Year 10 meet in a classroom and prepare this term's classes, for one hour. That's it for today.

39th day

Tuesday, January 18th. 2005. On Tuesdays: Staff meeting in the staff room, early in the morning. It is taking me harder than I thought to get along with my timetable, because they are making changes in it all the time and not giving me the final one, for me to settle down all my notes and class lists. Anyway. it'll come sooner or later, oder? Period 2: Year 11. Spanish. - Review of their exams (GCSE). - There's a "Grammar Club" somewhere during the week. I'll ask and attend to one or two of those lessons. - Analisis of the R.W.L.S. (Reading, Writing...)in their mock exams. - The teacher stays with four of the pupils after the class to give them some pieces of advise for them to improve their marks. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. - Pupils read their books. - Todays: Collection of Student's Handbooks. - Pupils read while the teacher reads and signs their handbooks. Period 3: Year 7. german. Instead of the German lesson, I am invited to attend to some oral examinations, and, I go with pleasure... "of course of the horse". I see how the best pupil speaks non-stop. I am amazed, mainly because I didn't know she was the best. After her, a boy comes, average, so I can realise what is the real level of the kids in this year (year 12, by the way...), and, they are not bad. I stay the whole hour with them. I like these oral things. It's fun and they have fun as well (except during the real exam... in June). Period 5: Year 10. Spanish. I help an NQT with her lesson. Is good that I go together with an NQT, so I know now what will it be my duties, problems and so on...

40th day

Wednesday, January 19th. 2005. Period 2: Year 12. Spanish. - The other teachers told me that these pupils are the top set, even better than the Year 13 pupils... I'll see the difference on Monday. - There are only six pupils in the class. No uniforms. - They are given those thick dictionaries to work out translations in class. - It's a relaxed (and relaxing) atmosphere. - I speak about the Media in Spain for about twenty minutes, before their teacher (the NQT) carries on with the planned lesson. Period T: Year 9. Assembly. - All pupils go in order from their respective classrooms to the main hall of the school, where all the assemblies are celebrated. - Today's topic: "Mothers". - The speaker is the head of year 9. Today is the first time he is in front of his Year 9 course (he must be new in the position). - He is quite young. - He is a funny speaker dealing with serious stuff, and makes all of us laugh about the things he says and how he tales them (he has a revision of a pupil's life from maternity until Year 13 or something, and relating it to the point of view mothers). Period 5: Year 7. German. I just observe what's going on there and how the teacher teaches this subject to those tiny pupils. I take notes on how the teacher manages with behaviour (not need to, almost) and how he deals with teaching grammar to pupils who are for their first time this year in front of a German lesson.

41st day

Thursday, January 20th. 2005. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. - As every thursday: Progress Files. Pupils check and learn how to improve their development. - p.16: Different types of learning. - Exercises. The teacher explains me what are the duties in every day of thw week. We have a quick word and get that I will be teaching Tutorials on Tuesdays and Fridays. Those days I will have to prepare some topics to make the children think about it. I think that doing that will be "very challenging" for me, because I will have to prepare myself for some aspects of the English culture and "teach" it to English people... Period 3: Year 12. Spanish. - Los medios de comunicación (The Media). - The teacher (French) speaks in Spanish all the time. - 00.04: The teacher puts them to work with some ideas from a text. - Brainstorming (lluvia de palabras). - 00.20: Puesta en común (sharing opinions) - 00.28: the teacher delivers photocopies with information about the media in Spain. - The teacher sets their homework before she forgets... - 00.33: The teacher makes pupils start writing (this term they will have to develop their writing of essays). - 00.42: I correct their translations of the given text and dictate my own sight translation. - 00.58: The lesson is finished. Students pack up and go. - 00.61: The teacher and I stay in the class to discuss what will I do in tomorrow's lesson. Tomorro I will have to give them a test on LA PRENSA and do more sight translations. Period 4: Year 10. Spanish. I team teach the conditional. We have some examples, exercises and so on. Today there's no period 5, nor tomorrow, so I go home earlier... to prepare tomorrow's lesson and next week's lessons... a lot of fun (mmm).

42nd day

Friday, January 21st. 2005. Period 1: Year 12. Spanish. - I arrive first to the classroom. Pupils are reviewing for today's test. - Finally I teach the whole class. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. - Today: debate. - Pupils prepare their aguments for ten minutes or so. - Meanwhile, pupils' notebooks are delivered. - Teacher sets those ones "against" and "for" in the debate. - Two pupils go out to the board to write the opinions. - Other pupils ask and answer while the teacher moderates and suggests some more things. - I think I will have mainly two problems preparing and delivering these tutorial lessons: ONE: I will have to study in deep the British culture. Alien to me. TWO: As usual: children's vocabulary and answers will be difficult to understand for me, because of the slang and the accent they normally use... Period 4: Year 7. German. - Teacher asks for their homework. - Correction of homework in class by the pupils and the teacher. - There are some pupils speaking and the teacher gives them a couple of shouts. - Register + marks for the correction of that exercise (H/W). - The teacher delivers a photocopy with some exercises. - Pupils do those exercises and, when they finish, go to the teacher's table to have another one. - Pair work activity: pupils test each other's spellings.

