Good morning. It's shiveringly cold today but I am snug as a bug in a rug thank goodness. Part of the reason for that is that I have been bustling around getting things ready for the lovely Lenka to work her magic today. When I walk in this evening everything will sparkle so it is nice to make sure she can do the necessary without too much of my clutter in the way!
Today is SEN day and it's meetings, meetings, meetings all day. At least the paperwork is already done so I won't have to stay too long after school to catch up, I hope. And then it is another weekend.
Because of the bad start to the term what with all that illness, I feel we've really only just got stuck into things and the fact that half term is only a fortnight away seems a ridiculous joke. Even more ridiculous is the other fact that we're half way through the school year. How did that happen?
For once I am more or less all ready for school so I think I shall now treat myself to a nice long, hot bath with a mug of coffee to keep me company! Spoiling myself!
Friday, 31 January 2014
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Thursday
Good morning, everyone. It feels jolly cold right now, just before the day starts, and the weather forecast is not wonderful as it's likely to be cold and a bit damp, but never mind, wishes won't change anything, will they. I'm on playground duty this afternoon so I am preparing to shiver and put up with it!
Yesterday went as well as Wednesdays usually go. Amazingly, everyone had finished their work by the end of the day, even Rather Lazy Little Person. That is very encouraging! Perhaps my mini-clampdown is working.
Also amazingly, staff meeting was also encouraging. As anyone in education will know, the whole curriculum is changing in September and it's down to the schools to make sure they are ready and prepared. We started the process a while ago, and yesterday we looked at the History, Geography and Science curriculums and suggestions for topics and themes and worked out how we could fit the different literacy text types into each half term. It was very helpful in beginning to get a broad overview and in seeing how much of our current planning can be recycled and what will need to be newly planned.
I will be sorry to say goodbye to some things I have been teaching in Y1 for quite a time and it's a shame about the big bank of resources I have built up over the years. Our trip to Braintree Museum for an experience day after half term will be the last one, for example, as we will not longer be doing that history theme. Very sad but things don't stay in the same place for ever.
Today is another full day with my class. Three cheers. It's all planned out and ready to go! Next year will be much harder work, of course. New themes, new objectives, etc, mean new planning and new resources to make and no longer will I be able to fell back on years and years of knowledge of teaching content, differentiation and banks of resources. Ho hum!
Yesterday went as well as Wednesdays usually go. Amazingly, everyone had finished their work by the end of the day, even Rather Lazy Little Person. That is very encouraging! Perhaps my mini-clampdown is working.
Also amazingly, staff meeting was also encouraging. As anyone in education will know, the whole curriculum is changing in September and it's down to the schools to make sure they are ready and prepared. We started the process a while ago, and yesterday we looked at the History, Geography and Science curriculums and suggestions for topics and themes and worked out how we could fit the different literacy text types into each half term. It was very helpful in beginning to get a broad overview and in seeing how much of our current planning can be recycled and what will need to be newly planned.
I will be sorry to say goodbye to some things I have been teaching in Y1 for quite a time and it's a shame about the big bank of resources I have built up over the years. Our trip to Braintree Museum for an experience day after half term will be the last one, for example, as we will not longer be doing that history theme. Very sad but things don't stay in the same place for ever.
Today is another full day with my class. Three cheers. It's all planned out and ready to go! Next year will be much harder work, of course. New themes, new objectives, etc, mean new planning and new resources to make and no longer will I be able to fell back on years and years of knowledge of teaching content, differentiation and banks of resources. Ho hum!
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Wednesday
Good morning to half way through the week! Cold and damp outside but seeing as I don't intend to do outside all that much today, no problems.
Yesterday morning I was at training for the TAs and LSAs. it was all about asking questions and it was very, very good indeed. The afternoon was PPA but I had to look through a short stack of applications for a job after the deputy head had sorted through them and made notes, after which we compared findings and shortlisted. It took for ever but it was gratifying to see how close our views were. Interviews are next week.
Today I have my class. All day. Looking forward to it very much indeed.
Yesterday morning I was at training for the TAs and LSAs. it was all about asking questions and it was very, very good indeed. The afternoon was PPA but I had to look through a short stack of applications for a job after the deputy head had sorted through them and made notes, after which we compared findings and shortlisted. It took for ever but it was gratifying to see how close our views were. Interviews are next week.
Today I have my class. All day. Looking forward to it very much indeed.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Tuesday
Good morning, everyone. Brrrr - it's jolly cold outside and damp too. Outdoor games are in danger and I must make sure that maths is ready in case.
I did get supply cover yesterday and managed to get the mountain of paperwork reduced just a little bit. It was a day for solid working from about 7:45 to 6:00 when school was locked, apart from half an hour for lunch, but worth the effort.
Today is another day doing other things. It's coordinator time and PPA but also half of the LSAs/TAs are having training and I will be attending that. The other half will have it at another time and the junior coordinator will go to that one. All is planned and prepared for my regular cover, so that's OK.
