I have a confession. I suppose there is no other way but to just come right out and say it … so here goes …

Just one thing … I suppose I’m stalling for time … no, seriously just the one thing … promise me you won’t hate me for it ? Pinky promise?

**deep breath** Yes! You too!

My names Mel and I hate those “singy dancey” things that schools insist teachers do at the end of term. There! I’ve said it! Watching them, or taking part, I’m not fussy because either makes me feel sick. I really don’t know why this happens or when this started to happen but I’ve never been happy doing this kind of stuff (even in the corporate world I shied away from it, but it just didn’t happen then!). Maybe its the whole “contrived” nature that I don’t like, I just don’t know or maybe it’s plain and simple (and apart from the fact that I find the whole thing cringey) I just don’t see the point of it.

Alongside the usual videos and dance routines this years craze has been selfies (now if you follow me on twitter you’ll know I’m a fan of them but just for fun with my “twitter mates”). Maybe making this confession isn’t the best move I’ll ever make, but come on! I’m not eating my hamster or doing untold things. I am just saying that I don’t like it and whilst I’m on a roll I’m going to add that I don’t feel anyone should be coereced into these kind of things yet many schools have a “nike” culture where it is accepted that you will “just do it”.

For whatever reason, this year has been extreme – to the point that I have spent the last 24 hours beating myself up about my reaction and have started to wonder if its just me that won’t follow blindly! It’s been to the point that I composed an email (and sent it!) with the subject title “Am I weird?!

I just feel that as a teaching body we are fighting every single day for respect from our students and doing something like this doesn’t aid our (or maybe just my) cause. If you are going to suggest that it is about taking me out of my “comfort zone” I will say that I am all for trying new things in my classroom that are “edgy” but that’s about taking risks as a professional but I don’t like it when I am taken so far out of my personal comfort zone that I am uncomfortable.

Let me make it clear I am not a kill-joy but doing videos and dances isn’t going to make me a better teacher and in fact all it has done is get me upset (I know!!) for the last 24 hours. It’s not as if I dont want to take part and STILL watch others doing it … I am very fair about it as I also don’t like watching others doing this kind of stuff either (I can’t bear to watch reality TV) so I’ll happily forego that part of any proceedings … I wont show you mine, so dont show me yours. I do understand why some people would like taking part (I dont really!), but it’s just not “my bag” and I hope people will respect that view.

I suppose I’m waffling and trying to justify this whole thing when in fact the short version is: I dont get paid to be a performing monkey – I get paid to teach. Oh and don’t go on about it being part of creating a “whole school culture”. Maths teachers have more contact time than any other subject, we teach every student, we don’t have time to do any of the other stuff .. plain and simple we get paid to deliver the results.

Now you promised! Dont think any less of me!

PS: So to my new boss, if you are reading this (as if anyone reads this far!) please don’t ask me to do anything like this unless you want a big fat “No!”

PPS: Just in case you didn’t get the key message from this post … “I hate teacher singy-dancey things!” but you are (as always) entitled to your own opinion.