Final Reflective Log from COBC Trainee Lecturer Fliss

Professional behaviour that is ethical in teaching practice comes from understanding the importance of the position a teacher holds regarding the welfare, safeguarding, equality and diversity of their student body and individual students within their care. This includes the responsibility teachers have towards students in their classrooms and also outside the college where the teacher is still responsible and liable to their own and their students’ actions. If someone jeopardises this responsibility in any major way in the above areas, they are no longer being ethical and they are at risk of losing their professionalism either for a short time (until they mend the grievance or neglect) or possibly for a long period of time, potentially irretrievable, should the mistake or long-time disregard for ethical codes and policies in teaching occur. For example, should a teacher mishandle a disruptive students’ attitude (either by raising their voice/losing their own temper/belittling the student in front of their peers) the teacher is not being professional and especially if the teacher hones in on the student rather than the student’s attitude, they are not being ethically minded. The students bad behaviour is lost in the milieu of the teacher becoming the non-professional in their teaching capacity, which unfortunately, is punished more severely than a poorly behaving student. The teacher must apologise, either in front of the class in which they embarrassed the student or in front of a board of the teachers’ peers. In either situation, the student is often allowed to think that their behaviour has meant that a teacher, a professional in both the student’s and the teacher’s subject field, has been embarrassed in front of colleagues. The student controls the Master. This tends to be a very negative look at the importance of ethics, and a breach in professionalism is so easy to happen as humans make daily life mistakes. However, there are positive needs for ethics and professionalism that protects not only the rights of our learners but also the teaching body in an establishment. By using equality and diversity in our teaching practice, we value the individual people that come to our colleges. Often in an FE setting, it is a second chance for some who found schooling not applicable to their needs as a person. We may value our learners for their own style and sense of self, and we can develop both further within their time at College through studies, enrichment programs and giving them qualities and skills in a hidden curriculum; confidence, sense of worth, group skills, leadership skills, friendship, working to deadlines, time management, autonomy and achievement are some of the crucial skills that students may achieve in their time spent at college. Welfare and Safeguarding are a part of the currently-changing ECM (Every Child Matters) policy and are two imperative areas that professional teachers must strive to maintain with their learners (as learners are responsible for their own safety too). Self-worth is a skill in this area too but only informs a small section of the necessity for caring for the students in college hours and outside of them. For example, at City of Bath College, as with most if not all colleges, regular Tutorials are held with students to check their learning progress, goals and ways to achieve them but there is also a pastoral element, where the teacher is able to speak to the student on troubling matters at home, coping with work, relationships, changes and growing up. Combinations of the academic and the pastoral provide an holistic teaching of the learner and teachers should be trained and up-skilled in these areas to ensure that they are the best they can be to maintain a high professional and ethical standard in this role.

As part of this, teachers are not always trained in these areas and so become reliant on other teachers. Rather than seeing it as a negative thing, more input should be made by colleges to share knowledge resources and encourage to help one another. Some colleges e.g. New College, Swindon, still have the role of Advanced Practitioners who specifically hold CPD days and training sessions to help colleagues develop and liaise over student and professional matters. Personally, I have been able to access many resources and teaching tools from colleagues at City of Bath College. For example, there was recently a teacher resources exchange where a booty-pack was given out (inside there was Bloom’s Taxonomy, playing cards, questions, coloured sticks, dice and notebooks) in exchange for an teaching idea that worked well in the classroom that got added to a database for other teachers to consider using. I put down using post-it notes (please see previous entries to understand my fascination with them). I believe that had I not been a training lecturer, I would still have been welcomed and supported in my teaching at COBC and I feel that their excellent professionalism has helped me grow and improve as a teacher, and given me a few tricks on how to cope when it does not go so well.

As part of the responsibilities in teaching, there often comes a point where a teacher must challenge discrimination. This, unfortunately, can come from their own point of view as much as from someone else’s. This year, I have strived to challenge discrimination where I have seen it in my classrooms, demonstrated in an explicit way, by asking questions, discovering from others why it should not be done, ways to remedy it and change opinions. This was not always the case; very early on in my teaching at COBC, I lead a class on differences in people and individuality and let a student slate a bus driver by how they chose to dress, not equipped at that time with powers to deal with her opinions in a constructive way, deconstructing her opinions to see from where they had come. I have had more experience over the year and now feel more confident in firing questions (often aiming to bamboozle students who continue to barrage with negative comments) but striving to create a discussion and come up with a more moral and ethical way to handle ignorance and mis-understanding.

