How times change….

When I was at school you did no work on the final day of the summer term. It was bring a game in day. Or play football all day. Or bring a pet into school (actually in my day it was bring a Dinosaur into school). It would end up with the ceremonial burning of the school exercise books behind the bike shed. The teachers never venturing too far from the staff common room all day, unless that was for an emergency replenish the stock trip to the alcohol off licence. Basically a more unruly version of The Purge.

Times have changed….

Hawklad received a class email this morning. The class has to revise for a science test. Two days to revise for the examination on Friday. The last day of the Summer term.

Wow times have changed.

39 thoughts on “Times have changed”

  1. Assess, assess, assess….you know my feelings on this. It’s why it’s not good for me to be in education now. We always had FUN the last day! My building would even have water gun fights with the staff at the next building as kids watched and giggled as they left on buses. We’ve had parades, parties, lots of activities, and tons of hugs and tears!!!! Oh, and we did this at the Middle School Level too. I had activity rooms where the kids could go room to room for something fun and engaging. Times have changed indeed.

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  2. I’m trying to remember back that far. I do know that the last day was basically a formality and for educators to expect anything resembling ‘school work’ would have been a waste of effort.

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  4. That is insane. Our final week of school was always a time for teachers to get grades all done after exam time and loose ends wrapped up. Part of our education was building school spirit by having fun, especially at the end of the year. If I’m remembering correctly, our primary school had a full on carnival at the end of the year, complete with rides.

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  8. Omg a test on the last day!! That’s evil!! I think at secondary school we would watch films on the last day but at primary our end of year assemblies were legendary. The headmaster would tell stories, we’d sing campfire songs, it was just the best. What a shame things have changed.

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  11. You’ve highlighted something so important in this Gary. I was having this conversation with an older teacher friend and this epitomizes what is wrong.. I read a Brene Brown quote today about how important time to kick back and have fun is but how this society now seemingly condemns these things… its sick and it sad and its bloody wrong.. in my opinion..

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  15. A test on the last day of the school year is pretty rough! I’m quite mean and not even I would make my students do that!

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  16. Seriously, truly resonate with this. Our times…sounds clichè, but sadly true…were better. It’s all grades and competition now. We could afford getting lost in the afternoons in the neighborhood and find our way back…..
    With kids today, however, we are too particular.

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