Categories: uncategorized
Date: 01 January 1970 00:59:59
Well, I am now well into week two. Can't call it being back to work properly, seeing as I am only working three mornings a week - but the timetable is weighted so that we have four lessons in the morning and only one after lunch, so it works out that I'm doing 0.5
Believe it or not, I am still enjoying it!!! Not that I was that enthusiastic when the alarm went off at 5.50 on Monday... and even less so when I actually woke up at 6.45 and realised I had gone back to sleep!
The kids seem to have settled to having me back...and I seem to have reached an understanding with the couple who were determined to see how far they could push me. One of them today, a rather endearing 9 year old with massive self esteem problems, spent all lesson excitedly calling out "I'm not calling out so much today, am I Miss?"
L spent all last week running out of lessons, acting like an animal, making rude noises and being generally uncooperative. His favourite form of disruption was to sing "Hey fatty bum bum" at the top of his voice at every opportunity. Hmmmm... very conducive to a calm working environment. Apparently this behaviour had been par for the course for the last term. It's rather nice to report that for the last two lessons he has come in, sit down, been relatively quiet and cooperative, and even done a bit of work. I don't bank on it lasting, but am enjoying it while it does.
Challenge of the term - I arrived at my Year 8 maths lesson (with my favourite reprobates, but a tough crowd who will do nothing constructive if you turn your back on them for a second) to discover I had an addition. A Bangladeshi lad with no English - and attention seeking behaviour too! I was offered the option of sending him out with pages of addition to do as he is good at that, but that didn't strike me as giving him a fair chance. So I am teaching him in with the class. Interesting, but what a challenge!
I've managed to do a fair bit of housework in the waking moments of being at home, which in itself has felt good. And Saturday was the church Christmas Dinner. Yes, I know it's a bit late... but it could be seen as early for next year. How on earth do they cater so wonderfully for so many in such a small and ill-equipped kitchen? It was delicious - and piping hot. And the home-bred entertainment afterwards was hysterical - even if I did find myself the subject of one of the songs!!!
The only downside to it all - Tiddles cannot cope with late nights and the 8pm bedtime totally threw him for the whole of the following day, which meant I had a two-hour tantrum to deal with. My arms still ache. :-(
Other highlight of Sunday? I locked myself out! As I went to the car to go to church, I discovered I had left my car keys in my other coat pocket... as I tried to open the front door to fetch them, I realised my house keys were keeping them company. Luckily Dad has keys for my house. Unluckily they were hanging on the key rack in my kitchen, for some unknown reason. He has keys to the back door too - the keyhole which was blocked because I had left the keys in on the inside. Tiddles pointed out that the reason we couldn't get in was all my fault because i had told him off for opening his bedroom window. If I hadn't, it'd have still been wide open and we could have got in. Thank you Tiddles! As it was, I think Dad must have been a housebreaker in a previous life as he got us in amazingly quickly....after lending us his car to go to church. Bless him! What a star!