43rd day

Monday, January 24th. 2004. "Fuzziness". During this weekend I have been preparing this week's lessons and, I realised that all the schemes of work that I have been given are quite fuzzy. Therefore, I only was able to prepare Year 10s. The rest, I will have to do it day by day. Furthermore, my timetable is going to change, because I've been told that I won't teach Year 11s, so it will be swaped for Year 8s, which I haven't attended at all and I have nothing prepared for them. And on top, they have been added to my timetable, so I have now more load of hours than 60%. Fair enough, welcome to real teaching. I can cope with it, but I will have less time for my essays (I planned to do two per week) and if I cannot prepare everything... I will tell them to reduce a little amount of team teaching or something. Let's see. Period 1: Year 8. Spanish. - Teacher moves seats. - Register. - The teacher asks for vocabulary. Her way of doing it is very entertaining. - Choral repetition. - Work in pairs. Pupils ask each other. - Some new vocabulary + Choral repetition. - The Euro: countries and currency. - "Baffling Pigs" is a good mnemotechnic word to remember all the countries in Europe (Belgium, Austria, France, Finland, Luxemburg, Italy, Nederlands, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain). - Choral repetition of the European countries. - Talk in twos. - Numbers: 1 to 100. - Choral repetitions + games the teacher makes it enjoyable). - The teacher check them individually. - They copy it. - Crosswords. - The teacher sets their homework (from which they will have a test next lesson, where they will have to have 80% to pass). - Plenary: review. Period 2: Year 11. Spanish. - Pupils do some burocratical work before start the proper lesson (they have to write a report on how do they like the Spanish subject). - Parts of the body for the GCSE: "Feeling ill". - Dictionaries are delivered in class. - Pupils loock for words and check the ones on the board in the dictionaries. - Choral repetition. - "Me duele...": pair work (Vaya 3; p.98). Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. - Silent reading + handbook check. - The teacher tells me something about my plan of tomorrow's lesson, (which I have to teach... and I am kind of scared). Period 4: Year 13. Spanish. I teach the whole class: test the level of pupils in the topics they have prepared. Period 5: Year 12. Spanish. (I team teach with the NQT teacher). - The perfect tense. - The teacher writes down the irregular participles. I help her with it and with the performance of pupils.

44th day

Tuesday, January 25th. 2005. Period 2: Year 11. Spanish. I teach the first 10 minutes, then, the teacher comes and we do team teach together testing parts of the body. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. That is my first time I teach a "whole" lesson (1/2 hour). Here, I have to teach them about Youth Crime. They were too quiet, too much than I expected, so I was able to do all my planning, on time. They will try me in two or three lessons and then... let's see. I have the experience of my last school, so I think I will manage better this time. Problems: the usual, sometimes I don't understand their answers, but this time I took a pupil to write down on the board on my behalf, so they won't notice that I sometimes don't understand. Period 3: Year 7. German. - I do the timing of the teacher in a proper observation sheet. Notising the exercises and so on. Period 5: Year 10. Spanish. I teach team it.

45th day

Wednesday, January 26th. 2005. Before Period 1: Teachers of Year 7. Briefing. Just some teachers talking about ytheir year 7 pupils' attitude and so on... in a classroom. Period T: Year 9. Assembly. - Topic: How to control Emotions and Temper. - The word "conflict". - After the speech, the speaker states the names of those attending to their lessons in a 100% rate. They stand up and the rest give them an applause. Period 5: Year 7. german. - I help pupils to correct some of the exercises done in class...

46th day

Thursday, January 27th. 2005. Period 2: Year 8. Spanish. After being told that I will teach this year group, I attend to this lesson as an observer, so I will teach them as of next week. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. I was supposed to teach this lesson tomorrow, but the teacher had some things to do and we swapt it. I planned the lesson properly, and in time. It's easier to plan a 1/2 hour lesson. But, as usual, I expected them speaking more and louder. Nevertheless, when the teacher came into the class, they really sot quiet... unbelievable. Period 3: Year 12. Spanish. Team teaching. That means that I am there to assist the teacher, who has everything ready for them. It's a nice class. I took the six pupils I have to choose for my Directed Tasks out of them... Period 4: Year 10. Spanish. I corrected yesterday some works (OCRs) for those kids. The correction of these works was going to be the class of today. I was team teaching with the French teacher. I was writing and she was speaking. I couldn't believe how skilled she was while teaching, because she knew everything happening in the class before it actually happened (and I include pupils' doubts, questions, etc.). It must be that if you are teaching for so long, then, you know many things before hand.

47th day

Friday, January 28th. 2005. Period 1: Year 12. Spanish. I do a vocabulary test for them. It takes 20 minutes of the lesson. Then, the teacher (the French one) goes ahead with them and uses me to verify questions and for idioms. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. The teacher delivers the lesson while I observe and take some notes in my observation sheet. Period 4: Year 7. German. I observe and help the teacher and some pupils to refresh and correct their vocabulary, exercises, etc.

48th day

Monday, January 31st. 2005. Today I taught periods 1 and 4 entirely (Spanish, Years 8 (the alphabet) and 13(the distribution of wealth)). It was fun. I'm too tired to write something today, appart from that, I was attending to all the rest of the lessons (but period 3), so today was a busy day. Hopefully not tomorrow.

49th day

Tuesday, February 1st. 2005. This has been a busy day. Now it is too late and I am tired, again, to write in detail what happened (andm basically, I didn't take any notes). Thus, I will just say that I was teaching (or observing) periods 2 (Yr11, Spanish), T (Tutorial, we did a Debate), 3 (Yr7, German) and 5 (Yr10, a test). I think that when I will be a proper teacher, with my own classes and so on, I will do less preparation for them, (for sure!). At the moment there's a lot of paper work that I have to carry on with and that, most of the times, are worth not very much. I will have a properly set Teacher's Book, and everything will be there (at the moment I have three agendas to organise myself!). But... PGCE requirements! ;-)

50th day

Wednesday, February 2nd. 2005. Panel meeting of Year 9, before all lessons start. All teachers having any Year 9 in their tutorial meet there and receive some instructions and information from the one I think is the Head of Year 9. 20 minutes,,, and go to teach! Period 2: Year 12. Spanish. Exercises from the book and some conversation. Even if they don't speak, it is good for their listening. Period T: Year 9. Assembly. As usual, pupils get organised to go to the Hall for the assembly and get told a nice and well prepared spreech from the Head of Year. Period 5: Year 7. German. I help the teacher when some students are doing the exercises. I start noticing who is interested in the subject and thus is good at it, nd who is not interested, and therefore causes some potential problems to the rest of the class.

51st day

Thursday, February 3rd. 2005. Period 2: Year 8. Spanish. They were a little messy today, I mean, misbehaving, so the teacher there had to remain calm while trying to teacht them the numbers and the European countries. I hope they won't be like that with me, but I think you can't avoid it, once they know how far they can go with you... Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. The usual. The teacher gives them some things to work in. Today was "their achievements". Period 3: Year 12. Spanish. I was left alone with them today, because the teacher is in France, with some pupils there (interchange). I did a little revision of what they know, so I make sure they know what I want them to know from now on... I enjoyed that. Period 4: Year 10. Spanish. I was left alone with them as well, because of the same reasons. On top of it, my University Tutor came to do a proper observation and... appart from my messy writing on the board and me in a little hurry to explain some things, it was a good lesson. "Good pace". That's good. From my lesson plan I thought it was not going to be like that (I had too much information written "just in case"). Tomorrow I teach period 1, Year 12s... I'm going now to correct their test, so we can discuss it in class tomorrow.

