Saturday 20 December 2014

The FOs

Difficult to know whether I mean the hats or the kids, really.


They are such a marvellous bunch! It's a hard slog getting a new tutor group in year 7 when they're so needy and lack resilience, or the ability to maintain a civil tongue in their heads towards one another. Then the hormones start raging and there are epic fall outs and people leave and new people join, and I just think longingly about being a sixth form tutor with students who are mature and know what they're doing and don't tell me to f off when I ask them to tone down their ridiculous eyebrows or come to school on time.

But then they get into year 11 and all that doggedly maintaining consistent boundaries comes home to roost. So far this year (touch wood) we have had relatively plain sailing, with only the odd incidence of verbal abuse, and I am actually enjoying seeing them every day. I have spent quite a lot of time with my lot over the past week and I honestly could not feel prouder.

They're not quite FOs yet of course....still another six months to go. I'm really going to miss them when they go. I gave these hats out on the last day of term and they were so excited. We spent the whole 40 minute tutor time taking selfies together, and they all said thank you at least twice. It was totally worth all the effort I put in just to see their faces when I pulled out the bag and started distributing. And the really nice thing was that they congratulated me on my achievement of getting them all done! Now, my old tutor group were pleased, but they were not this effusive.

Interestingly, when I gave them out to my old tutor group, many of them refused photos. That must have been 2008. Clearly the era of the selfie has only begun since then.

1 comment:

Jenny said...

They look fantastic. I particularly like the cat in the hat.