The advent of May heralded a new normal, a good settling into routine and the chance for many celebrations.
The three teachers in the house worked intensively with online teaching and pre-recorded lessons. Jonny and Adele began their days with lessons starting at 6.30 am before moving on in the afternoon to prepping for the next batch. For Angie, hours were spent sitting in front of a computer screen, answering queries from students, liaising and meeting online with colleagues or marking assignments. The latter proved to be an absolute nightmare: multiple documents needed to be opened or downloaded, then deciphered. Work was submitted upside down, sideways, out of focus or illegibly faint. What could have taken a minute or two 'in real life' could take up to 10 minutes onscreen, especially when marking maths. How the children expected their teachers to understand their work when questions were not numbered, ot submitted haphazardly in any sort of random order, was a mystery...
Online teaching, was, however, fun in many ways. Individual 'chats' or actual calls with children, helping them with completing or managing their assignments, were very rewarding, albeit not sustainable in real life. Having spent half an hour working through a variety of problems with one child gave me pause for thought: doing that with every pupil would mean a 10 hour working day just on conversations... Some wonderful work was submitted and parents, too, gave feedback on the lessons. Indeed, my Year 2 RE lessons were some of the best planned and most satisfying, for both my pupils and me, which I have delivered for a long time.
There were many benefits to working at home: most of all, the opportunity to be flexible. So lunch breaks were taken sitting on the patio; a cycle ride before work was possible, or a midday dog walk; and there were many opportunities to take a brief break and then return, refreshed, to a very challenging work situation.
When not working, we took advantage of the weather, which was tremendous: no rainfall at all during the whole month meant clear, sunny mornings, beautiful cliff walks and stunning flowers.
Shopping became a rare occurrence: we ordered online and ventured out only every ten to fourteen days, early in the morning before the queues started. A new rhythm to life...
Two birthdays - Richard's and Adele's - were celebrated in style with, firstly, drinks with Nicky and Richard over the fence, complete with birthday banner, and then, for Adele, a special meal. Pizza night, with the discovery of gluten-free pizza bases. The end of the month saw the first couple of barbecues - happily, we had unwittingly asked Nicky and Richard over on Nicky's birthday, spending a lovely evening together.
May saw us move out of lockdown: May 3rd, in fact, was the first day with no new Covid-19 cases on the island and by May 27th there were no active cases at all. (Nicky kept notes of all the data in her diary, updating it every day as numbers of active cases dropped.) We moved from total lockdown, where we were allowed out only for essential, infrequent shopping, medical visits, and a maximum of two hours of exercise, first to four hours of exercise and then the possibility of 'bubbling' with another household, where we were allowed to meet up in each others' homes without having to maintain any kind of distance from one another. After that, we were allowed to 'bubble' with two other households as well... and then: no bubbles at all, but unlimited meetings with any one else as long as we maintained a metre distance in our homes and gardens and two metres in public places, gathering in groups of any size up to a maximum of 30. Non-essential shops and businesses prepared to open, and schools were given permission to return after the half term break. But that is next month's story....
Showing posts with label children. school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. school. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Sunday, 27 October 2019
Optimistic and Awesome October
Indeed. There is something about October which heralds promise: summer is over by the end of September, but October promises autumnal splendour. Autumn colours; Harvest Festival; a crispness to the air; sunny days...
And still a few blackberries, many mushrooms, hazelnuts aplenty and hedgerows dotted with rose hips.
Not that there are any of the latter two, nuts or rosehips, left on our bushes at school: the 'Jubilee Hedge', planted with trees from the Woodland Trust several years ago, has already been decimated by the children playing in the mud, digging up or crushing tender young saplings. The hazel bushes have grown tall and splendid, but they now produce hazelnuts and so, because one of the children has nut allergies, they have been chopped down and removed. (Actually, only one so far, falsely identified as the source of the nuts which have found their way into pockets, desk drawers and lockers: the real culprit has escaped since the senior leader who investigated had misunderstood where the children were playing and so did not notice the tree. An easy mistake because, of course, it had already been stripped of nuts whereas the innocent one still had nuts left on it.)
I take a deep breath: the gardens I had, over the years, so lovingly developed and nurtured are, mostly, no more. One area was demolished to make way for the outdoor classroom while the other has suffered both neglect - we have no gardeners assigned to look after our flower beds and flowering shrubs - and outright vandalism as children have broken branches off trees or pushed their way through the living walls of the willow tunnel, breaking the withies. The willow tries valiantly to survive, but much of the walls of the tunnel now have gaping holes in them. Yet, as a school, we promote Outdoor Learning...
Anyway. I took a few remaining hazelnuts safely home...while walnuts from a tree overhanging the school field were avidly collected by the children. Don't think there are any walnut allergies in school.
October has been full of parents' evenings: enjoyable - I love meeting the parents. We all agreed about our understanding of the children, too - always gratifying to know I have 'read' the children correctly. Teaching-wise, we have used ICT to create leaflets, always a challenge, but the children coped really well. They went on to use their newly-acquired skills to type up stories before analysing which writing features they had managed to use, colour-coding their findings. A final ICT project before half term was to make timelines. Satisfying to see how successful they have been... standing in good stead for the future.
And more than satisfying to get a wonderful 'thank you' letter, quite unprompted, from one of the girls. She was SO positive and appreciative that I nearly cried...
By that time, it was October 25th. The rest of the month is at www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com
Half term. Always an optimistic ending. And so we head on to Halloween...
The end of the month saw us off to England again, for the motorhome's annual check and our annual trip to catch up with family and friends... all details on https://travelswithpickle.blogspot.com/2019/10/autumn-jhalf-term-away-again.html
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| Fort Grey on a sunny evening |
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| Sunset over Rocqaine Bay |
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| Murmuring whelks |
And still a few blackberries, many mushrooms, hazelnuts aplenty and hedgerows dotted with rose hips.
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| Purple peril, happily growing next to the spinach in the compost heap. |
I take a deep breath: the gardens I had, over the years, so lovingly developed and nurtured are, mostly, no more. One area was demolished to make way for the outdoor classroom while the other has suffered both neglect - we have no gardeners assigned to look after our flower beds and flowering shrubs - and outright vandalism as children have broken branches off trees or pushed their way through the living walls of the willow tunnel, breaking the withies. The willow tries valiantly to survive, but much of the walls of the tunnel now have gaping holes in them. Yet, as a school, we promote Outdoor Learning...
Anyway. I took a few remaining hazelnuts safely home...while walnuts from a tree overhanging the school field were avidly collected by the children. Don't think there are any walnut allergies in school.
October has been full of parents' evenings: enjoyable - I love meeting the parents. We all agreed about our understanding of the children, too - always gratifying to know I have 'read' the children correctly. Teaching-wise, we have used ICT to create leaflets, always a challenge, but the children coped really well. They went on to use their newly-acquired skills to type up stories before analysing which writing features they had managed to use, colour-coding their findings. A final ICT project before half term was to make timelines. Satisfying to see how successful they have been... standing in good stead for the future.
And more than satisfying to get a wonderful 'thank you' letter, quite unprompted, from one of the girls. She was SO positive and appreciative that I nearly cried...
By that time, it was October 25th. The rest of the month is at www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com
Half term. Always an optimistic ending. And so we head on to Halloween...