52nd day

Friday, February 4th. 2005. Period 1: Year 12. Spanish. A relaxed lesson and a lot of translation, I liked that. I had not very much planned for this lesson, my lesson plan was very empty, but with this class you take a lot of time to do one exercise... Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. I am getting to manage this class better. Now I don't worry too much about it, it's only half an hour, enough time to have to prepare it, but not too much to worry about it. Period 4: Year 7. German. I allways sit near a girl and I watch her exercises and stuff. Today we were talking about what she did when she went to Dysneyland and what she wants to become. The children behind were listen to it as well and.. they taught me a lot of new English childish words!! I have almost everything set for next week, so I will have a nice weekend. But... the system in the school doesn't work, so I cannot find the information I need for my Directed Tasks (DT) and I am stuck in the first one, which I haven't started writing it yet!!, and I don't like that. Hopefully, I will be able to find that information somehow and start writing (my plans were to be writing DT4 already!). Anyway... I'll enjoy my weekend.

53rd day

Monday, February 7th. 2005. Period 1: Year 8. Spanish. I was eager to deliver this lesson. I knew I was going to enjoy it. We did the alphabet again and I linked it to the countries using the Euro (B.a.f.l.i.n.g. P.i.g.s.). It was fun. I draw a big map of Europe on the board and I made them to stick the flags of the different countries, after they spelt them and name them properly. Period 2: Year 11. Spanish. I missed this lesson. Instead, I wrote my DT1. Thanks God. I started writing! Now I have the feeling I am doing something and moving on to the next step: DT2. I wrote a draft for DT2, tomorrow I will finish it and start writing DT3. Now that I have the information (given to me very gently, I have to say), everything looks a little better. Period 4: Year 13. Spanish. I thought I was going to be team teaching this lesson, but I found myself in front of the class alone, well, the NQT teacher was there, but I took the class. So I took the lesson plan given by my Subject Mentor (the teacher of Spanish) and delivered it as good as I could. On top of it, only two pupils came... It went good... anyway. Period 5: Year 12. Spanish. Same thing as with Year 12. And it went well as well.

54th day

Tuesday, February 8th. 2005. I noticed today that I have a pupil with Tourette's syndrom. After the class the teacher confirmed that to me and told me that it is highly confidential. The pupil was doing a very good performance during the class so I confirmed my "theory" that Tourette's are very accurate when doing things... Period 2: Year 11. Spanish. I was helping the teacher by having a revision of pupils' oral tests, and correcting their writings about it. Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. It went well. I managed to engage pupisl and make them to speak and express their opinions... not all of them, but more than usual. That's good. Period 3: Year 7. German. I totally forgot that I had to attend to this lesson, but I realised when there were ten minutes left for its end. After the lesson I apologised to the teacher and she told me that it was ok. Thanks God it wasn't my class entirely, otherwise pupils would have had a good time waiting. (I probably wouldn't have forgotten if so...). Period 5: Year 10. Spanish. I was team teaching in this class. My duty today was teaching them the rules of accentuation in Spanish, but it was a mess because I was supposed to do it in five minutes, and the pupils were confused because I was too fast. I will probably have to repeat the explanation after tomorrow or something.

55th day

Wednesday, February 9th. 2005. Today I was the whole day setting my things and preparing my papers for next week and attending to meetings. One in the morning, for Year 9 teachers, then the assembly and later on the departamental staff meeting. Period 5: Year 7. German. I will have to teach them as of next week, so I'd better charge my bateries and start "with a good foot". The thing is that some of them will see me as a student, and not as a real teacher, because I have been attending to the lessons and observing, taking notes, halping and so on. Let's see how this is going to work.

56th day

Thursday, February 10th. 2005. Today I had a very good begining... and a very bad end. Period 2: Year8. Spanish. I was a little bit afraid of teaching this class, because they are a mess normally. But I stood hard and everything went ok. Period 4: Year 10. Spanish. Here is when all the problems came, well, not really with the pupils, but with the teacher: She wanted to have a review on the coursework pupils did and she wanted to tip and correct them. She took half an hour to do that, so I had the other half an hour for the rest of my lesson plan... which I could throw it to the bin because it has been worth nothing. I rearrange the lesson plan in my head as I was seeing how much time I had left, but I didn't want to miss the explanation of the accents, so, once again, I explained it in a rush and without examples. Then I jumped one of the explanations (tenses) to focus on the coursework for next week... 5 minutes left... Here is my opinion of it (and this is the very first time I am sincere with what I think in this diary): - If the teacher wanted to do corrections and make sure that the pupils know everything; why didn't she take the whole class, so she wouldn't have gone in a rush... neither do I? - If the teacher wants to focus on the coursework for the pupils to write properly after a while; why is she not focusing in it sometimes, or telling me that I should ONLY do coursework on Thursdays with them? She didn't tell me anything, as usual, and I am just following the lesson plan we agreed at the very beginning (being as flexible as my concerns reach); am I suposed to presupose what is in between lines or is it only that I don't understand because I am a foreigner? - She told me to correct some coursework and she noticed that my marking was too low; could it be that I am more inflexible with the pupils when correcting, or is that I don't know the standards for that age and therefore I do not pay attention to what level they should be? Well, I'm going to stop here. You can see my mood today, and it is not very... polite. So better be quiet and not cause riot (as usual), otherwise you could fail the PGCE, couldn't I?. See you tomorrow.

57th day

Friday, February 11th. 2005. Today was the last day I was observing the German lesson. I am a little scare about what is going to happen as of next week. My mistakes can lead me to "bankrupt", but, let's see how do I manage... I will ask for the help of the teacher, in case many things go wrong.