During my teaching career, I hope to further develop the ‘teaching toolbox’ that I have created for myself and shared with others, and I aim to continue improving as a teacher to become a brilliant teacher. My heroes are brilliant teachers in some capacity and I want to be that much of a positive influence on other people. My mother has students coming up to her all the time, claiming their time as Sanford-ised students and I hope to have the same from mine in coming years.

And so, I sign off, after a year of sporadic blogging. I will pick you all up again once I am an employed teacher again.

Farewell,

Fliss x

Hunting the jewel job in the murderous mission market

From Easter I have been on the hunt for a job in Performing Arts. It was suggested to me that I should sign up to job agency recruiters (including Reed and Hays) and to FE Jobs (online) both of which I have found some useful information and guidance in seeking roles. I have worked for Hays Recruitment before, when I was seeking employment in the medical secretarial sector prior. Working as temporary staff was rewarding in part, as I was in charge of the hours that I worked and could keep in control of my earnings.

Unfortunately, I found that this arrangement was not very satisfying as I felt I was never a full member of the team I was working with despite honing good working relationships with them and wider community of the hospital. I always planned that future jobs would involve me being a full member of the team and establishment that I lucky to be working with.

Therefore, I am very keen to apply directly to colleges and sixth forms. I am also hoping to provide more areas to teach such as English, Drama Studies, and Functional Skills in Literacy, and perhaps Creative Writing. So far, my PGCE has focussed mainly on Performing Arts and Functional Skills but as part of my CPD, I am hoping to work more on other areas of study in order to teach.

Ultimately, I wish to teach at HE level which will require a Masters level degree. To this end, I am hoping to find employment in a college that already has or is aiming to progress to having BA degrees, either in full or in part, for its students. I hope to gain access and experience in teaching at a higher level so that my experience in teaching broadens. I hope in a few years to begin and complete my Masters in either Drama or English, the decision to be made at a later date. On completion I shall look into teaching at a University.

In order to add to my current knowledge base, I am looking into taking a part time course either Business Studies or Management skills as this is an area in which I am very keep for my personal development. I know that many colleges offer these qualifications for their staff, as they are key skills that they can use in their establishment’s development.

Overall, I am looking for a job in the South West where I may teach in Performing Arts and other subjects alongside continuing my personal skills and development both for my own advancement in my career and for the benefit of the college in which I am teaching.

Here’s hoping something will appear soon!

