At home with big tonsils...

I'm bored but my brain seems to be operational again now even if I can't manage to talk for more than 15 minutes without it hurting...

I've been home from school all week, no teaching for me. My throat swelled so that I could hardly swallow anything but now that I'm on my 8th antibiotic the swelling has gone down a bit and I thought that I would take the opportunity to mark the examinations that I couldn't face when I couldn't swallow. lol

One of the questions on the past paper that I'm marking (Year 11 - with about 4 weeks of school left before exams) was:

Write a letter to a teachers' magazine in which you inform teachers what life is really like for people of your age.

It's really interesting to read. These kids have had such a strange experience of school. Remember that up until July last year these kids had a 4 year experience of a school where they could do what they wanted and learning wasn't important. This year they're being asked to wear their uniform properly, sit in seating plans and work. Now, I am sure that there were teachers at the school who were desperately trying to uphold these basics even back in the "dark times" There are some top teachers there but it's interesting when you read Year 11s view of life as a student.....

"It is really bad and we have a lot of stress to cope with handling coursework as well as homework and most teachers also expect us to revise!"
Now apart from the alarmingly crap sentence structure and grammar, isn't it interesting that this student thinks that coursework, homework and revision are things that they're forced to do and that they don't want to do... It's his GCSE for god sake!

Another says

"Also when you're in Yr 8, yr9 its {school} just somewhere to go and chill and mess about with your friends because children of the age of 13 -14-15 arnt that bothered about work or getting in trouble because when your that age you get bored easier and just want to have fun not do no work, but all that attitude doesnt do use any good when it comes to year 10 + 11 because we start to think to ourselves we have our exams soon and if we dont do well we are going to be stuck in a dead end job and not living the "big style life" that every teenager dreams of..." -- It goes on with no punctuation for another 8 lines (pulling my hair out)

How interesting.... I imagine that was exactly what school was like in yr8 and 9 for her. Its not now... It's a brilliant place to learn some of the best teachers I've seen anywhere work at my school now but how sad that that's what she thinks her little sister (who is also in my class) thinks about school. I might show her sister this actually.... lol
It does suggest that a change has happened though as she's realising that she needs to work to get a "big style life"

This is my favourite phrase from the same piece...

"...this means we have to have our coursework handed in on time and always revising which is very hard when your interested in better things to do like go out and have fun."

They just don't get it..... It's so frustrating!! lol..

This girl makes me laugh,....

"We do no like the seating plans, we think once you are in years 10 and 11 you shouldn't have to have a seating plan because we should be treated like young adults and when our parents go to work their not expected to have a seating plan so why should we?"

This is the same girl who, when allowed to sit next to a friend spends at least 58 mins of a 60 minutes lesson shouting, giggling, screaming and generally Not working! lmao..

One last view on this....

(different student)
"If pupils are not sitting with friends they can be more easily distracted by talking across the room and throwing notes etc. If a pupil is sitting with a friend they talk quietly and still do some work."

I wrote in the margin.... "LOL! Why? You're there to learn not socialise. That's hilarious!"

I don't think she'll like my comment.... She did get a C though!! woo hoo! Progress... I will make these kids get it if it kills me!!! (It already gave me tonsil problems!) ;)

Congratulations!

Here's announcing the birth of Mini Purn (Not named as yet)
A bouncing, cute, baby boy who was born on Monday morning!! Yeah!

Congratulations Emily!!

(No Darren, Rachel isn't the one who's pregnant!!;)

HMI are gone gone gone gone gone!

And we did really well. The school is making real strides! It'll be better than that other one I used to work at by September lol ;)

We now have above the national average number of teachers who are working at satisfactory level and above and over 68% good and above.

I worked for a total of 37 hours on two days. Planned 6 lessons in detail and marked 250 books and didnt' get seen once!! Lmao. Nor did Sally(the other new person) I can only assume that once they had seem the HOF they didn't need to see any of the other strengths of the department (lmao) We all did really well and in the end showed them that all of the teachers in English are the strength of the department.

