Day 340 - Low Maintenance Trainee

Monday March 22nd

More House are interviewing for Maths teachers today so two of my classes were requisitioned for them to teach. This meant I went from 4 to two lessons and a very relaxed Monday indeed. In addition, they have changed the Year 10 sets so I have one lesson with a new set and then that's it. Everyone is apologising for disrupting my placement and not being available to support me. The lazy me is smiling inwardly as that's two lessons I don't have to teach, the dedicated me is taking the bonus time to plan the best lessons possible for my final two observations this week.

Being low maintenance has its distinct advantages...I wonder how much they would pay me to stay on?

I attempt a very different lesson with Year 8 today as we have finished a topic. I read a chapter about prime numbers from The Number Devil and then ask them to find all the primes up to 100 and complete a puzzle. They are intrigued for about 10 minutes as I have removed the desks and just have a circle of chairs. They soon lose interest. Note to self!

Day 304 - The Number Devil

Sunday February 14th

I finally finished reading The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. It was a recommended read back in the summer but I've only just got round to reading it. I really enjoyed it. It's a "Mathematical Adventure", written as an accessible children's story. I can see myself perched on the edge of my desk, reading it chapter by chapter as a huddle of Year 7s sit at my feet, engrossed with my every word.

Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500. Karma.

Day 264 - Absurd Surds

Tuesday January 5th

This is not what I was expecting - felt very tired today and was not looking forward to teaching, simply because my energy levels were low. Surely I should be rested, energised, eyes shining with pedagogic zeal? I suspect my next holiday will involve a slightly more disciplined approach to "doing some planning".

Taught a second lesson of "Surds" to my 10.2.2 class today. I had never heard of surds before going to Kings' but I assume I must have done them for O and A Level. They are basically irrational numbers in the form of square roots - V2, V3 etc. Unfortunately, the very name strikes terror into the hearts of 15 year olds and they run screaming from the room, forget the basic laws of arithmetic and utter the immortal words "I don't get it".

It has started to snow in earnest