The days just kept on passing, tick by ominous and inevitable tick, and then the school holidays ended! I couldn’t believe it. One minute I had oodles of writing time and the next thing I knew it was three days to term and I had to WORK!
I cold read Laura’s Hollow Souls and got engrossed in it. The process of reading for a writer was a different reading experience from any other I’d had before. Starting a book is not normally a scary thing – wanting to read it ‘right’ :S I confused myself! (No wonder I had such trouble with the poor girl’s name.)
The new class is vast – I seem to be packing them in. I had 18 in my Maths group last year – I’ve, literally, doubled that this year. My eyes can’t stretch wide enough to see them all at once if I had the ‘surround’ vision of an owl I’d agree that that number is manageable but OMG. Normal chit-chat brings noise levels to frowning point. The year group is, technically, full + 1 but we cannot turn anyone away as we have the potential to go back to three forms of entry. At least the biggest group - Maths - are the middles and above (in ability) but that means they ‘do’ lots. I looked at the books piled up on the table, hoped there must be some completed books in there too, and realised that they all needed marking.
Three classes merged into two so something as simple as finding everyone’s exercise book – yes they do carry over into the next year – has been a trial. They were challenging in three classes so condensed into two they are ... brimful of characters.
So, no writing since the Reading Festival. Did I write about that here? I've been so busy I don't know if I did that - great! Re-order this well known phrase or saying: PLOT MUST LOSING I THE BE
However, I’ve been READING!!!!
Planning and reading.
Tidying and reading.
Sorting and reading.
DAILY WORK TOLL:
8 am to 6pm
(NO BREAK Break Duty
15 minutes for lunch
staff meeting after school)
7:30pm to 10:00pm working on assessment and preparation
During the holiday a telephone survey called – when the girl said, “Oh! A teacher that’s 9 to 3:30 - about 35 hours a week then?.” Little Miss Positivity... Positivity ... All is Positivity very nearly decided that my normal mantra didn’t apply to tele-canvassers!!
FREE TIME
10:00 pm to 11:00
This bit of blog writing and a Haiku for Twitter
I think I’m due an early night. Tom and his friends and The Ghost and her homeless protectors know I’ll be right back when things settle down, when I’m used to not being able to see, at one glance, that my whole class is present.
Wow, Elaine! With a schedule that crazy, I feel blessed that you were able to finish reading HOLLOW SOULS before the school term!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to read my behemoth... I only hope it didn't detract too much from your holiday. Sounds like you need a break already... :-)
P.S. I sent you an email. Hope you got it!
Ah! I loved reading HOLLOW SOULS - the highlight of my final week of the holidays (the Reading Festival notwithstanding!).
ReplyDeleteI keep comparing Top Set English at the end of Y6 with LOWER Set on week one - think poor take away poorer and you still won't have found the lowest point in my group. I'm dreaming of a system where they do staying in key years until a set standard is reached. :)
Welcome Jm it is nice to meet you - always nice to find a fellow, aspiring, writer doing that thing.
ReplyDeleteI wandered by your blog and read for a bit.
I pondered the NHS, which is the only system I've ever experienced so obviously I'm a bit biased.
My sister is a health care manager in Australia so I do know that the British model is not the only way to go.
THIS IS THE COMMENT THAT I TRIED TO POST OVER TO SAY HELLO at Jm's - it was not a straight forward process!
I've only ever know the health service on-tap. My son's wonder-drugs that weren't and his epilepsy ones that are, dripped and drop from the NHS 'like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place below' ...etc. I have no problem knowing that my taxes also support the work-shy for the reason implied above - I guess I might feel differently if I'd know it any other way.
Thanks for dropping by and lurking, and giving me food for thought.
Elaine
Hello Elaine. Sorry for the technical difficulties while trying to post your comment. I've been experiencing some issues on other sites as well, where the darn thing doesn't seem to recognize my profile to allow the post. In either case, many thanks for stopping by and giving my micro-tirade a read. The NHS has been a non-ceasing issue in the news here, and I felt compelled to give my opnion. Even if just to a small number of folks. But do feel free to lurk around my blog at any time. I promise to return the favor, in a no stalkerish way. :)
ReplyDelete