The Scribbler

As it is now official, I'm very proud to report that our school received an "outstanding" grade from OFSTED. I know that my lesson did not play any part in the decision, but it is still very humbling to think that it didn't do any harm either! The majority of people who know which school I am at, have a totally wrong impression of how great a place it really is. I hope that this result will finally bring it home to them that their pre-conceptions are totally wrong. Last year, I was working in a failing school - this year, I'm at an outstanding one. Now, how cool is that?

Stress is a funny old thing. I can't believe that it has taken me a week to get over the seven days that constituted my OFSTED hell - from the time we found out on Thursday, through to the moment I left school last Wednesday afternoon. Don't forget that teaching and preparation still went on after the visit and so, although the pressure was off me somewhat, I didn't have any time to sit on my laurels (weekend included). It was business as usual as soon as I entered the car park on Thursday morning, although, to be fair it was a non-teaching day. Throughout the inspection period (i.e. seven days), I went into a state of enforced calm, very aware that the slightest provocation could lead to my seriously "losing it". In fact, I only ended up shouting once at the kids in school when they were playing up on the day before the inspectors turned up. For the rest of the time, I walked around the school looking severely constipated and no doubt, dosed up to the eyeballs on...

The inspectors came and went and in the end, they only saw myself and another teacher from the department. I feel very proud to have been one of the two people to represent the ICT Department, particularly as I achieved a good result in terms of the observation (as did the other fellow). Life goes on and school stops for no-one. I now have to get my Year 8 reports done and dusted by the end of the day. I've done three classes, so I can see the light at the end of a pretty dark tunnel. I can't find the words to express how delighted I am that this relentless week is finally, finally coming to a close.

It is over. I have my life back.

You will be glad to hear that I made it through the first day of the inspection, virtually unscarred ( lol ). I had an inspector come in and observe my Year 12 class (Thank G-d it was them!!) and that went pretty well. He gave me some useful feedback, although the most gratifying bit was the part where he confirmed that he was pleased with the lesson (phew). Wednesday is my heaviest day of the week, as I teach all five periods. There is a chance that I will be revisited again, so I can't relax quite yet, but I've done everything that I could to make sure that the inspector if he/she does turn up will be impressed with what's he/she sees going on in the class. I know that, at the end of the day, its not as though my job is on the line if I give a crap lesson, but there is pressure (both internally and externally) to show my Department and by extension the school, in the best possible light, since people judge a school, wrongly or rightly, by their Ofsted report. I'm c...

Virtually, from the moment Shabbat went out, I was busy preparing for the school inspectors. Three days later and I haven't stopped. Sunday is starting to feel like a blur as I spent most of the day in my classroom, with three of the girls having a whale of time, each one on their own computer. They couldn't have wished for a more entertaining day! Bedtime was 1.45 a.m - because I knew that I had to squeeze out every last damn drop of the time I had available to me to get my preparations completed. Yesterday consisted of a 12 hour shift, from 8 am to 8 pm and then more work when I got home. By the time I hit the pillow, my head was spinning, my body a mass of confusion and my emotions lost in the numbness of exhaustion. The inspectors are coming to school today.

It is quarter to two on Monday morning and I have been preparing lessons since 10.00 yesterday morning. I hate OFSTED in a way that I never knew I could feel about anything or anyone. My head is spinning, my legs won't budge and I honestly don't know what in the world ever made me want to think about going into teaching, let alone going ahead and doing it. Good night. Good morning. Good bye.