GMT Research Project and how it transformed my teaching

The Purpose of my GMT Research Project was to explore the relationship between the plans Performing Arts students had when they began their course and how it had changed or adapted by the time they were nearing their course's completion. Below is the introduction and aims of the Research Project 'Next!: A research project into career plans of Performing Arts students with regard to current cuts in both Education and the Arts Industry.' "With current news of Education Cuts and slashes in funding for the Arts under the new Coalition Government, how much are students being supported in their decisions to enter the Performing Arts sector, by either completing their BTEC Level 3 qualification, or being encouraged to extend their knowledge and apply for a degree or a place at a Drama School? This study will explore the career guidance that is available at a Further Education College in the South West of England, from here to be referred to as X College, for the students in the Performing Arts Course. The study will look into the aspirations and achievements of students currently in their first or second year of the BTEC Extended Diploma Level 3 course in Performing Arts. "The BTEC Diploma at Level 3 gives the student the qualification that enables them to apply for University to continue their studies or experience to seek a job in the Performing Arts sector. The BTEC Nationals Qualifications aim ‘to help students develop deep, specialist, practical skills and understanding’ (BTEC 2010) through their modular assessments. X College also includes a comprehensive programme that exists alongside the BTEC programmes that covers the National Minimum Core: students take Level 2 qualifications in Functional skills, covering Literacy, Numeracy and ICT whilst they attend the college. Therefore, the students are equipped with additional skills, outside their chosen specialism, which enables them to seek employment in alternative sectors to Performing Arts. With education fees escalating from September 2011, students may not feel motivated to continue their studies, especially if they already have been given the tools to start them on a career path. This research project is going to look at the popularity of continuing education after college at either University or Drama School, whether the rising fees have affected general consensus about attending higher education institutions and what the final career aspirations are of the Level 3 student body in the Performing Arts department at College X. "The following key aims will be looked at in detail: · Why did the students initially elect to study the BTEC Extended Diploma in Performing Arts? · What do the students wish to do at the culmination of their time at college? · What career guidance is available for students at the college? · Has the recent news in budget cuts for Education and the Arts made any of the students reconsider their options? · Do students still feel as confident about entering the Performing Arts Sector as they were when they first began their studies? "This is a limited enquiry which may mean that not all of the material will be developed in this project alone. In this occurrence, a further enquiry may be necessary to explore the material in greater detail and enquiries into widening student participation. However, this particular study will conclude with some detailed analysis that provides answers to the initial aims and purposes described above. With the cessation of this report, I aim to personally use the findings to benefit my own practice; I wish to encourage my students to explore the many varied access paths into the Performing Arts sector, whilst they are still at college. By doing this, they can discover, and in some examples, sample different career paths that could open up for them, that do not necessarily rely on them being solely an actor, dancer or singer." The beginning of the project was quite difficult to get into as it seemed such a large area to look at and pin down. However, once begun I found it relatively easy to keep myself on track and work with the students at College X to create a limited enquiry into their future career plans. From their responses my personal outlook and projected outcome changed: from firstly seeing where I could help them (and future students) to locate and analyse the potential career paths they may choose at the culmination of their studies, instead I discovered that they knew the available options but did not know how to choose. With prices for education going up and budgets for the Arts going down, students are aware that they can still go into HE and get a degree in Performing Arts but because competition is becoming even worse in an already fierce market, they are beginning to lack the confidence and the motivation to bother applying at all. A BTEC at Level 3 is equivalent to an A Level in the same subject. Students aim for three Distinction grades as do A level students try to achieve three As. No matter how hard students may try and in the world of Performing Arts be exceptionally talented in their craft, there are still few students who will leave with those three prestigious grades. Added to this that they are all required to have honed skills in communication, volunteer work and orienteering skills, the HE market for students immediately out of college is very wide and over-populated compared to the very few places available each year at University. On top of this, my BTEC students are told that their diplomas and their Functional Skills at Level 2 have made them ‘ready’ to begin their careers in Performing Arts. They may feel that with the definite debt and unreliable admission processes, they might try to get a job in a theatre or teaching and choose to start the career ladder at a lower rung. This is surely not a bad thing to do, and hard work and self motivation have often paid dividends in careers and job progression. I just feel that anyone who has put in time to work hard enough to get a good ground base in Performing Arts should be inspired to take it further and continue on their learning journey. All performing arts students are passionate, there is no getting away from it. Sometimes though with financial problems that affect from the individual all the way to being a national if not global worry, that passion can be jaded. In my research, 3 first years who had completed the Level 2 course prior to beginning their Level 3 said that they were unsure about what career path to take when they complete their diploma in 2012. I felt, although this was not confirmed by any of them, that their attitude and change in ideas from when they first started, was in proportion to the exposure of too much performing arts problems and not enough passion. If this project has taught me anything, it has made me abundantly aware that I should never forget or neglect the passion I have for my subject because I should be the teacher that promotes furthering education on behalf of the individual despite what is going on around them. Sometimes this is a rash and ill-considered decision to make and is not right for all. However, I am certain that by being in the right place at the right time can often stem from rash and ill-considered actions and in Performing Arts, that makes stars! Harrison Ford on IMDB (2011) (online) “His father was Irish, his mother Russian-Jewish. He was a lackluster student at Maine Township High School East in Park Ridge Illinois (no athletic star, never above a C average). After dropping out of Ripon College in Wisconsin, where he did some acting and later summer stock, he signed a Hollywood contract with Columbia and later Universal. His roles in movies and TV ("Ironside" (1967), "The Virginian" (1962)) remained secondary and, discouraged, he turned to a career in professional carpentry. He came back big four years later, however, as Bob Falfa in American Graffiti (1973). Four years after that he hit colossal with the role of Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Another four years and Ford was Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Four years later and he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his role as John Book in Witness (1985). All he managed four years after that was his third starring success as Indiana Jones; in fact, many of his earlier successful roles led to sequels as did his more recent portrayal of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992). Another Golden Globe nomination came his way for the part of Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive (1993). He is clearly a well-established Hollywood superstar.” “[Ford] had no formal training as a carpenter. He borrowed books on carpentry from the library, studied them and then practiced in an empty house before he got good enough at it that it became his primary job before becoming a major Hollywood actor. He found he enjoyed carpentry so much that he kept it as a hobby.” IMDB (2011) Harrison Ford (online) available from: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000148/bio [accessed 1 June 2011]