58th day

Monday, February 14th. 2005. Period 1: Year 8. Spanish. I was having a proper lesson observation today, but I didn't do it very good. I gave them a test, which it took half an hour to do it, instead of the thought 15 minutes. Then, everything went wrong because I didn't have time to deliver what I planned. I am not going to write anything I don't need anymore. I don't like that thing "prepare more just in case" because I see too many things in the lesson plan and I want to do them all!! Anyway. Appart from that, the delivery was ok. Periods 4 & 5: Years 13 & 12. Spanish. Both lessons were the same thing: I speak about the questions they have and write them down on the board for them to cipoy it. Boring, but effective, because later they have something to study, created by a native speaker (then is all correct, but nothing generated bu them). Today one of the teachers told me what I think is really important, and what I think worries teachers a lot: why do teachers teach what they teach and why they have to do it. Everything depends on what pupils are going to be examined at the end of the year, so it doesn't matter how do the teacher teaches the syllabus/schemes of work, as soon as (s)he teaches everything and the pupils pass the exam with a good grade of percentage. That made me think what I am doing in the school (any school while doing the PGCE): just filling the gap. I teach pupils who are not mine. I teach pupils whose knowledge I don't know, so I don't know how far I can go with them or what's the better way to make an approach to their way of learning. I teach pupils whom I don't know... and it doesn't really matter, because after three months we are not going to see each other NEVER again, so they don't care, and I shouldn't care either. I am teaching some schemes of work made by somebody else, and I have to teach it in the way somebody else tells me. That means that I am kind of a puppet, conducted by somebody who doesn't know me, my way of teaching, my standards, my way of dealing with pupils or my mood while teaching them. And the other way round: I don't know the person I am dealing with, his/her way of teaching, his/her way of dealing with pupils, his/her standards... and so on. The thing is; is that learning how to teach or, -as everything during school, college and university- this is about filling some standards up saying that you can demonstrate how to do something? If being a teacher is a matter of having good marks from pupils at the end of the year... I am going to think a little about it. Nevertheless, if I could make only ONE pupil think further than that, then, it is worth... Let's see what happens.

59th day

Tuesday, February 15th. 2005. Period 2: Year 11. Spanish. I was assissting the teacher making some oral mock examination to the pupils; after three quarters of the lesson, I went to the other Year 11 class, bottom set, for me to compare the difference of levels... Period T: Year 9. Tutorial. I think I did an amazing presentation of the topic. We were talking about Auschwitz, the punishment jews suffered and the reform we should give to Germans. All pupils were attentive, hanging on every sibgle word I said, listening to what I had to say of my experience there, when I visited it. It was good. I enjoyed it and I think they did it as well... Period 3:Year 7. german. Uuuuhh. I was very good during the first fifteen minutes, but then I realised that the exercise on the tape that I had prepared was too difficult for them, so I had to make something new up... and with my little German, you can imaging how was it. The teacher was doing a mock observation and she was sending me some notes about my spelling mistakes (for me to correct it from the board). Pupil management went wrong as of that moment, because I was concentrated in what I had to say, and not in something to make pupils work and have their heads down. Period 5: Year 10. Spanish. I haven't taught this lesson because the main teacher of Spanish said that we are delayed and not following the syllabus. Well, I just followed what she gave us at the beginning of the term, when I came here, and I found it really useful, but, if something needs to be changed I don't know what can that be, in order to pupils pass their exams... and so on... So, I am going to think about what pupils need and what are the contents for the exam, and focus on that, but not forgetting the schemes of work given at the beginning of the term. Let's see if that pleases everybody.

60th day

Wednesday, February 16th. 2005. Everything went all right. I was attending to the year 12 Spanish, period 1 and to the tutorial, which I did today, instead of the Assembly, which will be on Friday. During the tutorial, the teacher wrote a proper observation and, to say the truth, it didn't go very well, from my point of view, but she told me that I used some teacher strategies that she liked, so, it's ok then... At the end of the day... German, Year 7, period 5... and I couldn't manage very well their behaviour.

61st day

Thursday, February 17th. 2005. Today was a busy day. I didn't have to attend to the Year 12's lesson, because the head teacher told me not to do it in order to finish my university work and show it to her. not today, nor tomorrow, and I think it will be like this until the end (not attending to Year 12s on Thursdays and Fridays). Good then: more time for my writings. The rest was ok. During Year 10, Spanish, period 4, we were all three teachers in the class, to catch up with the schemes of work. One teacher was doing the oral test, other was helping pupils in their writings and I was correcting all the exercise books (I took some of them home to finish that up). Well, I think we caught up...

62nd day

Friday, February 18th. 2005. As I don't have to attend to Year 12 Spanish, period 1, the day looks very relaxing. I have been writing all the things I had pendant and I prepared my lessons for the week after half term. Cool. Period 4 was horrible: the last hour of the last day before half term week... you can imagine. I managed to do a little bit of what I wanted and then we were playing around with the language the were supposed to know. Next week I am going to write up my essay, some texts for the ILM, and... relax a little. Hopefully that'll be enough to start with strength the following week. But... nothing compared to the moment I get out of the school and walk home this evening.

63rd day

Monday, February 28th. 2005. A busy day teaching and trying to prepare lessons in between.

64th day

Tuesday, March 1st. 2005. Lessons ok. Busy preparing all of them...

65th day

Wednesday, March 2nd. 2005. Lessons ok. Busy time setting up my DTs.

66th day

Thursday, March 3rd. 2005. Those days I have been busy at all times in the day. In the morning teaching or finishing up my DTs, and in the evenings setting the following day... and having a little rest (!). Today is going to be fine, as everyday: same mistakes from children, same dealing with teachers and pupils, same preparation of the lessons, same remindings for myself written in the lesson plans, same meal... This evening I have to attend to a Parent's Evening. I will go with one of the NQTs in this school, she teaches French and Spanish. We will see 18 parents. I will probably be curious about what she says to them about their child (who is going to be there as well). It can be interesting...

67th day

Friday, March 4th. 2005. Weekend in front of me... I will set every essay and DT that I have to handle in two weeks...

68th day

Monday, March 7th. 2005. Bloody Monday. Mondays are very busy in this school for me, the whole day teaching and helping some teachers with their Year 11s, and my own lessons of German and Spanish. A full day with no time for thinking about my Uni tasks.

69th day

Tuesday, March 8th. 2005. Same as Monday, but with a little time for photocopying some things for my School Experience folder.

70th day

Wednesday, March 9th. 2005. Wednesdays are the days for my pleasure for writing essays and collecting information for the SE B File. I hope I will finish it before the due date (so I hope teachers will help me with the information needed, unless tell me where I can find it or to whom I have to talk to).