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| Hedgeveg with a vengeance... |
Saturday, 7 July 2018
Journeying through July
July began with the end of term craziness and the end of a delightful friendship for Pickle.
With the postman.
She had got to know him quite well. He always seemed pleased to see her, even when, one day when he was sitting doing paperwork in his van, she hopped in the back, ready to come on his rounds with him. He even took to getting her to sign for the parcels he delivered...
Now, we have different posties. All quite pleasant - this is Guernsey, after all, where the community is small and friendly - but none have, as yet, begun to bond with this little Patterdale terrier....but she's working on them. Her friendliness is very hard to resist.... watch this space.
So... end of term. A week so crazy busy that I had each day planned down to the last half hour. Packing and cleaning were, for me, secondary to the demands of school, but Richard worked intensively to get the motorhome ready and the house cleaned ready for guests. Intermittently, I packed for going away and packed away unnecessary clutter, leaving the house clear.
Evenings were filled with prizegiving and concerts, interspersed with catching up with friends. We sat on the roof terrace of Wendy and Nicholas's flat overlooking L'Ancresse beach and common, watching kestrels swooping and hovering. There was even a visit from four goldfinches, who perched on the balcony wall. Wonderful to catch up on news in such an idyllic setting. Then, the night before we left, our wonderful neighbours invited us over. So relaxing to sit in the garden in the warmth of the evening.
And, of course, the week was full of finishing off and goodbyes to our Year Sixes before they moved on to senior school. I had cleared my classroom the week before, so we were able to concentrate on organising a wonderful Leavers' Service at church. The children wrote and read their own prayers: most of the year group stood up in front of 200 people, reading clearly and organising themselves beautifully. We were very proud of them.
Inbetween, I managed to put posies of hydrangeas and ox-eye daisies together for my some of my wonderful, supportive colleagues. Such fun, to write appreciative notes. And to reflect on how things have changed this year, and how far I have been able, with God's help, to come. A year ago, my blood pressure was dangerously high: now, the best it has ever been. And I am stronger in my spirit, in spite of all the attack last year. I can reflect and be thankful for God's strength and my friends' and colleagues' love and support. God is good, good, good - as the children sang, having chosen 'King of My Heart' as one of their songs.
Last day of term was emotional for children: last game of football together (boys AND girls!); last game of 'Empires'; final assembly. Lots of awards, but we finished with a spontaneous performance of George Ezra's 'Shotgun', which Year 6 have been mad about. The school joined in with the actions which the children had put to the song while they were away on activity week.
The end of term is, always, an anti-climax, so I was happy to jump on my bicycle, five minutes after the last child left and all the goodbyes had been said, to whizz down the hill to meet Richard at the ferry. We were off to France...www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com here we come! In the words of George Ezra:
"I'll be riding shotgun, underneath the hot sun, feeling like a someone - oh yeah"
Of course, the rest of the month whizzed by in a heat haze...but one more thing must be said. Richard bought a SCOBY (which apparently stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) and some starter tea for making kombucha, which is, basically, sweet fermented tea. Aarrgh! What to do with this 'monster' which has to be delicately and carefully nurtured, using precise measurements of tea, sugar and hot water, precise temperatures for brewing and precise instruments and vessels. (No metal AT ALL - remove rings! - and brew in a glass container.)
How to do this in a motorhome?
Well, poor SCOBY. He got shoved into a plastic box, covered with a lid for travelling more often than was supposed to happen, jiggled around for hours in the van, rather than sitting sedately on a countertop; encountered direct sunlight (big no no) and was subjected to temperatures far above those recommended. Oh dear.
But guess what? HE THRIVED! He grew enormous very quickly, birthing a 'baby' (yes SCOBY should be 'she' but there is no doubt that all its characteristics were, in my mind, masculine: sensitive fussy, needing to be looked after carefully....) and brewing kombucha at an astonishing rate. It should take 5 - 21 days, at 21 - 25 degrees Celsius, but Mr Scoby manages to produce a delicious brew at temperatures well above thirty degrees in just a matter of hours: 24 - 48, to be precise.
I've separated 'baby' from 'mother' once - and he instantly seemed to double in size. What to do now....?
Whatever. Scoby has been a great travelling companion and I shall do my best to continue to keep him happy.... more updates next month.
With the postman.
She had got to know him quite well. He always seemed pleased to see her, even when, one day when he was sitting doing paperwork in his van, she hopped in the back, ready to come on his rounds with him. He even took to getting her to sign for the parcels he delivered...
Now, we have different posties. All quite pleasant - this is Guernsey, after all, where the community is small and friendly - but none have, as yet, begun to bond with this little Patterdale terrier....but she's working on them. Her friendliness is very hard to resist.... watch this space.
So... end of term. A week so crazy busy that I had each day planned down to the last half hour. Packing and cleaning were, for me, secondary to the demands of school, but Richard worked intensively to get the motorhome ready and the house cleaned ready for guests. Intermittently, I packed for going away and packed away unnecessary clutter, leaving the house clear.
Evenings were filled with prizegiving and concerts, interspersed with catching up with friends. We sat on the roof terrace of Wendy and Nicholas's flat overlooking L'Ancresse beach and common, watching kestrels swooping and hovering. There was even a visit from four goldfinches, who perched on the balcony wall. Wonderful to catch up on news in such an idyllic setting. Then, the night before we left, our wonderful neighbours invited us over. So relaxing to sit in the garden in the warmth of the evening.
 |
| Evening sky over Morningstar |
Inbetween, I managed to put posies of hydrangeas and ox-eye daisies together for my some of my wonderful, supportive colleagues. Such fun, to write appreciative notes. And to reflect on how things have changed this year, and how far I have been able, with God's help, to come. A year ago, my blood pressure was dangerously high: now, the best it has ever been. And I am stronger in my spirit, in spite of all the attack last year. I can reflect and be thankful for God's strength and my friends' and colleagues' love and support. God is good, good, good - as the children sang, having chosen 'King of My Heart' as one of their songs.
Last day of term was emotional for children: last game of football together (boys AND girls!); last game of 'Empires'; final assembly. Lots of awards, but we finished with a spontaneous performance of George Ezra's 'Shotgun', which Year 6 have been mad about. The school joined in with the actions which the children had put to the song while they were away on activity week.
The end of term is, always, an anti-climax, so I was happy to jump on my bicycle, five minutes after the last child left and all the goodbyes had been said, to whizz down the hill to meet Richard at the ferry. We were off to France...www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com here we come! In the words of George Ezra:
"I'll be riding shotgun, underneath the hot sun, feeling like a someone - oh yeah"
Of course, the rest of the month whizzed by in a heat haze...but one more thing must be said. Richard bought a SCOBY (which apparently stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) and some starter tea for making kombucha, which is, basically, sweet fermented tea. Aarrgh! What to do with this 'monster' which has to be delicately and carefully nurtured, using precise measurements of tea, sugar and hot water, precise temperatures for brewing and precise instruments and vessels. (No metal AT ALL - remove rings! - and brew in a glass container.)
How to do this in a motorhome?
Well, poor SCOBY. He got shoved into a plastic box, covered with a lid for travelling more often than was supposed to happen, jiggled around for hours in the van, rather than sitting sedately on a countertop; encountered direct sunlight (big no no) and was subjected to temperatures far above those recommended. Oh dear.