Diverse Britain: Diverse Teaching

Half term - a week of playing 'Catch up' and having little time for anything else. Tomorrow is my final day off, solemness exacerbated by the fact that Rob has his Reading Week next week meaning his time off has only just begun.

I have yet to do a blog entry on Diversity in the classroom. It has been on my 'To Do' list for quite some time and I have avoided it primarily as I feel that to talk about diversity is to continue coddling different races as 'different' thereby keeping alive the prejudice that exists between them.

I understand that a sweeping statement like the above could get me into trouble as a Teacher: Heaven knows, we are strongly advised to keep our opinions to ourselves and for the sake of our professional reputations become the bland and self-effacing new generation of teachers. The students come first and their whimsical fancies become law much faster than necessary resources for teaching become available.

So, the issue of embracing diversity in the classroom is a hot topic and one that we should all be considering. I believe that this is a very good idea for all educational practitioners: not diversity on its own but the idea of 'embracing' in general. I am not recommending hugging any of the students; there is enough propaganda about a touch on the shoulder leading directly to a harassment tribunal. It took me a good three months to feel comfortable enough that a friendly hand-on-arm wouldn't see my aspirations as a teacher vanish in a puff of legal action.

What I am recommending though is embracing our students on an individual basis. Any teacher worth their salt knows that within the nine months of an academic year, they will get to know some if not all their students on quite a deep level. There's no point being a teacher if you're not. If you are not a people-person, relying on using social skills to teach what you know to a number of others, will be difficult. Your ability to do this well probably lead you to choose this profession in the first place.

When you have a classroom of students you need to embrace all their foibles, as they will learn to love you for yours. So embracing them for being them should be the priority of any teacher not just because they are of a particular race. Love them for being them. Wouldn't you ask for the same for yourself?

Planning and Post It Notes

All my organising habits using post it notes finally paid off today. Reading Brandes and Ginnis' 'A Guide to Student-Centred Learning' prior to my Functional SKills session today gave me a brilliant and what proved to be a very effective idea. A contributor to thier book described a lesson where they gave a post it note to their students upon which the student could anonymously write thier comments on the session. The idea was for the teacher to see what the student would take away from the session and as part of making the lessons student-centred, the learner's were able to be in control of part of the session knowing that thier opinion on the session would be valued.

Since coming back from the Christmas break, I really have found a great difference in my session planning, the layout of the lessons and the feedback I am getting from students. I made a concious effort to not only take on board what my Mentor has suggested and encouraged throughout the first term but also what the students had to say at the end of last term. They were given a session to discuss their thoughts on the course so far and although some of thier comments were irrelavent and noisy, it was incredibly good material for me, the trainee teacher, to get some honest and critical feedback from my teachees. Finally, it felt that the messages I sending out were being received and being received well.

Last Wednesday was the first official lesson I taught post-Christmas and feeling a bit rough from a lingering cold, I went in with a 'take no prisoners' attitude. But it wasn't needed. I had planned my lesson thoroughly, not only with the general layout of the session but the instructions I needed to give, some example answers similar to those I wanted to illicit during the later discussion and the ground rules we have agreed going around in my head. By being that prepared, so much more than I usually am, the lesson went really well. The students understood the task, to complete a test on previous work we had covered, and they kept to usual examination protocols. I was so impressed with them, and I told them so. I am generous with positive praise and I find now that with a detailed lesson plan, (both the written one and the pretend one that plays in my head) it means something. The students no longer stick thier heads up when I'm saying something nice and then go back to thier conversation but consistently work hard and in silence if requested and smile warmly when they have understood and gotten something from the hour's literacy lesson. It really is a great feeling.

