Term break... Random thoughts on time tabling

This is a most welcomed break... one week off from work... Been a hectic first quarter. School has been a little more tiring; it's ending later. The classes from 1.30 pm onwards is murderous. The heat really gets to you and the students are really restless. Trying to keep them focussed drains every bit of energy and concentration. By the time you are done at 2.50 pm, you drag yourself out of the class and into your car, glad that a 'long' day is over. I hate last periods. Everyone is hungry, tired, sweaty, sticky and smelly. It's time they think about fixing air-conditioning in all the classrooms in schools since school hours have been extended in many schools.

When I first began working, timetable used to be done manually and the teacher, usually the Senior Assistant would take great pains to ensure fair distribution - last period classes, number of classes a day, break between classes, etc. Much effort was put in to ensure maximum benefit for teachers and students. A happy teacher works better and I agree with that line of thought.

These days timetables are computer generated. But instead of having it better, classes are not so well spaced out. A same teacher might get the same class for the last period for 2 days in the same week... or worse still get 4 periods in a row, which is sheer madness. That never happened in the old days but happens, though not often. Students lose out with such arrangements. Teachers get agitated. Sometimes I wonder whether there is abuse. My little knowledge of such softwares tells me that you can specify lots of parameters for them. So, it is actually quite possible to block, rearrange the classes.... the onus is on the person who does the timetable.

Given the present 'interpretation' of responsibility and leadership, it may be interesting to take a good look at the timetables. A pattern might emerge... fair distribution is a myth in most schools. I supposed we lack the professionalism sometimes; and perhaps ethics. Anyway, why not make life easier for yourself since you do the timetable, right??? Responsibility means you take what is best for yourself first these days, in some cases, phantom 'teachers'. Phantom 'teachers' hold classes but they don't go into that class to teach. Some other teachers go in their place instead.

And because there are schools where the heads do not really take note of the distribution, the teacher put in charged sometimes abuse and it also gives rise to croynism. We need to work on this area too if we are to improve the teachers' lot.

Anyway, first half of the term ended with the release of the SPM result. My girls did okay... Yay for them!! For the first time in a decade, all the Science class students in my school got credits, 3s and 4s, for their English... their hard work and mine.