Monday 29 November 2010

Moon

Palely
in grey dawn light
faint-hearted ambassador
thrown awry
misplaced.

Deep in midnight
eager fingers
searched out hiding places
silver rays
threw sharp shadows
at home.

Thursday 25 November 2010

I am easily amused...

I am easily amused by children.

Discussing the symbolism of rings in the marriage ceremony: "Well, if it was a square, it would all go pear-shaped..."

Place value: the value of the underlined digit in this number: 345.... is 6.

Me: Give your books in, then you may leave the class.
Child, standing there, clutching pencil case: May I leave?

??  !!!

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Teaching

The TES (Times Educational Supplement) dropped a newsletter in my inbox this week. One of the updates caught my eye: "You know you're a teacher when..."

Hmmm. Was it the answer: ...your children ask you: 'Is this rubbish or a resource?' or...you scare children in the supermarket just by giving them "the look"....or you tuck chairs in around friends' tables when you visit...or at home, phrases like whoops -a-daisy and 'oh dear' are used instead of swearing when things go wrong... or you expect everyone to be quiet when you speak - even in a pub...you go shopping and spend more time trying to spot kids before they spot you...it shocks you when people use your first name...or even: you say to your husband, 'look at me when I'm talking to you!'.

I don't think having an argument with my class about surfboard length and classification - longboard, shortboard, etc - qualifies, somehow.

Saturday 13 November 2010

Laughter

‎"A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired." Prov. 17:22 (Message)
I came across this today, just a couple of hours after finding this article on laughter:
THE BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER
Feeling stressed or under the weather? A good old-fashioned belly-laugh is a proven pick-me-up in more ways than one - and there are plenty of failsafe ways to get giggling, no matter how low your mood. Here's all you need to know about the benefits of laughter - and how to get more into your life...
1. Laugh to banish stress.
You know how a good laugh can make you feel better about pretty much any situation? There's actually a scientific reason for this. Research shows that laughter triggers the release of feel-good endorphins into the bloodstream, while levels of stress hormones fall. The result? You start to relax.
Laugh now!
A woman walks into a bar and asked for a double entendre. So the landlord gives her one.
2. Laugh when you wake up
Do you grimace when the alarm clock goes off in the morning? Try laughing instead. And if getting out of bed at 7am doesn't seem even remotely amusing, just fake a smile. 'If you make yourself smile or laugh, you'll trick your brain into thinking you're happy, and get your day off to a good start,' says laughter therapist Joe Hoare.
Laugh now!
Two fish in a tank. One turns to the other and says, 'How do we drive this thing?'
3. Laugh to boost your heart
Want a good reason to sit down and watch your favourite funny film or sitcom? Be our guest! Watching comedy is good for the heart because it boosts blood flow, according to researchers from the University of Maryland in the US. It's thought that the act of laughing widens the arteries - whereas mental stress is known to narrow them.
Laugh now!
Two men are sitting at a bar. One screams to the other, 'I slept with your mother!' The pub falls silent. And the other man says: 'Go home, Dad - you're drunk.'
4. Laugh to cure a cold
If you're suffering from the sniffles, allow us to prescribe a healthy dose of The Inbetweeners or Outnumbered. Medical research scientist Dr Lee Berk has discovered that the physiological effects of laughter can help combat viruses and bacteria, as well as increase the antibodies that fight colds and upper respiratory tract infections.
Laugh now!
An old lady takes her dog to the vet's. 'I'm sorry,' says the vet. 'I'm going to have to put him down.' 'But why?' shrieks the old lady. 'Because he's too heavy,' the vet explains.
5. Laugh to boost your appetite
If you feel too stressed to eat properly, it's high time you had a giggle. People who watch funny movies or comedy acts experience the same hormonal changes that follow exercise and are believed to heighten appetite, according to more US research carried out by Dr Lee Berk. 
Laugh now!
Question: What's brown and sticky? Answer: A stick.
6. Laugh for your lungs
Need an excuse to skip the gym and go out with your friends instead? A 20-second belly laugh can be as beneficial for your lungs as three minutes on a rowing machine, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. Oh, and it can help strengthen your tummy muscles, too.
Laugh now!
Question: What's green, has four legs, and will kill you if it falls out of a tree on to your head? Answer: A snooker table.
7. Laugh with a good book
Can't find anything to laugh at? It's time to visit the 'Humour' section of your local bookshop or library: a quick flick through the joke books should do the trick. Or revisit one of your favourite giggle-inducing novels. Our picks? What A Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe or Starter For Ten by David Nicholls. You can also find out more about the science of comedy in Laughter: A Scientific Investigation by Professor Robert Provine.
Laugh now!
An Englishman, Scotsman and Irishman go into a pub - and the landlord says, 'Is this some kind of joke?'
8. Laugh with other people
It sounds silly but you can actually join a class to learn how to laugh - and how to use this skill to boost your day-to-day health and wellbeing. Laughter therapy and 'laughter yoga' courses are springing up around the UK: for more details, check out www.laughternetwork.co.uk or www.laughingmatters.co.uk.
Laugh now!
A penguin goes into a pub and asks, 'Has my brother been in?' 'I don't know,' says the landlord. 'What does he look like?'
9. Laugh at yourself
Get out of your comfort zone and do something spontaneous and silly to spur on the giggles and boost your mood. 


