Are Mid Teens an unhappy phase of life?
You are no doubt chasing students to finish off their coursework and preparing yourself for the new influx of students this coming September. That probably includes juggling your timetables of Functional Skills classes.
Does under-achievement in Maths and English reduce confidence and self esteem? I think so. This, in turn, can lead to students being ever more disengaged in these subjects. Last year, in September, a student of mine said (between her teeth) "I hate you". I knew this couldn't be true because a) I'd never met her before, and b) I'm lovely! So I had to conclude that it was Maths that she hated and, by definition, the Maths teacher. But it goes deeper than that.
According to research undertaken by The Children's Society, (42,000 eight to 17-year-olds were surveyed), those aged 14 and 15 were found to have the lowest sense of wellbeing. The study also mentions the...
We can learn a lot from 5 year-olds. Due to being in an environment of predominantly 14 - 19 year olds (and adult learners) it’s easy to forget the easy, no-nonsense honesty that comes from these younger students. So when I observed a child asking a teacher why they were using their phone when in class, it struck a chord with me.
And I'll tell you why.
I am regularly in 'class' with a room full of teachers. You'd be surprised how many of them talk over me, use their phones arbitrarily, whisper to each other, and are generally off-task at times.
Why do you think this happens? Well I'm aware that sometimes it's a test; "What will she do" or "How will she deal with it".... but it's genuinely an interesting scenario, given that this low-level disruption is the one topic that I am asked about the...