Fairfield High School: First Days

This week, Thursday and Friday, I spent my first two days at Fairfield High School for "teacher training days." This might be a bit of a misnomer, especially compared to the opening days at Northbridge High School.


Thursday at Fairfield was an "optional" day. Micaela spent the day with her new friend Penny and she met some other girls from Fairfield, so I drove in with Mel. We arrived at 9 a.m. and headed to our classrooms. All the staff in my department were present and we each spent the entire day...yes, I repeat, THE ENTIRE DAY, in our individual classrooms where we were able to get things prepared for the return of students on Monday.

I was able to explore cupboards, files, drawers, technology files, unit plan notebooks, and ask a zillion questions of Mel, Jayne & Jo. I also had some very delightful conversations with the department teacher trainee, Ruth, who will have residence in the workroom off the main classroom. I was able to unpack the few things I had brought with me to help teach the various novels I will be responsible for and the trinkets I brought from NHS. It was during this time that one of the simplest of things, which I take for granted every day in my classroom at home, became the most coveted and sought out piece of equipment for about 10 minutes...an electric pencil sharpener. Yes, that's what I said, an electric pencil sharpener. Having brought about 50 unsharpened pencils with me I needed to sharpen a few to write some notes about things I needed to pick up. Electric pencil sharpeners are not here... pencils are sharpened with small handheld twisty blades... it became the first thing on my list. BUT, do you know that I have been to ASDA and a top notch stationery store, and the only thing I could find was a battery operated pencil sharpener...which I now own! No electric pencil sharpeners to be found.


During my rapid firing of questions, which I am sure must have been most annoying, because I was irritating myself by having to ask them, I finally had a lightbulb moment! I have struggled for months trying to decipher the "year plans" that were sent to me and I just could not get my head around what goes on with the schemes of work, the timetable, the switching of units, the alternating between "set" groups and "house" groups and I definitely did not have any concept map in my head to relate any of it. I was especially confused by the Year 11 schedule where I am to teach Of Mice and Men, and Mel & Jayne teach other pieces of literature, but it never seems to rotate. After asking to see a GCSE exam, and having it all explained to me by Mel in relation to the year plans, it all became instantly clear to me and I no longer felt like a "stranger in a strange land".


At that point I diligently set out to fill in my "diary", or plan book as we call it at home, and make all the shifts in lessons/units for each year I will teach at the appropriate times on the calendar. Suddenly everything seemed less daunting and made complete sense to me! The rest of the day was very productive and we finally headed out the door around 4 p.m. I made it home for 5:30 p.m., thoroughly exhausted.


The information that made it all clear came in the gathering the knowledge that all Year 11 students have an element of choice in what they choose to be tested on in the GCSE, as a result they don't all read the same pieces of literature. The first four weeks of school are spent studying the novel and then they switch to house groups, where they study some poetry. Later in the year, they will switch back to their novel groups where they will begin specific preparation to answer the test questions on the GCSE.


Fairfield works with the AQA exam board, so the choices of literature on that test include Of Mice & Men, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, a prescribed anthology of Prose and other novels. All schools that work with the AQA examining board, throughout the UK, teach from a choice of these specific readings. The specific questions change from year to year, but each student must answer at least of one of two questions that are on the test for the specific novel they choose to study. Students may also use the text to assist with answering the questions. This is very different from the MCAS testing used at home, where any piece of literature read "in or out of class", that is appropriate for answering the question on the long composition portion of the test, can be used. Another difference is that students in the US cannot use copy of the texts they choose to write about. It is done strictly from memory and retained knowledge, and is not necessarily a piece of literture they have ever been specifically taught in their classrooms. For example, a student may choose to use a Harry Potter series novel or Great Expectations. One would not have been taught in class, the other would have been. The MCAS seems to be more skill specific and less literature specific; although specific skills are being assessed on the GCSE also. The second section of the GCSE involves specific poetry by Seamus Heney and Gillian Clarke, as well as Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage - again more literature specific questions dealing with comparison of the poets and the choice of answering two questions; whereas the MCAS assesses poetry, non-fiction and fiction reading skills in a reading selection/multiple choice/short answer format.


Friday, day two, at Fairfield, began more traditionally with a full faculty meeting in the gymnasium, where the tables were arranged in an open square, seating was assigned and all the necessary paperwork for the first few days was neatly arranged at each place. The Headmaster, Chris Barker, began with general housekeeping and information, similar to what happens at home, except it was refreshing to have a healthy dose of humor added to his welcome. Laughter and giggles have not been a traditional part of back to school days at Northbridge.


This was followed by something I considered to be interesting and very different from what we do back home. Each new student, of which there were about 80 or so, entering into Year 7 (11 year olds, equivalent to our 6th grade at home) was discussed individually. Each child was discussed in relation to his or her academic ability level, social and disciplinary conduct, extracurricular activity strengths and interests, and his or her family history. In some respects I can understand why this may be helpful, as Fairfield has about 20 feeder primary schools and so may each student may be less well known as they progress up the levels to various schools. At Northbridge we believe each student should have a clean slate as they begin a new school, as many things can change for students from year to year; teachers should form their own opinions and develop their own impressions of students as the school year progresses. Also our confidentiality laws would prevent us from having these discussions about students outside the realm of an intervention team or school assistance referral process.


The morning meeting ended about 10:45 and we were free until 12:30 to go to our classrooms and again get ready for Monday. Yes, that's what I said, MORE classroom time! My American colleagues will understand the emphasis on classroom time, as that is not the case in America. If a teacher needs or wants classroom time, prior to the start of student school days, you must come in, on your own, before the required teacher days. The first two days of school are full of mandatory district staff and school building meetings, followed by department specific meetings, and oftentimes irrelevant professional development with speakers, workshops etc. Well, here at Fairfield, there was a mandatory second staff meeting, to take place at 12:30 p.m. which would last until 2:30 p.m. or so, at which time staff was free to return to school for more classroom time or depart for home.

One noticeable difference...this meeting was over lunch at the local pub, courtesy of the Headmaster! Staff was treated to an afternoon of camaraderie and a traditional English pub buffet, complimented by a full salmon (head and tail) served on a giant platter, various cold meats, quiche, potato salad, garden salad, coleslaw and bread. Finished by a fabulous berry bramble desert over fresh cream....YUMMY! I will say that traditional pub food, such as the quiche and the salmon were not my favorite, but the potato salads, meats and desert were all delicious and of course accompanied by an ice cold glass of Magner's Cider. (Warm beer and cider is a stereotype...everything I have had to drink here is ice cold!)

More to follow on the pub - separate post.