Trevor Wright wrote in 'How to be a Brilliant English teacher' that if you are facing a disruptive class on a regular basis there is usually something wrong in the planning. By not being certain what I wanted to get from the students during our class discussions and not fully in control of the lesson objectives, I was letting myself worry and like dogs and horses, the students were picking up on this and reacting to it. (They would not mind me comparing them to such noble creatures, plus I tell my learners that I love them on a regular basis!) If you as a teacher are not confident in your subject, then why should new learners to it be confident in you? And from that, why should they put their full trust or concentration into your hands? This is something that has taken me a while to really get my head around but I think I'm onto it now and hopefully it will continue.

But I digress.

The importance of the post it notes was not just a check for me that I am doing a good job in Functional Skills. During the session, I handed out a revision booklet I had been requested by the class to construct (all too lazy to take notes during the previous sessions). I went through this in brief to start the session and then focussed on the 'Exam Tips' at the end of the session. The central part of the session was a reading task, which I had sourced especially for the class. In the TES Magazine recently, there was an article on the new generation of youngsters who think that becoming a celebrity requires no effort and many Performing Arts teachers had been interviewed on the impact such programmes as 'Big Brother', 'Britain's Got Talent,' and 'The X Factor' were having on their students and lessons. In some ways it was a good way to be positive with my students, highlighting to them that they themselves are putting in the hard work now in order to work to become a star but also a good way to say that Performing Arts students across the board are good at the performance aspect but 'hopeless' (the article's words, not my own) at the portfolio and deadlines side of it all.

Using the article, with the reading at the student's own speed the first priority, completing the questions less so, they had to answer questions on it. They all got into the task and concentrated, listening to music quietly if they wished but I have never had such a focussed group. Last week they were silent due to exam protocols. This week they worked quietly because they were so absorbed in the task.

(I don't care I lost my weekend due to the preparation: today's class was so worth it!)

At the end of the session, I got them all to write on the post it notes what they had found most useful from the session. This meant that they had to find something from the session (or not, I added) that meant something to them. In this way, I managed to make sure I completed a Learning Objective, even though it may not have been on my original plan, but very much overdue, that the students left with something new to them. They all contributed, got down and wrote something and very cheerfully handed them in.

On reading them after the class, there were many good things there. Many had written 'Do Not Panic!', comforting words from 'The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy' that we had called out confidently whilst reading through the revision hand book. Others said that they felt more confident with test papers, coping on the day, what to do if they weren't sure about something. Only one said that they didn't learn anything new, that they were sorry but I should still 'have a nice day'. Sweet.

This was a truly great session and my tutor gave me very detailed and positive feedback. She is always an inspiration and a brilliant safety net but I think she is getting ready to let me have free reign even more now and this has really boosted my confidence. We are thinking about me teaching on my own, as I always do but with her popping in and out of the session rather than being there full time. I was also paid two big compliments this week, as my mentor has copied the revison handbook for future use and another teacher in the department has borrowed my resources for her sessions. This is really good, I think, that I am being useful in the depatment whilst I am here. Fingers crossed that by September they cannot bear to be without me!

Managing Behaviour: Part II

It's my last day at the City of Bath College before the Christmas holidays.
I am working hard in the computer room but I am alone in doing so. I have one student who has just returned from the Milkshake store, who has told me that there's a queue there and that's why everyone else is four minutes late and counting. The attitude to work seems not only lax in the students but the whole college nowadays... or am I just getting old?

The students have this whole week to work on and submit assignments that are overdue by a day at least, two months at most. They have this morning from 9 until 2 to type up thier work, and then Thursday and Friday they have all day for assignments. This follows four hours on Monday devoted to the same tasks. Call me old fashioned but I appreciated that when I forgot my homework, my drama tutor kept us out of lessons, sending us to the Drama Office to write an essay to be submitted after the hour's session. It made sure we came equipped and in the right frame of mind.

These students are back now complaining that they can't concentrate because of thier subsequent sugar-rushes from their drinks!

So, what should I do? I am their teacher and I have every right to tell them off for being disruptive.
What do I do? Complain inwardly that they have chocolately drinks to warm them and due to current lack of funds, I am drinking water!
However, what I can't do is stop them from completing their work by excluding them from this catch up time. They have been given this time and those who are finished and up to date did not have to come in this morning. That bit of the plan is fair but a few conversations I have been party to today have informed me that some students probably won't get everything done this week - and they don't see a problem with it.