I'm knackered now and I'm allowing myself a couple of hours of the sims to celebrate it all being over...

Sims Sims sims sims sims!

In a cover lesson. MATHS !!! ARGHHH

I was sat having a quiet cup of tea in the English office when over the radio we hear "can I ask who's supposed to be in MS1 on a maths cover?"
"Selena Clarke"
My response.... &*^% !
So I was late.... and it's maths. Thank god for Jonathon who has explained it all to me..
I didn't even know what the question was asking!

1. Write out the first multiples of the following numbers:

4
7
5
3
8
12
80
123

What?? JOnathon explained it and it was ok. but for a minite there I was worried! lol.
Anyway I'm supposed to be writing reports....

HMI

I was working from 8:00 am until 11:45pm yesterday in preparation for a visit from HMI today. They might turn up in about 20 mins to see my lesson with year 10 but, so far, I've seen hide nor hair of them! Cheeky beasts! I'll be going to visit them myself to show them all of the hard work I've put in if they don't turn up this afternoon! lmao

I'll let you know.

And to Span.... I hope you're thinking of me whilst eating that bagel ;)

Span's Birthday

So it was Span's birthday and we went out for drinks and got horribly drunk! Yeah!

The night started with Pasta at number 135 and then a train into town. We began in Bacus bar, which Aimee was very impressed with and where Span was heard to say "I feel like I'm on some kind ride at Disney Land, Egyptian world or something." After one in there we wandered over to Santa Fe where we were met by the 'stags' Bogus and LOF. Both looking very much like they had just been go-Karting (they had!) and bearing pictures of the stag dressed as a woman with fake boobs.

I discovered that it is worth doing your hair and looking vaguely pretty as, when you're alone at the bar, the bar man will make too much cocktail constantly (I got four cocktails for the price of 3!) Brilliant!

The party included childhood friend Little Criggy who I haven't been out with since it was cool to wander the streets of Webheath in search of sweeties from the Post Office. He got really hammered which was fun. It was also quite scary when he asked me what drink I wanted by gazing into my eyes, stroking my hair and pretending he wanted to snog me... Scary. He, of course, thought that this was hilarious.

We left Santa Fe in search of another bar and ended up in the Pitcher and Piano where, in the first three minutes of arriving, Aimee was chatted up by a chav.

We found our usual table (next to the place where the free muffins live) and carried on drinking. Poor ol' Bogus was being hounded by all to make a move on women, any woman but, as usual, didn't want to. I don't understand why... It worries me... a lot. We all just want him to be happy. I guess he has to make his own path though. Lion! Gazelle!

Span and the rest of the gang became steadily more inebriated as time went by and LOF got more and more sleepy. Eventually, after much singing, yelling, chatting and boozing we all went home in a big Taxi...

7 days down 33 to go.

It's been exactly seven days now since I had a cup of coffee or tea. I gave it up for lent... It's harder than you would think especially as, being a teacher, everyone is constantly making tea or coffee.

I worked out that I was drinking around 8-10 cups of coffee a day! Way too much I think we'd all agree so I decided to see what would happen if I gave it up for lent. No tea to wake me up in the morning, no Costa Coffees when I go shopping in town, no coffee at school for break time.

Day one resulted in me having a humungous headache, Day two the shakes...For god sakes! Who knew that coming of caffeine was like giving up heroin! Do I feel better? Well Instead of tea I now drink ginger and lemon fruit infusion for breakfast. I drink fruity tea twice whilst at work and then have lemon and lime flavoured spring water with my dinner. My tongue no longer has huge cracks running down either side and the funny white/brown fur that covered it is starting to fade. My energy levels are different, although that could be attributed to spreading myself a little thinly recently (Had a gig on Sunday).

Parents' evening tonight was the worst. The Faculty support manager for Year 7 was walking around with cups of tea and coffee, my throat was aching.. I needed a drink and I had to turn her down. Twice that happened. One of the senior managers retorted "that's a strange thing to give up!" I'd like to see him try!! ;)