Actions

Work Header

correspondence received

Summary:

Dear Mister Sims,

We hope you dont get worms again. 😂

We will miss you!

Love from Anna and Prachi
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

5/11/20

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

RE: PGCE Placement

 

Hi Jon,

It’s so lovely to hear from you! I was just going to get round to contacting you this evening - but I’m really glad you reached out first. You’ll be joining me in 5BG - they’re a handful at times, but I promise they can be little angels with the right incentive.

As regards your question about uniform policy and dress codes - teachers are expected to go for a kind of business casual thing, but we’re pretty relaxed. Just don’t turn up in jeans and you’ll be fine! And literacy wise, our class book this term is The Eagle of the Ninth, so I advise giving that a read before you arrive. We always link our class book with our topic, so you might have guessed we’re doing the Romans. Since you said you’re a Humanities specialist, I’d be very happy to discuss teaching Topic as early as possible - it’s not my strong point, I’m afraid.

Oh, look at me rambling on - I’ll save it for your first day. See you on Tuesday, Mr Sims!

Beth Grant

Sent from my iPhone

 


10/11/20

 

Martin [8:25]: good luck today! 🐂🍀🏫

Jon [8:28]: Thank you Martin. I like this little cow

Martin [8:30]: he likes you too, look, here he comes with some friends 🐂🐂🐂

Martin [8:32]: he says moo

Jon [8:35]: An expert conversationalist no doubt

Jon [8:40]: See you at home 🖤

Martin [8:45]: 😘

 


 

25/11/20

[A sheet of lined A5 paper found folded up beneath Mr Sims’ travel mug. The mug has a highland cow on it. The paper does not.]

 

Dear Mr Sims,

I think I deserve a reward point because I have been reely good today AND yesterday (or have i???). Please please please please please please please? Please Becaus your a good, amazing teacher.

  • The reasons you should be extra kind today are:
  • You’re not always very kind
  • I havent been annoying today
  • I got changed SUPER quickly for pe
  • Youre not always very kind
  • My awesomeness is so awesome that awesomeness has become to awesome today. The awesome awesomeness is SO awsomenessly awesome. I have TOTALLY Been good (or have I??????????)

By the way, if you DONT give me one… pennywise will come for you >:D

From Shaun

 

[A post-it note attached to Shaun’s table. A reward point sticker is stuck to the lower right corner.]

 

Shaun,

Truth can be far scarier than fiction, but I don’t like to risk it.

Mr Sims

 


 

5/12/20

[Transcript in end notes]

[Transcript in end notes]

 


 

11/12/20

[A note pinned to the staffroom whiteboard]

 

Can whatever beautiful fairy/kind elf/helpful spirit that decided to tidy and organise the library overnight please present themselves for a massive hug and/or entire bottle of vodka? I’ve never cried over the Dewey Decimal System before, but it turns out there’s a first time for everything!!

Vicks xx

 


 

18/12/20

[A variety of the cards presented to Mr Sims over the course of a very baffling afternoon.]

[An A5 sheet of lined paper. On one side is a surprisingly detailed drawing of a donut, neatly coloured in with felt tips. On the other, a message surrounded by long, wiggling pink lines.]

 

Dear Mister Sims,

We hope you dont get worms again. 😂

We will miss you!

Love from Anna and Prachi

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

 

[A professionally printed thank you card. The front reads ‘YOU GOT THIS!’ in neon green. The envelope is covered in space-themed stickers.]

 

To Mr Sims

You arent cool but youre alright. Thank for teaching us.

Kayden

 

[A sheet of A4 paper clearly ripped from a school sketchbook. A very nice sketch of Mr Sims at his desk, smiling softly, is accompanied by a carefully written note.]

 

Thank you For being a good teacher and helping me with Maths. I will miss you.

Love Shaun

PS i Tryed finding scarier clowns but i still think I won

 

[A card attached to a gift bag containing a bottle of alcohol-free wine]

 

Good luck Jon! Wherever you are next, they’ll be lucky to have you.

Beth xx

Notes:

Transcript for 5/12/20:
Observation Notes
Successes
• Excellent use of resources to support lower attainers – they responded really well to the examples of poetry you provided!
• It was great that you used your own developing understanding of poetry as a jumping off point from Kayden’s unhelpful comment
• Well done for including children across attainment spectrum in class discussion – you used open questioning very effectively
• You’re clearly working on your response to disruptive behaviour – remember the behaviour chart use needs to be consistent between teachers in the same class to maintain stability
• High level modelled use of subject-specific vocabulary in this lesson

Questions
Did you feel that you used the behaviour chart effectively in this lesson? [JS] As you know Beth, my view is that the most effective use of that chart is taking it down and rethinking the whole system.

Were all children fully engaged in the discussion portions of the lesson? How can you ensure they maintain focus? [JS] I am keeping my eye on them.

What misconceptions did you prepare for in this week’s planning? You responded thoughtfully to all issues. [JS] Thank you. I don’t plan for them per se, but I find that they often present themselves to me while I’m working through the subject knowledge.

Areas of Development
Try including images in your ActivInspire presentations – currently they are quite hard to see and lack engaging visuals

It was quite clear that you weren’t a big fan of the focus poem or poet this week – false enthusiasm can be easy to spot, but at least try not to sound actively disdainful!

Trainee's personal reflection on evaluation
Having discussed this lesson in depth with Beth, I understand her feedback and will certainly work to limit any “active disdain” when discussing any other painfully twee poetry in class. Unhelpful comments aside, behaviour was good this lesson and once again proved that the behaviour chart can be used more sparingly while maintaining high standards. Next week I’ll be teaching maths all week so will follow Beth’s example and begin with the What can you see? starter bank. Other images may be added as relevant.

[Signed by both teachers]

local trainee teacher doesn't expect to be liked, somehow is loved, more at eleven

thanks for reading yet more of this au! i'm having a blast with it and thought i'd try once more to give a bit more insight into the life behind the scenes of teaching and teacher training - notes on the whiteboard, observation notes, tidying the library as a love language, etc.

the note from shaun is an amalgamation of two real notes i received from some year 5s. they are cheeky little buggers and i love them

beth definitely organised the kids into making and signing one of those MASSIVE cards folded from A1 paper but like fuck was i going to transcribe one of those. i cry hard enough when i read mine!!!!

martin's last emoji was MEANT to be the two men kissing emoji but ao3 turned it into 4 emojis which just felt like overkill so, blowing kiss emoji it is. these are the darlings i must kill as a writer

jon having a blueyonder email is a joke about how he acts like an old man but it doesn't REALLY work because, as my mum recently informed me, they don't work anymore. im claiming creative license on this one

find me on twitter/tumblr @dotsayers, probably still yammering on about this au because i LOVE it. no apologies