But guess what? HE THRIVED! He grew enormous very quickly, birthing a 'baby' (yes SCOBY should be 'she' but there is no doubt that all its characteristics were, in my mind, masculine: sensitive fussy, needing to be looked after carefully....) and brewing kombucha at an astonishing rate. It should take 5 - 21 days, at 21 - 25 degrees Celsius, but Mr Scoby manages to produce a delicious brew at temperatures well above thirty degrees in just a matter of hours: 24 - 48, to be precise.
I've separated 'baby' from 'mother' once - and he instantly seemed to double in size. What to do now....?
Whatever. Scoby has been a great travelling companion and I shall do my best to continue to keep him happy.... more updates next month.
Saturday, 18 November 2017
Joy, satisfaction and the link to living...
Interrupting my monthly updates with a teacherly reflection. Actually, it's more a reflection and a reminder on a few instances which have brought me joy this week. And they are both, unusually, from work. Teaching.
Teaching involves children. And so teaching involves stress and angst and hard work and trying to solve problems. Sometimes, it works.
The stress this week was trying to help a child do maths. His attitude was challenging: I counted myself fortunate that he hasn't actually written: "I hate maths." or "This lesson sucked." but it has been a close thing on a number of occasions. Matters came to a head earlier in the week when he just about refused to do any of the practice questions I had set the class. Tears - his AND mine - were incipient.
I took a deep breath and directed him to read and closely examine my Growth Mindset display at the back of the class. Fortunately, it was break at the end of the lesson so we both had time to recover. After the break, I asked him if anything had been helpful. "Yes," he replied, "this." as he pointed to this image:
"Oh, interesting," was my reply. "Where do you think you are on these steps?" He pointed to 'I can't do it.'
"I'm here," he said, confident that I would recognize the truth of the statement.
"Oh no, you aren't," I replied. He stiffened, ready to defend his position. "No, you're here." I pointed tot he bottom step "I won't do it". "You don't want to try maths at all. It's not about can't because I promise you, you can. And I know that is true, because, as you know, I am a Very Old Teacher and have taught hundreds of children. I know you can do maths If You Want To."
I carried on for a bit longer, going on about negative attitude, giving up before you're even started, blah blah blah.
Then we went back to my desk and I explained the maths issue again, using some very simple practical aids. After a few minutes of teaching, where my unwilling student had achieved 100% accuracy while I, metaphorically speaking, stood over him, we then stopped and I gave it no more thought....
...until a couple of days later, when I realised a) there had been no more negative comments written in the maths book b) no more negative attitudes in maths AT ALL c)increased concentration and focus and d)a much happier little boy.
I called him over and shared my observations. "Oh yes," he said, smiling. "I'm so much happier now. And I LIKE MATHS."
.
I congratulated him, low key. Well, I might have used words like thrilled, delighted, proud etc etc, but I didn't whoop for joy or high five him. Just found myself grinning broadly, at how just a few minutes of focused attention had made all the difference to this particular ten year old... Memo To Self: Pay Attention. It reaps dividends...
The other incident which gave me particularly warm and fuzzy feelings was, in brief, just reminding a troubled child of two key questions: What is the problem? What are you going to do about it?
A little reflection and he had a strategy. Result: a much happier, more in control child who, hopefully, has a strategy for the future now as well.
Teaching. Making a difference. And, really, Absolutely Nothing To Do At All With The Three Rs....
Teaching involves children. And so teaching involves stress and angst and hard work and trying to solve problems. Sometimes, it works.
The stress this week was trying to help a child do maths. His attitude was challenging: I counted myself fortunate that he hasn't actually written: "I hate maths." or "This lesson sucked." but it has been a close thing on a number of occasions. Matters came to a head earlier in the week when he just about refused to do any of the practice questions I had set the class. Tears - his AND mine - were incipient.
I took a deep breath and directed him to read and closely examine my Growth Mindset display at the back of the class. Fortunately, it was break at the end of the lesson so we both had time to recover. After the break, I asked him if anything had been helpful. "Yes," he replied, "this." as he pointed to this image:
"Oh, interesting," was my reply. "Where do you think you are on these steps?" He pointed to 'I can't do it.'"I'm here," he said, confident that I would recognize the truth of the statement.
"Oh no, you aren't," I replied. He stiffened, ready to defend his position. "No, you're here." I pointed tot he bottom step "I won't do it". "You don't want to try maths at all. It's not about can't because I promise you, you can. And I know that is true, because, as you know, I am a Very Old Teacher and have taught hundreds of children. I know you can do maths If You Want To."
I carried on for a bit longer, going on about negative attitude, giving up before you're even started, blah blah blah.
Then we went back to my desk and I explained the maths issue again, using some very simple practical aids. After a few minutes of teaching, where my unwilling student had achieved 100% accuracy while I, metaphorically speaking, stood over him, we then stopped and I gave it no more thought....
...until a couple of days later, when I realised a) there had been no more negative comments written in the maths book b) no more negative attitudes in maths AT ALL c)increased concentration and focus and d)a much happier little boy.
I called him over and shared my observations. "Oh yes," he said, smiling. "I'm so much happier now. And I LIKE MATHS."
.
I congratulated him, low key. Well, I might have used words like thrilled, delighted, proud etc etc, but I didn't whoop for joy or high five him. Just found myself grinning broadly, at how just a few minutes of focused attention had made all the difference to this particular ten year old... Memo To Self: Pay Attention. It reaps dividends...
The other incident which gave me particularly warm and fuzzy feelings was, in brief, just reminding a troubled child of two key questions: What is the problem? What are you going to do about it?
A little reflection and he had a strategy. Result: a much happier, more in control child who, hopefully, has a strategy for the future now as well.
Teaching. Making a difference. And, really, Absolutely Nothing To Do At All With The Three Rs....
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
April arrives
April suddenly leapt out at us. We had endured the winter so long, but suddenly - with the change in clocks to British Summer Time - the days were longer, lighter, warmer...
Not that I noticed much. The school day is so intense that some days I barely venture outside, unless on duty, for more than a few minutes. We were in the midst of preparing for the school production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, such a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible story with children and staff alike. A fascinating glimpse into another culture, too. So days were packed with rehearsals and costume preparation. All went well, the children sang, acted and danced magnificently, everyone was happy... and three days later, the end of term. What's not to like?
And with the end of term - glorious, glorious sunshiney weather. The first day of the holidays was like summer: think sunburn, think too hot to sit in the sunny garden; think taking shelter in the shade; think long warm evenings; think GARDENING. Fun.
Phil and Judy (lovely Adele's lovely parents) arrived a day later. They had had a dreadfully circuitous journey, thanks to the vagaries and inefficiences of Flybe. They should have arrived at 9.30 am - instead, it was more like 7.30pm. They were taken to Exeter where, thankfully, they could go into the city and enjoy the sunshine - one of the warmest days of the year so far. But the onward flight to Guernsey was then delayed by another couple of hours... oh well. They arrived safely and we had a lovely Sunday with them, cycling to church, then via Le Gouffre by the cliffs for a coffee before returning home for a leisurely lunch.
A day later, and we were off to France, leaving them to enjoy the peace of Morningstar. All the rest of our travels are chronicled in www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com....
