This week was the first week back to work after the long summer break. We always have 4 days at the start of each term without the children, so whilst I started my term last Tuesday the kids start back this Monday. Those four days are for "preparation" officially. I like to think of them as an "easing back into things" day followed by three days of preparation.
This time though we had something fun planned for us! I got to do a one day First Aid course, which I went into quite cynically thinking this was a waste of time. To put it into perspective, we have around 120 pupils, 13 teaching staff and probably 20 support/maintenance staff as part of the school. 8 or 9 of those are qualified First Aiders who undergo a 3-4 day First Aid course every few years, so I feel we have a good level of First Aid cover. However by the first coffee break [being a teacher we take a lot of breaks during the day!] I was starting to enjoy myself and actually felt like this could be useful. You see, the Head hadn't booked this course just so everyone was a First Aider (we're still going to mainly rely on those lucky 8 or so who have lots of training), although I do think that might have been a small part of it, he just thought it might be something useful for us to have as a general skill.
So whilst I have my limits in this, I can put you into the Recovery position, administer CPR and bandage various parts of your body. Not to a magnificent standard but at least to stop you dying in front of me!
This highly useful day was then followed by a meeting in the following days where we had any grey areas in our staff policies quite firmly put into black and white again! I can see why they may need to do this from a legal standpoint, but seriously from a professional point of view I felt like I didn't really need to be told some of these things.
For example, as a teacher of children I am not allowed to add them as friends on my social networking sites. Now, who in their right mind thinks that I would want my Year 10s on my Facebook page?! Any teacher that does is insane! I am also not allowed to take photos of the pupils on my own camera and keep the photos for my own use...again seriously?! Why would I choose to do that?
These children are in my care - I care for them as their teacher in that I care about their education. There is no part of me that considers these people my friends! I met an old pupil the other day who is at University [trying to work out what to do when they graduate...ah, the good old days!] yet our conversation was still very strongly in the teacher-pupil space.
But some people obviously need these things laying out in front of them. Maybe I'm the odd one for not considering adding pupils to my Facebook. For not wanting to fill my home with the spotty oiks that make up my GCSE classes. For actually trying to maintain a professional distance between myself and these vulnerable and still developing young minds.
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