71st day

Thursday, March 10th. 2005. More than half week, and today is the first of the short days (we end up one hour earlier... good). Lessons were fine (except Year 10, of course, because of the lack of help from the teacher teaching it... as usual).

72nd day

Friday, March 11th. 2005. Antother weekend coming over. But this time I am going to dedicate it to myself. I'll go to London or something to relax, take some pictures and so on... All my Uni tasks are almost done, so I can do it without thinking that I have things to finish up still.

73rd day

Monday, March 14th. 2005. Again, another Monday, another week. But this time I am going to be observing how teachers teach the same lessons as I did, so I can take some notes on what were my mistakes delivering the same lessons. It's going to be interesting, just sitting at the back with the same kids after this time. It's a good idea to be carried on. Let's see how it works.

74th day

Tuesday, March 15th. 2005. Year 7 german were the hell today. I had a cover teacher with me sat at the back, and she had to take part in the lesson to set the children quiet and keep them for a detention after the class. A very helpful help, I must say. Feedback from other teachers were not so good, or were not at all. That is why I am a little disappointed with the system used in this school, and how everything looks fine, until the moment you spot some teacher's weaknesses trying to make them help you, and you find that there's no help at all before that nice expression and empty words. I won't say who I am talking about, yet, but that person/those people is/are not being any help for my learning of how to teach, but, shall I care?

75th day

Wednesday, March 16th. 2005. This is my "free time" day. And specially this week that I only have to observe teachers, (so I don't have to prepare lessons...mmm). I taught Tutorial, with a cover teacher for the teacher who is always with me (or is supposed to be). She was helping me to keep children quiet and to listen to the differen tasks I tell them. I know I am suppossed to do that by my self, but when pupils know you are going to leave soon, it's just more difficult to manage them as you liked. Period 5: German.

76th day

Thursday, March 17th. 2005. The usual for this time of the year in a secondaru school... I guess.

77th day

Friday, March 18th. 2005. Again, the usual, but this being my last day in this school.

78th day

Monday, May 9th. 2005. This is my first day in the new school. The third school I am attending for this PGCE thing. THIS is the point where I am not going to hide my feelings about what happens to me during the PGCE. This is my blog and it is my feelings, and I don't want to say something is not true in here because this is p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l., thus, I say what I want. I can even use it as a proof for what was happening to me, but now it could have been late... I say that because I didn't have a good time in my second school "Boswells School" in Chelmsford, but I wasn't writing it because I was following some instructions not to do it, specially regarding privacy with names, but now I don't care anymore: this is my thing, and nobody reads it very often... In the forthcoming days I will explain what happened in Boswells, I'm not in the mood now. Just in case somebody wants to see what is this PGCE thing about, advantages and disadvantages. Now, let's keep writing for the records...

79th day

Tuesday, May 10th. 2005. This is my second day in this third school and I already saw how the teacher of Frencg lost her nerves and asked me to get out of the class so she can take it on her own. After a few moments, she came into the teacher's room about to cry and asked a friend of hers for some conversation in a private room. In this school we don't have our own Language Department... By the way, it is the Sawyers Hall College, in Brentwood. Essex. Where pupils don't seem to be very collaborative... but "challenging".

80th day

Wednesday, May 11th. 2005. Everything looks OK from the rest of the teachers. It is said that in a school with "challenging" pupils, the staff is more talkative and they understand other's problems... it is true, at least from what I have seen here. Nice school then (compared to Boswells' staff).

81st day

Thursday, May 12th. 2005. I have been all this week obseving lessons 100% timetable. Buf, tiring!

82nd day

Friday, May 13th. 2005. I have been observing that some teachers don't give a shit for this job. There's one of the teachers who is a permanent cover teacher, and pupils mess around with him a lot, so he only writes the exercises on the board and sits down expecting pupils to do them, but, of course, they don't. It makes me feel how my blood boils...

83rd day

Monday, May 16th. 2005. A new week. I am given all information I need to set my new timetable. My tutor is very nice. She is new in this, but she looks like she wants to carry this thing properly, not as in Boswells, where I didn't even have a tutor. It reminds me John Bramston School, where everything was correct as well and where pupils were also "challenging".

84th day

Tuesday, May 17th. 2005. One of the instructions given to me from the PGCE was not to make friends with the staff... bullshit... I've been doing that up to now and I am sick of being distant and not talkative; why not talking about my tutor's trip to Nepal? Why not getting allong good with the staff?, I realised it makes me carry on much better, and now that I don't care so much about PGCE rules I feel a lot less pressure for everything (!).

85th day

Wednesday, May 18th. 2005. Yesterday I did another pupil's shadowing... details are in my written diary...

86th day

Thursday, May 19th. 2005. Today, at the end of the day we had a Full Staff Meeting, after school. They were talking about how to manage pupil's behaviour, and some things for the next year. Of course, nothing to do with me...

87th day

Friday, May 20th. 2005. The last day of the week is always wellcomed.

88th day

Monday, May 23rd. 2005. I have set all my groups and I will start teaching them tomorrow. Today, I had my last QTS test... ICT, and I passed. Is nice to pass a test, but I see it very stupid, even more when you have to travel to Ilford, the closest place, to take the exam. It should be in the University!! I only will have Years 8 and 9, Spanish, as all other Years are gone because of the exam. Teachers look more relaxed and they talk about how nice it would be like this more often...

89th day

Tuesday, May 24th. 2005. Teaching those kids is very tiring. I already have a soar throat.

90th day

Wednesday, May 25th. 2005. I still don't have a password for the computers in the school, so I have plenty time in the school to prepare lessons and read documents, but I think I won't have so much time to write the essays left... let's see how do I manage it.

91st day

Thursday, May 26th. 2005. I went today to an interview in London. I was talking to the director of the college and they were explaining what do they do in the college. It sounded interesting, and it's in London... but I will wait for what happens in Spain first.

