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Wednesday 9 February 2011

Thinking back

Visiting my on-line friend Joy at Diary of a teacher has awoken the memory-banks from years ago. She's teaching now at a primary school and her diary gives a glimpse of life today.
Reading, I came across PPA and this time I decided to look it up to find what it means. PPA
In 2005 an agreement was reached requiring all primary and secondary schools give teachers a guaranteed 10% of their working day, or half a day off a week, for PPA (planning, preparation and assessment).
 See how behind the times I am!
Long ago (1970s) I did teaching practice in a Junior School in Lancashire. What a refreshing change to hear 'my' dialect!
It was the school's anniversary year, the topic for the term was Water.

All preparation and marking was done after school when back at college. It was a Victorian building and the grassed area was across the road.

We even had a visit by the Bishop who came into each classroom.
Another TP was in Speke another Primary school. This was a girls school, to be more precise, it was one building, girls on the top floor and boys on the ground floor.  One of the teacher's was an Indian lady, what beautiful saris she wore! The staff were friendly, we joined them in tea and cakes on Friday afternoons. (There were two of us on TP).
But, one day the 'nit nurse' arrived to inspect the classes! I've never forgotten that day when after her inspection, I was left with a third of the class to teach...
No wonder that on the way back to college, I stopped off at the chemist! That evening it took ages before I began to feel clean!

2 comments:

Jan n Jer said...

OMG...thats a lot of kids with nits. Very common in school. Seems once a year here in the USA there is an outbreak of these nasty little head lice.

Joy said...

Oh.
My.
Goodness.

Two thirds of the class! Eeeeek!

It's set my head an-itching just thinking about it. It's a most unusual occurence round here nowadays, thank goodness!

I'll make more comments about PPA at some point in my blog, but siuffice it to say there's an awful lot more paperwork nowadays that there was when I taught in pre-NC days. Whether it's actually useful I am not prepared to say. But even with PPA I work a lot harder at home and after school (and before school) than I ever did then!
Sounbds like you and I are virtually contemporaries. I was at College from 1970 to 73.

J x