Meanwhile, back at Morningstar, Kareena, Chris and Howie the Boston Terrier (Pickle's best friend) moved in after Phil and Judy had left.They have bravely struggled with renovations but when it came to finishing the floor, there was no way they could continue to live in the house and so stayed with us for around ten days or so. What fun. It was like having flatmates: casual suppers, some shared, some not; evening chats; a late night glass of wine; putting the world to rights; sharing lives. Delightful to see how easy it is to have guests, too, as our guest room and ensuite is in a private part of the house on the other side of the main entrance.
It was good to have a friend to share with, too, when I got back to school: this term is incredibly hectic and it started with a bang: the first staff meeting of the term introduced, among other things, two new innovative extra-curricular days with quite a bit of preparation to do for them... more than a little demotivating when there are so many other things going on. For me, it is introducing a 'time travelling' trip to investigate the German legacy from the Occupation, including a spy story resulting from the discovery of a rucksack left at the beach by a British spy on the run... but that is for May. I staggered to the end of a month which had turned rather chilly....
Not that I noticed much. The school day is so intense that some days I barely venture outside, unless on duty, for more than a few minutes. We were in the midst of preparing for the school production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, such a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible story with children and staff alike. A fascinating glimpse into another culture, too. So days were packed with rehearsals and costume preparation. All went well, the children sang, acted and danced magnificently, everyone was happy... and three days later, the end of term. What's not to like?
And with the end of term - glorious, glorious sunshiney weather. The first day of the holidays was like summer: think sunburn, think too hot to sit in the sunny garden; think taking shelter in the shade; think long warm evenings; think GARDENING. Fun.
Phil and Judy (lovely Adele's lovely parents) arrived a day later. They had had a dreadfully circuitous journey, thanks to the vagaries and inefficiences of Flybe. They should have arrived at 9.30 am - instead, it was more like 7.30pm. They were taken to Exeter where, thankfully, they could go into the city and enjoy the sunshine - one of the warmest days of the year so far. But the onward flight to Guernsey was then delayed by another couple of hours... oh well. They arrived safely and we had a lovely Sunday with them, cycling to church, then via Le Gouffre by the cliffs for a coffee before returning home for a leisurely lunch.
A day later, and we were off to France, leaving them to enjoy the peace of Morningstar. All the rest of our travels are chronicled in www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com....
Meanwhile, back at Morningstar, Kareena, Chris and Howie the Boston Terrier (Pickle's best friend) moved in after Phil and Judy had left.They have bravely struggled with renovations but when it came to finishing the floor, there was no way they could continue to live in the house and so stayed with us for around ten days or so. What fun. It was like having flatmates: casual suppers, some shared, some not; evening chats; a late night glass of wine; putting the world to rights; sharing lives. Delightful to see how easy it is to have guests, too, as our guest room and ensuite is in a private part of the house on the other side of the main entrance.
It was good to have a friend to share with, too, when I got back to school: this term is incredibly hectic and it started with a bang: the first staff meeting of the term introduced, among other things, two new innovative extra-curricular days with quite a bit of preparation to do for them... more than a little demotivating when there are so many other things going on. For me, it is introducing a 'time travelling' trip to investigate the German legacy from the Occupation, including a spy story resulting from the discovery of a rucksack left at the beach by a British spy on the run... but that is for May. I staggered to the end of a month which had turned rather chilly....
Friday, 12 July 2013
Holidays! Holidays?
Phew - finished school last Friday. That last week of term was packed. First of all we had speech day. I have a love/hate relationship with this concept, particularly beloved of private schools. I hate that we can't recognise the amazing achievements of all the children - not least, that the children in my class have survived my sense of humour all year. But I love seeing the joy and surprise on children's faces when they hear they have received a prize. Most notable this year was a little boy who arrived in my class with poor handwriting and literacy. By the end of the year he was producing exemplary work. (Note to self: what a good word exemplary is: wish I'd thought of using it in my reports...) And I love seeing how other children are delighted for their friends and classmates: the smiles, the whispered 'well done', the pat on the back...
Then we had farewell parties - 4 members of staff leaving; farewell assemblies; sorting out, clearing out and packing up as I moved classroom, with the willing help of the children; organising our discarded books to go to Tanzania; and then there was Gardening.
I started the two gardens we have at school, with the help of parents and children, a few years ago. There is a quiet garden with a willow tunnel, a reading corner and a fountain. There is a huge vegetable garden - almost allotment sized. There is an area planted with trees and bushes, set aside for wildlife. And now there is a refurbished flower bed, sporting a Tudor rose, the school emblem.
It all needs looking after. Every year I am determined to give up this enormous responsibility, and every year something happens to make me change my mind. This coming year, I will have allocated timetable time to manage it all.
Good. I'm looking forward to clawing back the time I spent recently on organising a watering rota for the holidays. Helping 140 children to harvest the potatoes they planted in March. Encouraging more children to help me plant a new silver birch, to replace a conifer which blew over in the March snow storms, rewarding them with an abundance of strawberries. Going into school in the holidays to water the new willow tunnel which, in the hot weather we are having, is beginning to turn yellow.
The week finished with farewells and a shared staff meal. Lovely. I have amazing colleagues and our staffroom is a supportive little community.
So that was school. But I haven't paused for breath. I'm not hugely houseproud, but the house has shouted its need for cleaning. So far, I have a sparkling oven; cleaned out kitchen cupboards; washed and changed all the bedlinen, including the mattress protectors and so on; washed bedroom curtains; refurbished the bathroom...
I've been into school several times, too - not just to water the gardens, but also to reorganize my new classroom, stowing files and books away neatly into the tiny cupboard. (Quart into pint pot sums it up.) I know I won't have time at the end of the holidays and, in any case, would rather get it over and done with. I'll be in again next week, too, if not before...
That's all good.. But what was better was the coffees with friends and colleagues and a particularly celebratory tea for my dear friend Renee, the day before her birthday. Special, special times...
Then we had farewell parties - 4 members of staff leaving; farewell assemblies; sorting out, clearing out and packing up as I moved classroom, with the willing help of the children; organising our discarded books to go to Tanzania; and then there was Gardening.
I started the two gardens we have at school, with the help of parents and children, a few years ago. There is a quiet garden with a willow tunnel, a reading corner and a fountain. There is a huge vegetable garden - almost allotment sized. There is an area planted with trees and bushes, set aside for wildlife. And now there is a refurbished flower bed, sporting a Tudor rose, the school emblem.
It all needs looking after. Every year I am determined to give up this enormous responsibility, and every year something happens to make me change my mind. This coming year, I will have allocated timetable time to manage it all.
Good. I'm looking forward to clawing back the time I spent recently on organising a watering rota for the holidays. Helping 140 children to harvest the potatoes they planted in March. Encouraging more children to help me plant a new silver birch, to replace a conifer which blew over in the March snow storms, rewarding them with an abundance of strawberries. Going into school in the holidays to water the new willow tunnel which, in the hot weather we are having, is beginning to turn yellow.
The week finished with farewells and a shared staff meal. Lovely. I have amazing colleagues and our staffroom is a supportive little community.
So that was school. But I haven't paused for breath. I'm not hugely houseproud, but the house has shouted its need for cleaning. So far, I have a sparkling oven; cleaned out kitchen cupboards; washed and changed all the bedlinen, including the mattress protectors and so on; washed bedroom curtains; refurbished the bathroom...
