Saturday

Yay - the weekend.  Two days of housework, washing, drying, ironing, cleaning out my bedroom and cleaning carpets.  Aren't I a lucky bunny?  Yes, I am!

I am feeling very well this morning.  It's a surprise.  Yesterday I came home from school early (that is four rather than six o'clock) because I was starting to feel quite poorly.  Sick, aching, shivery - oh, you get the idea.  The heating was on but I stayed cold, generally unpleasant stuff kept threatening (but didn't appear) and at five thirty I took myself to bed.  Still shivering cold so I dragged a duvet from the guest room and put it over my own.  That seemed to do the trick in that the coldness gradually receded and I warmed up, fell asleep and woke feeling fragile but fine.  Very peculiar indeed but I am extremely relieved I am not out of action over the weekend.  Whatever it was, it was short and sharp and, if it was infectious, I am unlikely to have shared it with the children as it was my SEN day.

A good day too.  I got LOADS done.  An interim IEP which I shared with the class teacher who agreed it was what was needed, a meeting - no, three meeting, some satisfactory conclusions, referral information worked through so my fellow SENCo can write a referral form, an observation and yet more paperwork done, a draft statement read and handed over to the class teacher . . . oh, and another meeting after school!  I was not on top of things by then but it went well and we were all thinking along the same lines which helped enormously.  So all in all, despite the yuck in the evening, it was a brilliant day.

This week I have had my student in and have tried to get to grips with the paperwork.  She, on her part, is coping well with various changes of teacher and has been a pleasure to have helping.  It's early days but she has impressed me.  She has also been receptive (perhaps politely) to some ideas I have had for keeping a record of things we have arranged and when.  She has so much to do, so many things that need arranging.  Observing other key stages, observing science, maths, English, foundation stage, phonics, some short sessions or group activities to teach, various key people to talk to . . . and I could see us getting hopelessly muddled if we don't have a system for keeping on top of it! 
She's observed me a lot this week, making notes as we go along in what seems to be a slightly unfocused fashion, so I suggested that she decides which lessons she wants (or needs) to observe in a focused way and use the lesson planning form she has to use to make notes on different aspects she sees and learns from.  After all, that's what these first weeks are all about.  Then, afterwards, to take herself off to the staffroom to make some more reflective comments to maximise her own learning.  That suggestion seemed to go down well too.

Well, better have my porridge with cranberries, cinnamon and maple syrup and then get going!  First stop, dry hoovering the carpet before trying out my Vax. 

I've chosen this for no other reason than that they are bright and cheerful and on a dull morning like this one today a bit of cheerfulness is a Good Idea!

Thursday

One of the cupcakes JustJules made for the Monday meeting - and they tasted as good as they looked, if not better.  Mmmmmmmm

Thursday already!  Only yesterday it was Monday, I could swear!   One day, then SEN day and it's the weekend - and most of the planning is already done and dusted.  Yay!!!

Since we started having two sessions of phonics each day, everything seems so busy.  There's always something to do, always another task, another learning objective to master, another WALT (We Are Learning To) to work on . . . and on . . . and on!  I know things will slow down after the Christmas show and there will be one last week this term where we relax, make Christmas decorations, cards, paperchains and cover the carpet with glitter.  But right now it feels like a sprint the length of a marathon!  Phew.

We've started working on the show songs now.  Shine, Star, Shine is all about a Big Star who found he couldn't shine so when he was REALLY needed, everyone had to help him to learn how to shine again.  Lovely story, lovely songs.  Now we have to put it all together.

Today is the one day I have my class all day - except that while I have my student it won't be as we have an hour last thing in the afternoon for our weekly meeting where I go through the uni-agenda and K fills in one of the many pieces of paperwork.  You should see her file - she's only had four days with us and it's already starting to bulge at the seams!  No wonder teachers end up drowning in paperwork if that's how they are started off.  Incredible. 

Closer to home, I must be a very sad person indeed because I keep glancing proudly at the corner where sits my new toy, my Vax carpet cleaner.  Come Christmas I may have a clean living room carpet, you never know.  Mind you, I won't get very far while it sits in its box but that's a task for the weekend - unpack and assemble.  My very own D&T project!

Tuesday

After the first few hours it was as if last week had never been.  It's amazing how quickly we get back into routine, me and my children.  It's comforting and reassuring and we all need routine, one way or another.

I needed to call an infant staff meeting after school and, in apology, ordered some lovely cakes from my friend, JustJules Cakes.  This time they were shiny and starry in honour of the theme for the meeting - our Christmas show, Shine, Star, Shine.    This link should lead you to a photo of them on Facebook - I think.  Apologies if it doesn't.

We got a lot sorted and now I have a lot to do.

My student is in for her first week of familiarisation.  She has three weeks before Christmas when she has certain things she has to do, find out, etc, followed by several weeks after Christmas.  She should be teaching for 50% of her time by the end of her school experience. 
After yesterday she can tick off the bit relating to attending meetings and doing playground duty.  At one point I thought we were going to be short on parents to help with swimming so she obligingly went over to the pool and came back an hour or so later hot but happy as it's not something she will be able to observe in many other schools.  Ditto for the violin lesson - every child in the Infants has a class violin lesson each week, all the way through their time in the infants.  Again, that is unusual and worth observing.
I think she was a little 'giddy' by the end of the day.  There's such a lot to take in and take on board in a school and when none of it is routine, it can be very confusing.  Just explaining things to her makes me realise quite how much I do automatically, naturally as a teacher.  No need to plan it through, it just happens!

Well, I'd better go and check that all is in order for school today.  Ho hum!

Dad needs to sweep his lawn!