The FastDay Forum

HI everyone,

There have been a lot of tents erected in the forum of late and I thought it would be good to erect a tent for all of us who work as teachers, or in schools perhaps, to let in the TAs, the office staff, and the canteen lady.

I teach Japanese from grade 1 - 6 at a Primary School in a rural town. I have also done High School and been a 4-5 class room teacher. I started teaching Japanese when I cut back my hours to 2 days a week. This is my 2nd year doing that. I love it.

The only reason I am teaching Japanese is that I lived in Japan for a year 30 years ago. So when the boss asked me if I could teach it, I said yes. Now I am doing a course in Japanese, Rosetta Stone, which I have got a bit slack with lately. Today, however is the day I am going to get back to it. It does help and I am much more able to rattle on in Japanese in my classes if I am regularly doing it.

There are 2 other teachers at my school who are doing 5:2. In fact it was they who inspired me to take it up. Now the boss is going to start because he's heard us enthusiastically discussing it in the staff room. He detailed us to talk to his wife because she wasn't keen. Now we've done that. So he could be joining us on Mondays and Thursdays. It's great to have fellow fasters at school.

Hi Sallyo, Im not a teacher, although I did teach sunday school when I was a teenager!! However I might pop past with a bottle and visit if thats ok

Bottle bearing visitors are always welcome. We'll meet in the Home Ec Staff room.

[Betsysgr8]

How about some with that vino?

Cake and wine on the way Betsy

Wineoclock I also was a Sunday School teacher, to the utter disbelief of my friends. Of course that was before the devil took me ;>)

[carieoates]

I work on the science department in a secondary school. My role is getting the science practical sorted for the lessons amongst many many many other things. Before this I was a haematologist at a veterinary school for cambridge university. Also showing students how to get essential results out of hours. So I would love to join the academics tent, especially as I'm on half term next week. I can bring a bottle too.

Can I come in? I'm an early childhood teacher.I took a year off regular preschool teaching as I needed mind space to help move my dad closer to me from Lithgow as he was isolated and his health is not good and also to work on my health-ie. losing weight. I still work for the public school system but only in the preschools I casually teach in 18 different preschool classes in 13 different schools and personally it been has been the most wonderful year. I am in demand as the casual needs to be early childhood trained as all of the preschools are going through accreditation ( another reason I didn't want to teach permanently-an unbelievable workload with no support from the principal where I was last year) i now am working between 2-5 days a week. The best thing is that has brought back the joy of teaching-my head is not filled with the politics of the school and staff issues , I can just be really present with each child I'm interacting with. No sick pay or holiday pay but its worth it. Plus my Dad is now in hostel care in an aged care facility just 15 minutes drive from me so its been a great year.
Xx Julianna.
That's so great Sallyo that you love your job.
Now where's that wine? I'll bring some cheese.

Atrocious spelling mistakes are not allowed in the teachers the tent frommmmmmmmmm NOW!

I work on the science department in a secondary school. My role is getting the science practical sorted for the lessons amongst many many many other things. Before this I was a haematologist at a veterinary school for cambridge university. Also showing students how to get essential results out of hours. So I would love to join the academics tent, especially as I'm on half term next week. I can bring a bottle too.

Well, what a coincidence,I am also a secondary school science tech! I have just started my two week half term holiday

I like baking, so am happy to provide cakes for the teachers tent...today they are coffee, chocolate and pecan squidgy bars.

[carorees]

I've just put my head in this tent to ask if the teachers from different parts of the world could explain what ages, grade 1,2 etc or year 1,2, etc or secondary vs high school refer to. I've never been able to work out whether the US grade system corresponds to the UK year nomenclature or not.

I'm not a teacher so I'll back out now...

I work in a school. I teach one to one piano lessons within a primary school. One more week before our half term begins and although I really love my work, I admit I'm ready for a break this time!

Can I join this merry band too please? Although I hung up chalk (and sometimes think my brain!) 5 years ago when I retired I spent all my working life as a teacher. After qualifying I spent a year in Normandy teaching English in a French lycee, then spent a few years teaching French in middle and primary schools in the UK as it was the big thing in the 1970s. Took a few years off to have my two boys and re-trained as a special needs teacher which I did happily for more than 20 years. Before retiring I worked as an Early Years supply teacher which I absolutely loved. Hubby is also a retired deputy headteacher. Think this put our sons off considering a career in education as they saw the workload and extra hours we put in at home despite the general public thinking our lives revolved around long holidays!
Can bring some nibbles along to accompany the vino!

[Betsysgr8]

@Carorees I'm not a teacher but in the US the grade levels in the public (local/state government provided)and in most private (religious and privately funded) school systems are based on the childs age as of September 1st*. *(this varies from region/state but usually the absolute cut-off is/was December 1st)

Elementary school is from kindergarten through 5th or 6th grade

Preschool 3-4 yrs of age (sometimes called pre-kindergarten)
Kindergarten 5 yrs
1st grade 6 yrs
2nd grade 7 yrs
3rd grade 8 yrs
4th grade 9 yrs
5th grade 10 yrs
6th grade 11 yrs

Middle school or Junior high is grades 6 or 7 through 8th or 9th
7th grade 12 yrs
8th grade 13 yrs

High school is generally 9th through 12th grades

9th grade 14 yrs (freshman)
10th grade 15 yrs (sophomore)
11th grade 16 yrs (junior)
12th grade 17 yrs (senior)

[carorees]

Thanks Betsy!

So, correct me if I'm wrong: in England, our year 1 = your Kindergarten, our year 2 = your 1st grade and so on. Most parts of the country no longer have a middle school so Primary school (= Elementary) goes from age 5 to age 10 (years 1 to 6) and then Secondary school goes from age 11 to 15 (years 7 to 11) then we have, the apparently nonsensical, "Sixth Form" (which is a throw-back to the old nomenclature where the secondary school year groups started from 1st year rather than year 7 and so at age 16 you entered 'sixth form' which was divided into lower and upper sixth), which covers years 12 and 13 (grade 11 and 12 in the US).