I've been into school several times, too - not just to water the gardens, but also to reorganize my new classroom, stowing files and books away neatly into the tiny cupboard. (Quart into pint pot sums it up.) I know I won't have time at the end of the holidays and, in any case, would rather get it over and done with. I'll be in again next week, too, if not before...
That's all good.. But what was better was the coffees with friends and colleagues and a particularly celebratory tea for my dear friend Renee, the day before her birthday. Special, special times...
Thursday, 9 August 2012
July
A mixed emotions month – but then, isn’t every month like
that?
The first week of July was the last week of school... packed
with prizegiving evening, school concert and a lot of tidying, clearing out and
packing up. Fortunately, the latter was really easy – I have had an AMAZING
class this year who are capable, helpful, sensible, efficient, well-organized,
co-operative and wonderfully eager to do anything they are asked. Getting the
classroom sorted was surprisingly fun.
Prizegiving, on the other hand...oh, every year it is the
same. The delight on a child’s face when the prize is announced; the pleasure
from other children when they see their friend sit down, proudly clutching a
prize; the disappointment which hangs in the air when all is over and the
MAJORITY of the children go home with nothing.
Yes, I know we can’t all win prizes and most of the teachers try to
spread them around all the deserving children, rather than awarding several
prizes to one child: often, there are several contenders for the same award.
Yet perhaps there should be a policy that every child who is leaving is
recognized for at least one achievement...? There are many arguments for and
against this tradition, but the lesson that ‘not everyone is necessarily a
winner’ is a hard one to learn and perhaps needs to be taught in a different way,
i.e. that ‘everyone is a winner at SOMETHING’. We encourage children to explore and develop
their talents and gifts – so perhaps we should continue to develop this across
every aspect of school life.
I could carry on ranting about this for a long time. On to
happier things.
End of term finished very happily. So satisfying, as a
teacher, to know that children have benefited from being with me: when I see
huge progress in communicating, as children who were hesitant about speaking,
reading or writing have gained confidence. Sometimes, I can almost see them grow
physically as their self-belief blossoms. I know they would have made progress
with anyone, really, but I love looking back to the beginning of the year and
seeing the strides they have made...
Once term ended it was catch-up time – with cleaning, with
chores left undone, with unlimited reading, with friends and even
school-work! The weather wasn’t great
the first couple of weeks so I was happy to put in the hours on my computer and
start preparing for next term. I know by the time I get to the end of August
that I will have ‘wound down’ big time and it is always a huge effort to start
The Teaching Machine going again.
So, all caught up for the end of the month when my dear
friends arrived for their annual visit – and the weather turned wonderful. July weather at last.
(I haven't mentioned the Olympics. The Olympic Torch flew in to Guernsey - great excitement. As for the games,,, I'm glad, in a way, that we don't have television - I wouldn't have made it outside into the garden for a fortnight, though I have sussed out how to watch on iplayer while sitting comfortably on the lawn...)
Friday, 18 November 2011
On creativity...busyness...and gratitude...
Phew - what a fortnight! Busy busy stress stress...no, not really. Just busy. We talk about 'stress' but actually we make mountains out of molehills. 'Stress' is not knowing where your next meal is coming from, or where you will sleep tonight. My 'stress' is definitely just 'busy'.
Busy with...
days of teaching, marking, preparation...dealing with lessons, children, upcoming events of class assemblies, charity days and prayerspace events. I am constantly amazed at the number of interactions I have every day with children, parents, staff: it would certainly be less tiring were I to be holed up in an office with account books and computer, but certainly much more boring. So I'm not complaining.
Busy with...
evenings of house group meetings, meals with friends, parents meetings, staff meetings; marking of exams, writing reports (must be around 8000 words in two weeks)...
Busy with...
weekends of prayer - training and action; flujab; cleaning carpets; sorting out books to give away; shopping; ladies breakfast; puppy play dates; church.
Busy with...
nights of sleeplessness, as my brain churns; nights of sitting up with a tickly cough;
Busy with...
doctor's appointment; praying with friends.
Busy.
So after this, I came home on time from school this day, this end-of-the-week-tired-out-on-Friday day and, in the couple of hours free before I have to go out again, made...apple curd. Sweet, spicy, delicious. The little pots sit invitingly next to the cooker. I have labelled them 'Eat Me'.
I will.
I'm thankful for the opportunity, the energy, the delight in being in this small way creative. And for being able to blog again.
And lovely to join in with Faith Barista's Jam-With-Me-Thursdays...even if I am a couple of days late...
Busy with...
days of teaching, marking, preparation...dealing with lessons, children, upcoming events of class assemblies, charity days and prayerspace events. I am constantly amazed at the number of interactions I have every day with children, parents, staff: it would certainly be less tiring were I to be holed up in an office with account books and computer, but certainly much more boring. So I'm not complaining.
Busy with...
evenings of house group meetings, meals with friends, parents meetings, staff meetings; marking of exams, writing reports (must be around 8000 words in two weeks)...
Busy with...
weekends of prayer - training and action; flujab; cleaning carpets; sorting out books to give away; shopping; ladies breakfast; puppy play dates; church.
Busy with...
nights of sleeplessness, as my brain churns; nights of sitting up with a tickly cough;
Busy with...
doctor's appointment; praying with friends.
Busy.
So after this, I came home on time from school this day, this end-of-the-week-tired-out-on-Friday day and, in the couple of hours free before I have to go out again, made...apple curd. Sweet, spicy, delicious. The little pots sit invitingly next to the cooker. I have labelled them 'Eat Me'.
I will.
I'm thankful for the opportunity, the energy, the delight in being in this small way creative. And for being able to blog again.
And lovely to join in with Faith Barista's Jam-With-Me-Thursdays...even if I am a couple of days late...
Friday, 8 July 2011
End of term: some sadness...
The end of the school year - in some ways, much looked forward to - brings with it some sadness. For ten months, the children and I have worked together. They have matured and developed in astonishing ways. One child this year has made amazing strides - he is almost unrecognizable, a completely different child from the one who arrived in my classroom in September.
Me too. The children teach me, change me - usually, these days, making me MORE patient, though not always. They teach me - about surfing, sport, what's 'cool' and what isn't... they sometimes, even, let me gain a tiny glimpse into the ways their minds work.
So, as today was the last day of the school year, we all said our goodbyes. They will have changed again over the summer, entering the next school year even older and 'wiser'. I will see them...in passing, for the odd lesson or two, but it will not be the same. We will have lost our sense of 'togetherness' that we have had over the year.
And that is healthy. They are not, in any case, 'my' children. They have parents, families who, in their turn, will have to let them go into the world as adults.
As I have already had to do. But that is another story, with its own joys and sadness. Enough for today.
Me too. The children teach me, change me - usually, these days, making me MORE patient, though not always. They teach me - about surfing, sport, what's 'cool' and what isn't... they sometimes, even, let me gain a tiny glimpse into the ways their minds work.
So, as today was the last day of the school year, we all said our goodbyes. They will have changed again over the summer, entering the next school year even older and 'wiser'. I will see them...in passing, for the odd lesson or two, but it will not be the same. We will have lost our sense of 'togetherness' that we have had over the year.
And that is healthy. They are not, in any case, 'my' children. They have parents, families who, in their turn, will have to let them go into the world as adults.
As I have already had to do. But that is another story, with its own joys and sadness. Enough for today.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
School school school!