92nd day

Friday, May 27th. 2005. Some of the lessons I do here are team taught, which is nice to have only half of the lesson for myself. I decided to do a game at the end of every lesson, this makes pupils to behave better during the lesson (otherwise they won't have the game), and at the same time makes me work it out evry time... but it's worth. I am being given a classroom for me, room 132. I set it up in my way, which is all tables around. My tutor was impressed, but it worked very well!!, pupils face the wall so they only have one or two other pupils to talk to and, as they don't copy much from the board, they don't need to turn around very much. I see them very clearly and we can use the space in the middle for some games! Let's see how it works for the rest of the groups. It could be that for Year 9s is not such a success... Anyway, next week is midterm holyday and I am going to enjoy London a couple of days. I will have to start writing my essays, specially my ILM, which I had to handle it a month ago and I still have it only in mind (but, how am I suppossed to write something in german if I don't know german??... I'll manage it somehow). Enjoy.

93rd day

Monday, June 6th. 2005. Once again, I have to get up at 5.30am... everyday now until the end of July. Buf!, I'm not in the mood. Another boring day in the school. preparing lessons and things like that. I had today the weekly meeting with my subject mentor, wow, she seems to be kind of a workaholic, because she made me write down many things...

94th day

Tuesday, June 7th. 2005. I cannot cope very well with getting up at 5'30h. again... I fall asleep on the bus and during meetings at the end of the day after lessons. On top, I have to wait till the next bus, one hour later, and I get home at seven, so two more hours of "living" and go to bed. Thanks God this is only going to last two more months. Anyway... Today I did a good performance in one of the two lessons I had to teach, the other one was a mess because pupils were a mess already with the previous teacher, so I "inherited" that "messing about with the teacher". After the school lessons we had a Departmental meeting, were teachers were talking about: - giving Junior and Senior Awards for every subject, - Observation of teachers to other teachers, - taking pupils to the library and teaching there, - National Framework, which I am very familiarised to it, but it seems that teachers haven't heard of it very much...

95th day

Wednesday, June 8th. 2005. The usual: getting up before the streets are put up, although the sun is already as if it were 11am... Being bored while doing nothing in between lessons, because i already prepared and wrote next week's lessons and, as I don't have yet access to the computers in the school, I cannot write anything from my essays, so I write something in paper, which I have to type it up afterwards at home... a completely waste of time, but at least I look like busy. In one of today's lessons, I was talking in Spanish at the end of it, and one of the pupils said that it was the lesson where he learnt more Spanish of the whole year. Good!, a medal for my chest.

96th day

Thursday, June 9th. 2005. I think I will not be able to cope with getting so early in the mornings and coming back so late because they keep me in the school to attend to a parent's evening for Years 7 & 8. It's been the usual boring thing, seeing how teachers lie to parents telling that their child is making progress in this or that... could be, but that is not all the truth, why don't they say the whole truth to the parent? Anyway, it's not of my business... it's not my class, nor my school, thence nor my war.

97th day

Friday, June 10th. 2005. Today was one of those days when you shouldn't get out of bed. I had lessons period 1 and 3, both the same lesson plan, and in both of them, pupils didn't care about what I had to teach them. The only difference is that durign priod one, I really lost control of the class... and of myself. I got really angry, for the first time in my short three years career as a teacher. There are very small details that I will not tell here, because I am not in the mood for it now, but, if this keeps going like that, I think the teaching profession is going to be the one I will not follow during the next three years. What is this job about?! In Boswells, teachers were crap and very much NOT supportive, and here is the pupils the problem... with that, I think I will have to learn a couple of hints from the experience today for me not to get crazy or something. "They are just kids".

98th day

Monday, June 13th. 2005. Today is one of the worst days every fortnight, but it seemed it was ok. The first lesson was surprisingly fine. I didn't care whether one or two pupils were speaking and I carried on talking about La Tomatina (today's topic). They liked it and were absolutely in silence when I was talking about it, even when it was in Spanish I got them interested... cool. The second lesson was as expected: pupils not paying attention to what I say, and I found myself making a fool out of myself, waving my arms (for "derecha" and "izquierda") in the middle of the classroom... Unless I didn't have any very dirsuptive kid. The teacher there didn't really paaying attention to what I was doing, she was writing up her things... better for me, so I can pass of what kids do, and not face it. There was also a helping teacher, who helps the teacher with the very dissruptive kids for them to do the exercises. Good, so less load for me. I found incredible that, even with three teachers in the class, some pupils were speaking so loud, chatting gossips and putting make up. I cannot believe it. I think it would be different if I was here since the beginning... but, who knows. One never can know it for certain... We had a Fire Drill that messed up my last lesson of the day, but the teacher noticed (JMI) and took it for her to settle the pupils donw. I did some writing on the board...

99th day

Tuesday, June 14th. 2005. Today was fine. The firs lesson was ok until I put them in a pair exercise, after that point I lost them up to the point to have to write twwo detentions for next week after school. Shit!, that means I have to stay as well (and thus arrive at home three hours later than expected).

100th day

Wednesday, June 15th. 2005. Only one lesson today, but it has been observed by my Tutor from the University, C.K. It didn't go very well, so we spend a little time after the lesosn discussing my weak points in it. She will come tomorrow as well, to see how I polish some of those weak points... tomorrow period one.

101st day

Thursday, June 16th. 2005. Today I had three lessons. Period one: My University tutor came for an informal observation. She sent me last night some tips for this lesson. This was the best group I can have throughout all groups I've been assigned, I call them "The Angels", because I can think about contents in the lesson and not just about exercises to settle them down. I couldn't manage their behaviour at the end of the lesson, even when I thought they were having a good behaviour, from the experience I am having here. Anyway, C.K. did her work and we were one hour afterwards talking about my weak points during this lesson and so on; how could I have applied her tips and what I didn't see during the lesson (not many thing I didn't see, from my point of view, but "not seeing them" makes you not having confrontations, which I avoid very hard, after what happened last Friday). Even with that, I think she didn't like how I taught it, because she will come next week as well, to see how I polish some of those weak points... again. From my point of view, this is a lost battle already. My way of teaching is based very much on how my relationship is with pupils, deals, praises, and so on, so I carry on teaching or stop to manage troubles... For that, some time is needed, time that I don't have, because pupils will not see me again never in their lives, because they will not take Spanish next course and because the summer is already here, hence the end of school days. If the PGCE system wants to see how I try... well, they will se how I try, but that's nothing useful for me, my teaching experience or my teaching satisfaction (which "I can't get no"). Period 4, last lesson of the day. Having my lesson plan ready and some other thing as well (such as CD, board and so on) I let them in. They are disruptive, not surprisingly, but I try some of the tips that C.K. told me before, like stant in silence and wait until they are in silence... but it doesn't work. Well, I'll make it brief. After setting a couple of exercises I cannot manage them being quiet. Some other teachers come into my/the room and set some order, but as soon as they live, well, you know... By the end of the lesson I have one pupils really disrupting the lesson, walking around the classroom and hitting others with his bag, which I take it away from him and the... there we go: confrontation. There was another teacher in the class, already writing a report about what was going on. Right. Later on, I am told that this kid is being excluded from the school because his very bad behaviour, five days minimum. After the lesson, it was lunch time, so I kept the noisiest ones in the class for 10 minutes of my counter (which beeps when zero), asking them for total absolute silence; those doing it, left, those saying one w.o.r.d. were kept 5 more minutes. Like that, until I got only one pupil... after 20 minutes. I wanted to be really strict this time, and it worked. The teacher with me wrote the report and sent it to the head and other one. The head saw me afterwards and told me that it was good what I did. For the firs time, I applied a punishment in my way, and for te first time too, somebody tells me that it was a good action. I think it shouldn't be called "periods"... but "rounds". Estos niños están por civilizar, and teachers haven't enough power to react to pupil's misbehaviour quick and face the law at the same time... That's enough for today. I am going to check my emails... this is my leisure time, I shouldn't be thinking of this anymore today.