Hmmm. That last one might be a bit of a challenge if you're so down in the dumps that you need a mood-booster!

No shortcuts

Ouch!  Just read a superb blog over at Proverbs31: There Are No Shortcuts To Anywhere Worth Going. Or, in other words, "Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house." Ecclesiastes 10:18 (NLT)
Ouch indeed. Wise words which cut sharp. I am not a lazy person but I still need this reminder to 'get my act together', get off the computer RIGHT NOW and start the long overdue cleaning I had promised myself would get done this morning. Instead, guess what I have been doing? Yes, restoring my soul with Proverbs 31 wisdom but there are indeed still no shortcuts to a (relatively) clean house!

It's a fine balance between working hard, getting needed rest and not beating up on ourselves when we get one or other wrong. So I tore myself away from the computer, tackled the cleaning and the other chores...and it feels good. A day spent wisely. Now a short wind-down before heading off for bed...rest.

Friday 5 November 2010

Cooking

I've just posted this comment over at Renee Swope's blog about cooking. And whether or not I am a 'cooker'. Hmm. Not too sure really.

I used to be a cooker...and, sometimes, I still am.
I love recipes - but I don't usually follow them (except for LeAnn's, as much as I can, even though I have to convert from American to British).
I love giving friends food - especially breakfast - but don't care too much about making it too fancy (though it's nice to try something new for them, too).
I'm not much of a cooker now that I am a blogger. Yet I have started, slowly slowly slowly, to blog my favourite recipes. The ones that really work. And they're online, so I can't lose them... The first recipe I recorded, at my daughter's request (she is a much better cook than I am) is Gougere - delicious savoury choux pastry.

Of Jonny, flu and hair...

We just came back, last week, from a visit to Jonny where he generously shared his bad case of flu with us - after struggling through the week, we're both off work today! The guilt feels good, somehow. It's a relief to just be able to rest up - every time I attempted to speak yesterday I was halted by a huge coughing fit. Not so good when teaching.

Anyway, J has had his hair chopped off for work, oh sadness. At least it is only 'short back and sides' and still has a decent amount on top, though not long. It'll take YEARS to grow back, if ever - we loved the lion's mane.
 
Such is life. Change.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

I cried this morning.

Driving to school, I burst into tears. Suddenly, unexpectedly, hurting.

The radio was reporting on the proposed cut on benefits in the UK. Talking about how this would plunge some folk deeper into poverty. Discussing the fact that children from poor homes start school at a developmental age of a year younger than their more affluent peers: so a 3 year old with a background of poverty would react and behave like a 2 year old.

That was bad enough. It is amazing that such children are able to catch up. Yet it was pointed out that the lack of money itself does not necessarily mean that development will be affected: it is poverty in upbringing, in parenting, which has the most detrimental effect.

It was what I heard next that affected me most. That secondary aged children, when asked what they wanted most from school, mentioned things such as the skills for a good job; the ability to form lasting friendships; and, overall, these children wanted to be taught how to be good parents. Because they haven't been parented well themselves and, consequently, are under-achievers.

So I burst into tears, at the thought that children are already thinking like adults. Longing to give their children the childhood they haven't experienced themselves. Incredibly sad.