It has been a while since I have posted about school. Really, it has. But I just have to post a little snippet of the numerous little joys that teaching brings me. (And no, I'm nothing like Roald Dahl's Miss Honey. Or even Mr Chips. Nothing at all. Right?)
It has arrived at the time of year when we reach...the end of the year. The time when suddenly the children and I realise that we have worked hard together all year and we really, really like each other. They have all finally clocked on to my (super dry, bordering sarcastic) sense of humour. (One or two got it from Day One. They are the ones I have joked with all year, grinning and giggling quietly to themselves.) The class can do almost anything I ask them to do - mostly. Even putting capital letters and full stops in the right places. Mostly. And so we begin to inspire each other.
Now yes, hopefully I have inspired them much earlier in the school year. I think I have. I've had some amazing creative writing - stories, poems, even newspaper reports - and art work. They've shown tremendous concern and care for each other and those less fortunate than they are.
But this last week has been an unusual joy. It started from a homework assignment which I left up to them to decide. We'd looked at the English Civil War, talked a lot about it and the questions still kept coming several minutes after the last bell of the day. (Yes, I know, timekeeping and all that...but what do you do in the face of enthusiasm? KEEP GOING!) So I suggested that they find out more, presenting their findings a week later - in any form they wanted.
I was stunned by their enthusiasm. They wrote pages of notes and explanations; produced a newspaper page of the 'Stuart Times'; created a 'Wanted' poster for Charles I, listing his various 'crimes' against the crown; created a chess set featuring the different groups of characters in the Civil War; and produced 'Lego' models of a battle, and Charles I's trial and execution.
So, I had to record it. Because I know, come September/October, I will begin to wonder what I am doing, when homework is scrappily done, or not at all, and the children I teach are 'takers' rather than 'givers'. I will look at this, and remember, and look forward to seeing the results of a year of hard work once more. It will happen.
As for this class - in a few weeks they will be gone, moving on to greater things. And I will rejoice with them - in a grieving kind of way.
It has arrived at the time of year when we reach...the end of the year. The time when suddenly the children and I realise that we have worked hard together all year and we really, really like each other. They have all finally clocked on to my (super dry, bordering sarcastic) sense of humour. (One or two got it from Day One. They are the ones I have joked with all year, grinning and giggling quietly to themselves.) The class can do almost anything I ask them to do - mostly. Even putting capital letters and full stops in the right places. Mostly. And so we begin to inspire each other.
Now yes, hopefully I have inspired them much earlier in the school year. I think I have. I've had some amazing creative writing - stories, poems, even newspaper reports - and art work. They've shown tremendous concern and care for each other and those less fortunate than they are.
But this last week has been an unusual joy. It started from a homework assignment which I left up to them to decide. We'd looked at the English Civil War, talked a lot about it and the questions still kept coming several minutes after the last bell of the day. (Yes, I know, timekeeping and all that...but what do you do in the face of enthusiasm? KEEP GOING!) So I suggested that they find out more, presenting their findings a week later - in any form they wanted.
I was stunned by their enthusiasm. They wrote pages of notes and explanations; produced a newspaper page of the 'Stuart Times'; created a 'Wanted' poster for Charles I, listing his various 'crimes' against the crown; created a chess set featuring the different groups of characters in the Civil War; and produced 'Lego' models of a battle, and Charles I's trial and execution.
So, I had to record it. Because I know, come September/October, I will begin to wonder what I am doing, when homework is scrappily done, or not at all, and the children I teach are 'takers' rather than 'givers'. I will look at this, and remember, and look forward to seeing the results of a year of hard work once more. It will happen.
As for this class - in a few weeks they will be gone, moving on to greater things. And I will rejoice with them - in a grieving kind of way.
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?
?? !!!
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?
?? !!!
Monday, 25 October 2010
Indulgent catch up...
This feels somewhat self-indulgent, sitting here, writing a bit on a blog when I really 'should be' doing a thousand and a half other things ...but it IS the first 'proper' day of half term. 'Proper' in that we whizzed off on the red-eye to Manchester the day after school finished and I spent yesterday recovering. It's Monday: the beginning of the 'week off': the day when I 'should' start my catch-up tasks. Hang on: that's what I'm doing right now. Catching up on the blog. That's fine, then.
I don't know what it is about teaching, why things go banana-crazy hectic in the last couple of weeks before half term, end of term, end of year... they just do. Parents meetings - and the time-consuming follow up; grades, reports; Harvest Festival service, organising the decoration of the church and the subsequent 'Hedge Veg' Farmers Market; birthday cards and presents... and ICT course in the middle of all this. I don't know how I managed all the work of the PSHE course last year...
But it has been great fun, and worth it.
Worth it to meet the parents, seeing their features reflected in those of the children I know so well; rejoicing with them at successes, considering how to best help them achieve all of which they are capable - to use a report-type phrase.
Worth it to see the joy in the children as they joined in with singing 'In the beginning, God made...', performing the actions as enthusiastically as at a disco; the pride on the face of the young soloist who struggles with reading and writing, yet filled the church with his sweet voice; the enthusiasm as the Year 6 children 'sold' the fruits and vegetables with more energy than that of an East End trader, shouting out their invented slogans: 'A melon for the price of a lemon' or 'Cheaper than Checkers' (the largest supermarket we have here).
Worth it to pray for the dear friends and relatives as I prepare cards and presents, thanking God for them: timely reminders to stop in the middle of busyness and be thankful.
This is not self-indulgent. This is worth it: appreciating, as I review the last two weeks of my life, what is of value.
I don't know what it is about teaching, why things go banana-crazy hectic in the last couple of weeks before half term, end of term, end of year... they just do. Parents meetings - and the time-consuming follow up; grades, reports; Harvest Festival service, organising the decoration of the church and the subsequent 'Hedge Veg' Farmers Market; birthday cards and presents... and ICT course in the middle of all this. I don't know how I managed all the work of the PSHE course last year...
But it has been great fun, and worth it.
Worth it to meet the parents, seeing their features reflected in those of the children I know so well; rejoicing with them at successes, considering how to best help them achieve all of which they are capable - to use a report-type phrase.
Worth it to see the joy in the children as they joined in with singing 'In the beginning, God made...', performing the actions as enthusiastically as at a disco; the pride on the face of the young soloist who struggles with reading and writing, yet filled the church with his sweet voice; the enthusiasm as the Year 6 children 'sold' the fruits and vegetables with more energy than that of an East End trader, shouting out their invented slogans: 'A melon for the price of a lemon' or 'Cheaper than Checkers' (the largest supermarket we have here).
Worth it to pray for the dear friends and relatives as I prepare cards and presents, thanking God for them: timely reminders to stop in the middle of busyness and be thankful.
This is not self-indulgent. This is worth it: appreciating, as I review the last two weeks of my life, what is of value.
Friday, 24 September 2010
Back into school
Three and a half weeks into term, and now I know I'm thoroughly 'into' school.
I know because I've started to remember all the funny things the children say and do (rather than just looking forward to Fridays!). I tell my husband. I tell any staff who will listen. I just love it so much!
There are some real characters. Overheard on the way in from the playground: "You just DON'T understand the CONTEXT of 'accidental'." I wouldn't have believed a 9 year old would talk like that had I not been the recipient of a long lecture, during my RE lesson, on the prerequisites for becoming a vicar. From the same child. I would have been impressed by any Year 8 who was able to tell me the same thing.