102nd day

Friday, June 17th. 2005. Today they were behaving surprisingly good. And the teachers have been very supportive, asking me how was I and telling me that I have to speak clearly about how I feel and be sincere. One teacher told me that she will bring me on Monday a book she read about how to manage the "buggies". The are being so nice that I can't not to try; I wanted to find any excuse to give up, but with teachers like this... I just can't. Let's see how things come later on. I still have a few weeks in front of me.

103rd day

Monday, June 20th. 2005. A normal day without surprises. Pupils have behaved better than expected, perhaps they know me now and they might think is not worrth misbehavee, I have no idea. C.K., my University tutor visited me for an observation, again. She had to leave 20 minutes before the end of the lesson, pitty, because I spent that time to do a game which envolved all pupils in the class and made them behave perfectly as I exxpected with thaat game: maaking a plane with papeer (explaanation in Spanish, of course).

104th day

Tuesday, June 21th. 2005. Today is the longest day... and I should be in stonehenge, and not here, but... shit happpens, and i am here. J.MI. prepared the lesson and taught it, in an effort to show me how I shall do a kinesthetic lesson, I reckon it was both to show that to me and to show that she can do it very good... It was fun for the kids anyway. And I learnt some new exercises. Not yesterday nor today the two girls with a detention after school turned up, so now I think I will have to do aall the paper worrk and phone caalls to pareents to fix it... I'm not really in thee mood, but, you know, if I haave to...

105th day

Wednesday, June 22nd. 2005. I have to fly to Spain today, so i will teach only the first of the two lessons of today. It was as expected: me having kids' attenttion for 20 minutes andd theen messing around a little... the usual.

106th day

Monday, June 27th. 2005. Today's lessons were horrible. Pupils were not paying attention and I felt impotent when noticing I was talking to the walls. I don't want teachers come and "help" me any more, they are not a help, they make it worst. I am supposed to be in any lesson with a teacher, that's bullshit, why that?, is that because I cannot teach every lesson my way, behave my way or teach the contents my way?, if the teacher is there to analise my lesson... then change the teacher, because none of the teachers, during the whole year, being with me during the lesson were analising my teaching, unless it was a formal observation. I wonder what would happen if I quit now... I know it might be not worth, because there's only three weeks to go, but I cannot cope with any situation related to teaching any longer. Let's see, tomorrow will be another day... one day less.

107th day

Tuesday, June 28th. 2005. I had three lessons today, but the one at period 5 was missing because today the school finished at 13'20h. The other two lessons were fine, I mean, the first one was as expected. I tried to do a deal with the pupils: they behave and I give them free time at the end of the lesson, depending on how good they behave it was going to be 5 min, 10 min, 20 min or even 20 min of leisure time (I knew it was not going to be 20 minutes, for certain... that was "the hook"), but the teacher there (PAM) didn't allow me to do that, she told me it was not permitted... well, I didn't do it, but pupils were already told so, thus, I lost them by the end of the lesson, of course. I think that is not school rules or procedures, I think it is just a matter of who's style is applied. I would like to do it my way, but I see I can't. The second lesson went amazingly well. I think it was because the proper teacher (AWL) was present, and pupils respect her a lot. So I was able to develop the plan I had with no problems at all. Pupils were task, interested, engaged and focused... so much that I forgot about applying some basic teaching techniques, such as use more target language (thing that I cannot use in other groups) or do speaking-in-twos activities after repeated listening activities (today they were not repeated enough). The bell rang and I went home, the school was finished at 13'20h as expected... then, why did I have the feeling I was sneaking out? Most teachers stayed at the school because they had to do some interviews, but I had nothing to do there. I think I have this "British" feeling that one has to stay there to show respect for others or something, but my mind is still telling me that "if you are finished, why staying?", and I left.

108th day

Wednesday, June 29th. 2005. Today is the Sport's Day, so no teaching at all, well, everything as usual until the end of period 1, then the "sport's mess" starts. I was supossed to teach period 2, but I will not teach today... During registration, J.MI. was trying to explain how the political parties work in this country, but only three pupils were paying attention. She got a little angry with a couple of them, but (of course) she kept teaching. After registration I told her that it was very interesting for me, but not for them... she told me that if they weren't interested, they hadn't allowed her even to speak. I have been thinking about how I feel with my life this year... and I got that I haven't taken anything profitable from this course, well, it's been a -bad- experience from which I can learn a lot about teaching, teachers and pupils. A chance that I don't really have in Spain. If I keep teaching the forthcoming years, I know now very much what do I want and how do I want to do it, that will help me to choose the school/college/university that I want. Regarding the time remaining of the PGCE, I think I will have to finish it, but God knows I would like to leave right now in this very moment. I think I will have a word with my mentor in the school (J.MI.) and I will tell her how I feel, straight and sincerely (if I have the bollocks...). I want to tell her that I don't care anymore about what is going on in the school, or with the pupils; that I don't want to shout not a single word anymore; and that I don't want to teach any longer, that I don't want to fight, but due that I have to finish the PGCE, I would like to pass through it as smoothly as possible, with her help, or without it. Same to my university tutor, C.K. I will ask her why is she comming so often to see me teaching, probably she haven't seen what she wants from my teaching, but I'm afraid that she won't see it, so I will not pass the PGCE. If so, I would like her to tell me "a.s.a.p." what is my situation, and then have a word with her... and operate accordingly. Two weeks ago my strength was fading away... today is over. I don't like it very much, it doesn't fit in the personality I knew about myself, I thought I was strong, with clear ideas, with common sense, and even a good teacher, right now I not only think that I am not a good teacher, but I even think that I will not be able to succeed in anything else in the near future; it's hard, but I have to admit that that is what is going on right now. "Time heals everything", I just hope that "time" goes fast this period in my life.

