The paper waves are slowly closing over
A gaping mouth that gasps for air
But only manages a desperate breath
That sucks in numbers mixed with emails for
The heads of house and senior ones
Who seem to have it all together
At all times they steer a ship
Successfully through OFSTED watch
And other things that surely kill
The drowning ones like you and me.
Bloody hell, the paperwork and the planning that goes alongside teaching is somewhat scary. It comes in waves and I sometimes find myself wondering why I have nothing to do and then the next day I am so snowed under, I don’t know where to start.
It doesn’t help when twenty out of thirty members of a class decide that completing their homework is something they can do if they feel like it. It feels like rounding up sheep while also juggling with my feet as I stand on my head.
I will not let this beat me, but I feel like I am going to run out of air very, VERY soon. Anyone else feel like this? Because it doesn’t help when everyone around me is experienced and has this all under control!
Much Love
Rachel xx
Margot Kinberg
Paperwork and administration are such time-eaters, aren’t they, Rachel? Assessment and planning are important parts of teaching, but at the same time, the paperwork can get completely overwhelming. Every teacher finds a way to balance it out, but it’s not easy. For what it’s worth, I’ve found that doing it a little at a time makes it less daunting.
clcouch123
Oh, I’m sure the admin. folk are treading water, too. But you’re the one who matters, since you’re dealing directly and the most significantly with the learners. I’m sorry so many see the work as optional. Since I taught college (university, so to say), I avoided much of that. The work as optional, I mean. The paperwork–well, you probably still have more than I had. I think your poem speaks well to your situation and your peers’. I guess I’m thinking that many, if not most, of everyone in the discipline are there.