There is the little boy who seems to be in a dream world of his own, yet is obviously highly intelligent. And the one who can't - won't - stop talking. And the one who, with very difficult home circumstances and an emotional character, still manages to hold himself together, giving his all. The boys who love maths puzzles and won't stop working when it's time for the lesson to end. And the boy who went home, wrote 200 words of a story and then got up early the next morning to write some more. 9 years old!
Wow! I LOVE teaching.
I know because I've started to remember all the funny things the children say and do (rather than just looking forward to Fridays!). I tell my husband. I tell any staff who will listen. I just love it so much!
There are some real characters. Overheard on the way in from the playground: "You just DON'T understand the CONTEXT of 'accidental'." I wouldn't have believed a 9 year old would talk like that had I not been the recipient of a long lecture, during my RE lesson, on the prerequisites for becoming a vicar. From the same child. I would have been impressed by any Year 8 who was able to tell me the same thing.
There is the little boy who seems to be in a dream world of his own, yet is obviously highly intelligent. And the one who can't - won't - stop talking. And the one who, with very difficult home circumstances and an emotional character, still manages to hold himself together, giving his all. The boys who love maths puzzles and won't stop working when it's time for the lesson to end. And the boy who went home, wrote 200 words of a story and then got up early the next morning to write some more. 9 years old!
Wow! I LOVE teaching.
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Catch up on...Activity Week!
I haven't written on here for ....ooh, nearly a month. Got out of the habit, out of touch, out of contact with my computer, out of ideas.... no, not the last actually. Too MANY ideas and not enough time or mental capacity to sort through them. So I think I'll post catch-up points separately - as many as I remember. This is the first one - Activity Week. This is what I wrote for the school magazine, more or less:
Year 5 Activities Week: The Challenge
Challenge :
No 1: get 39 children and 5 adults safely to Manor Adventure Activity Centre in Shropshire. Achieved.
No 2 – from Rory Betley: estimate arrival time accurately, to the nearest three minutes. Achieved by Mrs P, much to Mr V’s chagrin.
No 3: get to sleep before 10.30pm. Achieved by the children. Not by the adults.
No 4: choose healthy menu choices. Hmmm… not many vegetables were seen on some plates, but many apples, bananas and oranges were consumed.
No 5: climb rope ladders, walk/crawl/jump up, along or down aerial walkways, poles, or scrambling nets. Achieved with varying degrees of agility, sometimes accompanied by screams, always with huge determination.
No 6: capsize Mr V. Spectacularly achieved. Did anyone remain dry in the kayaking and canoeing sessions? Hardly. Particularly the occupants of a canoe with a slow leak, which, despite energetic bailing, slowly filled up with water until it, too capsized.
No 7: hit the target in archery or rifle shooting. Achieved – with varying degrees of success.
No 8: work as a team to overcome difficulties in initiative exercises. Interesting. Very. Success required good listening and cooperation.
No 9: build a suitable survival shelter. Year 5 easily convinced their teachers that it would be quite safe to be marooned on a desert island together. The structures the children created were superb. Parents, keep a careful eye on your gardens – you may need to apply for retrospective planning permission.
No. 10: return to Guernsey just in time for the last week of school.
ACHIEVED!
It was an exhausting week - but provided me with so many laughs. And what is better - the children had so much fun, they haven't stopped talking about it since. "That was the best week of my life!" said Harry to his mother. A dry 'Thanks, Harry!' as she mentally reviewed the previous ten years spent at home with his family...and the child who climbed along the aerial walkway, face screwed up in concentration, crying "I can't do it! I can't do it!" as he shimmied rapidly along the bars and then rushed back to the beginning for another go... I love it!
Year 5 Activities Week: The Challenge
Challenge :
No 1: get 39 children and 5 adults safely to Manor Adventure Activity Centre in Shropshire. Achieved.
No 2 – from Rory Betley: estimate arrival time accurately, to the nearest three minutes. Achieved by Mrs P, much to Mr V’s chagrin.
No 3: get to sleep before 10.30pm. Achieved by the children. Not by the adults.
No 4: choose healthy menu choices. Hmmm… not many vegetables were seen on some plates, but many apples, bananas and oranges were consumed.
No 5: climb rope ladders, walk/crawl/jump up, along or down aerial walkways, poles, or scrambling nets. Achieved with varying degrees of agility, sometimes accompanied by screams, always with huge determination.
No 6: capsize Mr V. Spectacularly achieved. Did anyone remain dry in the kayaking and canoeing sessions? Hardly. Particularly the occupants of a canoe with a slow leak, which, despite energetic bailing, slowly filled up with water until it, too capsized.
No 7: hit the target in archery or rifle shooting. Achieved – with varying degrees of success.
No 8: work as a team to overcome difficulties in initiative exercises. Interesting. Very. Success required good listening and cooperation.
No 9: build a suitable survival shelter. Year 5 easily convinced their teachers that it would be quite safe to be marooned on a desert island together. The structures the children created were superb. Parents, keep a careful eye on your gardens – you may need to apply for retrospective planning permission.
No. 10: return to Guernsey just in time for the last week of school.
ACHIEVED!
It was an exhausting week - but provided me with so many laughs. And what is better - the children had so much fun, they haven't stopped talking about it since. "That was the best week of my life!" said Harry to his mother. A dry 'Thanks, Harry!' as she mentally reviewed the previous ten years spent at home with his family...and the child who climbed along the aerial walkway, face screwed up in concentration, crying "I can't do it! I can't do it!" as he shimmied rapidly along the bars and then rushed back to the beginning for another go... I love it!
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Busy
Sometimes life is crazy busy. This has been one of those weeks.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have a living-life-at-one-hundred-miles-an-hour kind of life. Generally, I think I'm quite well balanced. I'm busy, but there is me-time, my-husband-and-me-time, me-and-friends time and all kinds of other time built in.
But this week - well. School has been busy, though not so much more than normal. In spite of reports, sports days and preparation for going away on activities next week. Oh, and planting up a new part of the garden at school with the help of Floral Guernsey. I've been out in the garden every single lunchtime, as eager children ask to weed, or water, or harvest... wonderful.
So not too much extra - but Jonny and Cat have come home and Richard has worked late shifts. So I've seen him briefly in the morning, then not until after 7 or 8.
By which time Cat and Jonny have gone out. Jonny has been in during the day, but evenings have been full.
So we haven't had any time together as a family this week unless we have all been asleep!
I think that was between midnight and five am.
Sometimes life is crazy busy.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have a living-life-at-one-hundred-miles-an-hour kind of life. Generally, I think I'm quite well balanced. I'm busy, but there is me-time, my-husband-and-me-time, me-and-friends time and all kinds of other time built in.
But this week - well. School has been busy, though not so much more than normal. In spite of reports, sports days and preparation for going away on activities next week. Oh, and planting up a new part of the garden at school with the help of Floral Guernsey. I've been out in the garden every single lunchtime, as eager children ask to weed, or water, or harvest... wonderful.
So not too much extra - but Jonny and Cat have come home and Richard has worked late shifts. So I've seen him briefly in the morning, then not until after 7 or 8.
By which time Cat and Jonny have gone out. Jonny has been in during the day, but evenings have been full.