109th day

Thursday, June 30th. 2005. Today is the "Enrichment Day", where all pupils learn things such as how military people or police deal with the problems everyday, and things like that... I have been the whole day setting my PDP, photocopying documents for evidence and so on. No teaching (thanks God).

110th day

Friday, July 1st. 2005. Today is more or less like yesterday, but only Years 8 are not hvaing lessons... I'm lucky then, because I only had Years 8 today, so no teaching again. I've spent the whole day finishing my setting of the PDP, and writing my lessons plan for next week.

111th day

Monday, July 4th. 2005. Today I a at APU sessions. (In the university). I told my tutor (C.K.) that I was over and that I don't want to find the strength to keep doing it. Of course, she encouraged me to keep going, to not give up, specially regarding pupils' behaviour. Let's see.

112th day

Tuesday, July 5th. 2005. I was so tired of teaching today that I didn't even care that my mentor (J.MI.) was in the classroom watching (or doing her things). Pupils in the two lessons I've had today have behaved not very good, but I didn't care, I just managed it to focus on the ones paying attention and make the rest be as quiet as I could. Both teachers (J.MI. and P.AM.) reccommended me to prepare some games for the kids, otherwise they would misbehave. It didn't matter, they misbehaved anyway, but it was true that it could have been worst with the lesson plan I had (book based, you, know... not warming the neuronss for something like this). Anyway. Tomorrow I will be in the university and not here, and I will count "one day less" for the end, wich is comming, but it looks like is far far away.

113th day

Wednesday, July 6th. 2005. APU Sessions, (at University).

114th day

Thursday, July 7th. 2005. Today's lesson was, as usual... a mess.

115th day

Friday, July 8th. 2005. I had an observation today from my university tutor, C.K. The lesson didn't go very good, pupils were talking and not paying attention, you know, the usual. C.K. told me that this lesson is the one you see from PGCEs before Christmas, so that means that I didn't improve at all. Well, could be I don't want to do the effort, really, not even to talk about it right now and write what happened in the class... I am too angry to write clearly now, and I still have one lesson left today. It is exactly the same lesson, the same age group (Year 8), so this is the chance to apply what she told me to do and see hot it works... I'll tell you later. -------- This is the Email I wrote to C.K. after the lesson in the afternoon: "As you might remember, I had in period 3 the same lesson you saw during period 1. I tried to use most of the tips you gave me to teach that lesson, but the lesson you saw was with the "good" group (that's why I asked you to be at that time and not later). I was asking for silence and waiting 7 minutes for it, until the other teacher started to intevene (she thought it was long enough waiting), and even with that it didn't work... I sent out four pupils who were messing around with a CD player and a mobile phone, the teacher with me was with other two, who were sent out as well (and of course, she was saying different things to pupils already set up by me). Having seen that, twenty minutes before the bell I stopped the lesson, and started packing up the books and everything. I didn't mind the lesson plan, the rules or anything. I stood in the middle of the class and I asked them whether was that normal. They were in silence... good, so at least once I got them really in silence. I was talking to them about their behaviour, and they seemed to respond in a logical way, as I expected when treating them as equals. Could be it's them, could be it's me, but, if I go back to Spain and I get a job in a secondary school, (where I will have most of the things I required and I didn't have during the PGCE), and I see that pupils' reaction to my teaching is the same, then I will have to think seriously whether I am a good teacher... or I might think about getting other job, different than teaching. From today's experience I can say that I learnt how to deal with a bad lesson, and with a very bad lesson, and once again, complain to myself that I didn't have the time to build any kind of relationship with the pupils, but that's something from the past already. Next, - I'll cope as good as I can with the remaining week and a half. - I'll go back to Spain and try to apply wherever there's still time for it. - I'll see how my carrer develops. For the time being, thank you very much for your help, your being so supportive, for your patience and specially for your interest in me getting the PGCE title, which is basically the only thing why I came here to do this. Thank you very much Claude. Daniel."

116th day

Monday, July 11th. 2005. This week is the "Activity's Week", so is going to be busy because I will have to be with a number of groups of pupils during the whole week... Today I was doing the Spanish Workshop... tiring and boring. I had to be teaching Spanish during the whole day to the same group of pupils, who didn't want to be really there and who were mixed, I mean, they were Years 7, 8 and 9 together. Only two of them were interested, because they have been and will be in Spain this summer. The rest, if they were quiet that was enough. Towards the end it came more entertaining, as we all got tired of doing exercises and so on and I started to talk about cultural things. That was better. Pitty that it was only during period 5.

117th day

Tuesday, July 12th. 2005. Today I wanted to attend the Photography Workshop, but there were already too many teachers there, so they put me in the Video Workshop. Well, it sounded interesting, but all I had to do is accompany a group of pupils to locate wheree did they want to shot their trailer, and shoot it. As expected, pupils were messing around in the forest, not shooting any single worth image for their trailer...

118th day

Wednesday, July 13th. 2005. Today the Video Workshop again... I'm going to try to escape for a while from it, while pupils will be editing or something, because otherwise I will have no time to gather the information required to full fill the last asignment from UNI: School info.

119th day

Thursday, July 14th. 2005. TEXT...

120th day

Friday, July 15th. 2005. TEXT...

121st day

Monday, July 18th. 2005. TEXT...

122nd day

Tuesday, July 19th. 2005. TEXT...

123rd day

Wednesday, July 20th. 2005. TEXT...

124th day

Thursday, July 21st. 2005. TEXT...

þe ende.