I just don't understand how people can have this attitude! I do understand that I should be respectful of learners' barriers and that some students who are working diligently today, and some are, have certain learning difficulties. However, the ones who are chatting and generally being disruptive are those who have little qualms with the writing of essays process.

I think the reason I feel so helpless and frustrated is because I feel I should be able to do something for them, to make it clearer, to help them focus but as they tell me often, they are old enough to take care of themselves. So they should also accept the responsibilities of a deadline.

But with no consequences for not submitting work, why bother to be here at all?

Managing Behaviour - Part I

My class are not always capable of easily adapting to changes in their learning environment. This means that sometimes, an inconsequential move of their session time actually causes terrific consequences to their behaviour and focus on work. It makes them lively, unfocused and often disruptive of others. Students often respond to being asked to work quietly and are rewarded with being able to listen to their music. However, this last session (Functional Skills, 24 November 2010) was very noisy; most likely this was due to their timetable being changed for their TV Acting assessments and of course, nervousness or other emotions due to the assessments themselves.

As part of the plenary to my session, I highlighted to the class that their behaviour was much worse than the previous week and they had really shown themselves up, needing constant reminding from myself and Susie that they needed to keep the volume to a minimum. I continued by saying that fro their age range and ability, their behaviour in the session was inappropriate and disrespectful. My Mentor, ST, reiterated my message to them and I noticed a change in their attitude when they realised that it was a general thought, not just something coming from me. I thanked ST for her contribution after the session, and was pleased that she had repeated my message. She confirmed with me that all I said was said in the right tone and I used enough praise for previous sessions juxtaposed against disappointment from today. During my session, ST had come up with some strategies to try and promote a better working atmosphere for upcoming sessions.

From next week, I will reinstate a seating plan. When I prepared and used one, much thought went into the placement of those who worked had next to those who got distracted easily. Those who were close friends who talked too much, were separated and anyone who might need assistance were on the edges of rows, where I or ST could help out without being conspicuous, thus causing the student excess embarrassment. I had spent much time with the class and knew reasonably well who could be sat together. Since allowing the students to choose their own seats (last three sessions) there has been a significant lapse in suitable behaviour that complies with the ground rules.

I think it important for me to continue setting up the seats myself prior to the session, as today students were more than reluctant to put the seats into rows. I have found that in previous sessions where I have organised the chairs so there are fewer students in the back row and more in the front, closer to the whiteboard, then students are less likely to be disruptive, thinking they are far away from the teacher. Obviously, this is made easier in that teaching room, as the chairs are lecture hall style and can be moved about easily. This might be more difficult in a more formal teaching room. However, in that case, a seating plan would still work.

For my next session, I need to clearly define the ground rules e.g. raising hands to speak and listening to other students' points of view. I will follow this by stating that all my classes will have a new 'better working' (better title to follow!) system. It will include the following steps for dealing with excessive talking or poor behaviour:

1. Should I need to say someone's name once because they are talking excessively, that name will go onto the whiteboard.
2. If I need to tell them again, I will put a mark next to their name e.g. a line, cross, circle, something that they can see clearly.
3. At the third time of speaking to them, I will ask them to leave the room, and wait for me outside to come and speak to them.

I will find an appropriate time during the session to speak to them, as it is important that students who are always working hard and quietly are not robbed of their session because of someone else. When speaking to the student, I will ask them why they kept talking when explicitly instructed not to (I always put reminders of no talking, phones away etc on the board.) and whether they think that their behaviour is appropriate for the session.

I will allow them back into the session provided that they monitor their behaviour. They will be informed that if it does not change, they will be asked to leave and come back to me at the end of the session to apologise. This leaves no room for students to think that disruption of the class with noise levels, calling out, or holding private conversations etc. will be tolerated in the class. I am hopeful that should I be forced to move to stage 3 of the new 'better working' (no new title yet!) system with one student, that the class will learn quickly and adapt their behaviour.

During every class the ground rules have been recapped and enforced. The department shares a strong ethos on maintaining rules and respect as a two-way approach in conjunction with the 'Every Child Matters' and the safeguarding of their students.

As always, this is just one day and the relationship that I am developing with the students on an individual basis and (mostly) on the whole, is improving each week. The teaching side is going well and I am really being supported well on all sides. All I hope that is by next week they will have recaptured some of last week's brilliant behaviour!