So we haven't had any time together as a family this week unless we have all been asleep!
I think that was between midnight and five am.
Sometimes life is crazy busy.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Laughter at school
I guess this will be my last post from school for a couple of weeks. I just had to do it, though, before I forget.
We've been playing 'Taboo' a lot recently. The game where someone has to guess a word which the rest of the team describe, without using certain words.
The first word was 'Teacher'.
"It's what Mrs Pollard is!"
The guess: "A man!"
Screams of merriment. One child laughed hysterically for five minutes.
So did I.
The second word wasn't much better: 'Dolls'.
They tried really hard with this one, without success. Then one bright spark said: "We don't like them."
The guess: "Teachers!"
I can't be serious about teaching any more. I really can't.
PS It wasn't quite the last observation. I asked the children to tidy their desks this afternoon...so two boys have emptied them completely and taken EVERYTHING home. I wonder what books they intend to write in next term...?
We've been playing 'Taboo' a lot recently. The game where someone has to guess a word which the rest of the team describe, without using certain words.
The first word was 'Teacher'.
"It's what Mrs Pollard is!"
The guess: "A man!"
Screams of merriment. One child laughed hysterically for five minutes.
So did I.
The second word wasn't much better: 'Dolls'.
They tried really hard with this one, without success. Then one bright spark said: "We don't like them."
The guess: "Teachers!"
I can't be serious about teaching any more. I really can't.
PS It wasn't quite the last observation. I asked the children to tidy their desks this afternoon...so two boys have emptied them completely and taken EVERYTHING home. I wonder what books they intend to write in next term...?
Monday, 15 March 2010
The best homework excuse
Homework excuses are legendary. And yes, the dog did eat mine once. I never confessed, and somehow the teacher never caught up with me, but I spent the rest of my many years in secondary school living in dread of being discovered.
The excuse today was so unbelievable that I nearly laughed. History homework for the last month or so has been to create Tudor house in some shape or form. So we've had exquisite paintings, hand-crafted wooden houses, complete with furniture, tapestries, fireplaces, chimneys, gardens... cardboard houses with highly effective lattice windows made out of some kind of bandage, beyond its use by date (mum works at the hospital), even a 'net' of a Tudor house downloaded from the internet and reconstructed in heavy card. Wonderful.
But T didn't bring his house in. He lives on a tiny island a short boat ride away, commuting backwards and forwards at the weekend. Apparently - and I have to believe him, he is honesty personified -the wind blew his house out of his hand into the sea, as he was getting off the boat this morning.
"The sea ate my homework." Hmmm, doesn't really sound quite right, does it?
The excuse today was so unbelievable that I nearly laughed. History homework for the last month or so has been to create Tudor house in some shape or form. So we've had exquisite paintings, hand-crafted wooden houses, complete with furniture, tapestries, fireplaces, chimneys, gardens... cardboard houses with highly effective lattice windows made out of some kind of bandage, beyond its use by date (mum works at the hospital), even a 'net' of a Tudor house downloaded from the internet and reconstructed in heavy card. Wonderful.
But T didn't bring his house in. He lives on a tiny island a short boat ride away, commuting backwards and forwards at the weekend. Apparently - and I have to believe him, he is honesty personified -the wind blew his house out of his hand into the sea, as he was getting off the boat this morning.
"The sea ate my homework." Hmmm, doesn't really sound quite right, does it?
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
They must think I'm mad...
I met two former pupils today, shopping. At least, I was shopping. They were hanging out in the cafe.
They only left two years ago, but they've shot up and are now, at 13, almost as tall as I am. I managed not to comment.
Anyway, the twins - Andrew and Peter - rushed over to say hello. And I was really pleased to see them.
Eventually, they managed to ask me how school was.
"Oh, it's good," I said. "I have frogspawn on my desk, so it can't be bad. I'm always hopeful, but I have never yet managed to achieve frogs hopping all over the classroom."
They smiled weakly. I don't think that's quite what they meant.
I made my excuses and said goodbye. Quickly.
Mad? I think I might be...
The frogspawn and tadpoles...
They only left two years ago, but they've shot up and are now, at 13, almost as tall as I am. I managed not to comment.
Anyway, the twins - Andrew and Peter - rushed over to say hello. And I was really pleased to see them.
Eventually, they managed to ask me how school was.
"Oh, it's good," I said. "I have frogspawn on my desk, so it can't be bad. I'm always hopeful, but I have never yet managed to achieve frogs hopping all over the classroom."
They smiled weakly. I don't think that's quite what they meant.
I made my excuses and said goodbye. Quickly.
Mad? I think I might be...
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Even more exciting!
Phew - last week got VERY exciting. Then, yesterday, I opened an email to find that one of the children in my class had won a garden design competition. I was so excited that I called him over to read it... then I read the next sentence, telling me not to say anything to him yet. Whoops. Fortunately, he is a very mature ten year old and can keep a secret with relative ease. Odd, though, that no one else asked why we were grinning inanely in a maths lesson...
The prize is that the garden will actually be made in the school grounds! Floral Guernsey are behind the initiative and will come in and make the dream come true...and the Guernsey Press is coming on Friday to report it.
So that's my excitement for the week - more than enough. Phew!
The prize is that the garden will actually be made in the school grounds! Floral Guernsey are behind the initiative and will come in and make the dream come true...and the Guernsey Press is coming on Friday to report it.
So that's my excitement for the week - more than enough. Phew!
Saturday, 27 February 2010
They make me laugh
Teaching 9 - 10 year old boys often seems to incur scatalogical humour of one kind or another, without much help. Yesterday was no exception.
First,we had a special assembly as part of a fundraising exercise to help vaccinate children against India against polio. The visitors had a wonderful powerpoint explaining the effects of the disease and how it is spread by poor sanitation.
They showed appropriate pictures. And explained how open sewers work, with predictable response.
The lesson immediately after was English. The text explained how sewage is treated, starting with the removal of solid waste.
"What's solid waste?" asked one child.
Second child, eager to volunteer an answer, started waving an arm: "It's tins.. and cans.. and so on."
I pointed out that sewage comes from the toilet, and that you don't normally put tins down the toilet.
"Tins down the toilet?" shrieked a boy. A very creative and emotional child, he started laughing hysterically, rocking backwards and forwards in paroxysms of laughter. It was instantly contagious: we all joined in.
I had to beg him to stop. I was laughing so much that tears were rolling down my cheeks and I could hardly breathe.
First,we had a special assembly as part of a fundraising exercise to help vaccinate children against India against polio. The visitors had a wonderful powerpoint explaining the effects of the disease and how it is spread by poor sanitation.
They showed appropriate pictures. And explained how open sewers work, with predictable response.
The lesson immediately after was English. The text explained how sewage is treated, starting with the removal of solid waste.
"What's solid waste?" asked one child.
Second child, eager to volunteer an answer, started waving an arm: "It's tins.. and cans.. and so on."
I pointed out that sewage comes from the toilet, and that you don't normally put tins down the toilet.
"Tins down the toilet?" shrieked a boy. A very creative and emotional child, he started laughing hysterically, rocking backwards and forwards in paroxysms of laughter. It was instantly contagious: we all joined in.
I had to beg him to stop. I was laughing so much that tears were rolling down my cheeks and I could hardly breathe.
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