Monday First up, A-level ICT. Should I tell them? It’s hard to decide who should know that I am leaving, after just three weeks of this term.
Departmental restructuring leaves me without my co-ordination role, although I’ve been offered the chance to revert to lecturer, with associated pay drop. It hasn’t taken me long to decide to resign, but the three-month notice period means it’s gone into the new year. I decide to tell this bunch of able students, but they think I’m joking.
Tuesday My favourite vocationalA-level group; a full afternoon of systems analysis. I told them last week that I was leaving, so they’d know why I’ve pushed such a lot of work on them in the past three weeks. Kayiann is worried they will fall behind, but she and Oliver understood data flow diagrams before anyone else. I reassure her that she’ll do just fine without me.
Wednesday Individual tutorials with my first-year group. They don’t know my decision, so I am just seeing any students with administrative issues.
There’s no point in their forging a relationship with someone they won’t see after this week. Stefano only came over from Italy when he was 14, and at 19 his command of English is better than some of the others who were born and bred in Manchester; we resolve a change to his timetable forced by another section. I try to make a later group tutorial fun, doing logic puzzles and dingbats.
Thursday My day off, so I write a list of things that need doing around the house and book a flight to see my sister in France the week after next. How nice to be able to travel in term time and for just a few pounds instead of at school holiday prices.
Friday Last day, but I have a full timetable all morning. I tell my second-year BTec nationals that this is the last time I’ll be seeing them - no tears but a few worried remarks about who might replace me. When I’m finished at 1.15, Channet, the section administrative assistant, is the only person in the staffroom. Sean, section manager and friend, comes in and unceremoniously gives me a card signed by all and a present. No speeches; everyone is either teaching or not in. I sneak away quietly to my new life.
Jackie Rogers recently resigned from an FE college in south Manchester. She is now a private tutor and senior examiner. If you have a diary to share (no more than 450 words), write to TES Friday, Admiral House, 66-68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1BX or email friday@tes.co.uk. We pay for every article we publish
