Category: struggle
-
Welcome to another episode of “ChalkCode & Coffee: Survival in Further Education” – otherwise known as “When Teachers Try to Take a Sick Day but End Up Running the College from Bed.” It all started innocently enough. I waved my white flag at 4pm on a Sunday, surrendering to the flu gods and texting my…
-
By ChalkCode & Coffee: survival in Further Education It’s March, which in the Further Education world means one thing: recruitment ramp-up season. Cue the dramatic music. Colleges across the land dust off their “state-of-the-art facilities” banners, polish their “excellent staff” slogans, and rehearse their best “outstanding student experience” elevator pitches. Why? Because we’re all in…
-
Monday Mornings & classroom management Monday. 9am. The battleground is not physical—it’s mental, emotional, and occasionally existential. The troops? A vibrant, multicultural, neurodiverse bunch with enough energy to power the National Grid (if only I could find a way to harness it). Lesson planning starts well before the register is even opened. My thoughts immediately…
-
Ah, Wednesday. The day when Monday’s mess is still lingering like that coffee stain on my coat, and just when you think you’ve made it through the week without further drama… ping—you’re summoned. Yes. Summoned. By the observing manager. To receive my feedback. Dun, dun, duuuuun. Now, I’m no stranger to observations. I’ve survived two…
-
Ah, Monday. The day that sneaks up on you like a student trying to hand in last month’s homework. This particular Monday, however, came with extra spice—I was being observed. 🎭 Now, I’ve been through 20 years of observations, but this one unsettled me in a way that only an overcaffeinated teacher can understand. Maybe…
-
Hello to anyone who has stumbled upon this corner of the internet. You’re very welcome, whether you’re here out of curiosity, desperation, or just procrastinating from marking (we’ve all been there). I’m a teacher and middle manager at a further education college in the UK. I’ve been in FE for nearly 20 years, which sounds…
SurvivingFE 