Now I need to go into the kitchen and get some soup made for tea tonight. This is where Thermione really comes into her own. All jolly good fun!
Enjoy your day. I'm sure I will.
I did get supply cover yesterday and managed to get the mountain of paperwork reduced just a little bit. It was a day for solid working from about 7:45 to 6:00 when school was locked, apart from half an hour for lunch, but worth the effort.
Today is another day doing other things. It's coordinator time and PPA but also half of the LSAs/TAs are having training and I will be attending that. The other half will have it at another time and the junior coordinator will go to that one. All is planned and prepared for my regular cover, so that's OK.
Now I need to go into the kitchen and get some soup made for tea tonight. This is where Thermione really comes into her own. All jolly good fun!
Enjoy your day. I'm sure I will.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Monday
Brrrr - it's rather cold outside and I have to do an afternoon playground duty. I'm hoping it will have warmed up a bit by then. Yesterday wasn't exactly cold but it sure was wet. I got somewhat damp in the rush to the car after doing a small shop at Morrison's. I'd run out of things like hair conditioner, etc.
After the shop (with Beth as she needed a few things too) we went back to mine for a chat and after Alex had finished karate we all went back to Beth's for lunch which was very simple: beans on toast with grated cheese on top but, as is often the case, the simplest things can be absolutely delicious and we all love beans on toast.
I had lots of fun with the kittens who are now delightfully sociable and waddle towards visitors squealing with delight and try to climb up your leg. Those little claws are SHARP!!
I apologise for the picture quality. They would not stay still, the light wasn't good and I didn't want to use a flash.
They are very lovely, aren't they. Pure Tonkinese.
I'm not sure if I am taking my class today but everything is well prepared so no problems! I love the feeling of being ready for them!
The weather is getting colder, I gather, with the possibility of a little snow later on in the week. I don't think there's much chance of any here and it's supposed to be just a short cold snap before getting back to the rain, rain, rain. No chance of any snow days this year!
After the shop (with Beth as she needed a few things too) we went back to mine for a chat and after Alex had finished karate we all went back to Beth's for lunch which was very simple: beans on toast with grated cheese on top but, as is often the case, the simplest things can be absolutely delicious and we all love beans on toast.
I had lots of fun with the kittens who are now delightfully sociable and waddle towards visitors squealing with delight and try to climb up your leg. Those little claws are SHARP!!
I apologise for the picture quality. They would not stay still, the light wasn't good and I didn't want to use a flash.
They are very lovely, aren't they. Pure Tonkinese.
I'm not sure if I am taking my class today but everything is well prepared so no problems! I love the feeling of being ready for them!
The weather is getting colder, I gather, with the possibility of a little snow later on in the week. I don't think there's much chance of any here and it's supposed to be just a short cold snap before getting back to the rain, rain, rain. No chance of any snow days this year!
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Sunday
Yesterday was a really lovely day. I had Alex here most of the day as Beth was at a tutorial. She's doing a degree through the Open University and her current degree is a level 3 creative writing course (she's doing extremely well with it too).
For lunch we had a highly untraditional pizza. As I mentioned somewhere, I bought the base but I made the topping like this. I had some cooking bacon so I cut off the fat and gently fried that in the pan until it released its fat. After removing that from the pan (and eating it because it was so scrummy), I fried the chopped up bacon, removed it and set it aside, then added onion, pepper, baby corn and mushroom, all sliced appropriately. After a long, slow saute, I added some passata that I had made from last summer's tomatoes (and frozen), added a few herbs, the bacon and a bit of seasoning and then tipped it all over the base. Then on went some grated cheese and into the oven for about 15 or so minutes. It wasn't in the least bit authentic Italian but what does that matter? It was absolutely delicious and between us not one scrap was left. I used what was left of the sauce in the evening, just mixed with home made pasta with more cheese (not a lot) over and that was utterly delicious too! A bit of bacon makes for a great flavour and those tomatoes were scrumptious.
Today I am off to Beth's for lunch. I haven't seen the kittens since they were really tiny, more than three weeks ago now. They have changed a lot, of course, and are very photogenic. If you like cute kittens, go and take a look at Indikon Tonkinese
In the evening Jack Monroe posted a recipe for peanut butter hot chocolate. It looked simple and I was intrigued so, despite a bit of friendly negativity on Facebook, I had a go and treated myself and my work, it was fantastic. I posted about it on Teacher's Recipes. Well worth a go, I think. I shall certainly be making it again, when I want a sweet treat but not too often as low calorie it ain't!
For lunch we had a highly untraditional pizza. As I mentioned somewhere, I bought the base but I made the topping like this. I had some cooking bacon so I cut off the fat and gently fried that in the pan until it released its fat. After removing that from the pan (and eating it because it was so scrummy), I fried the chopped up bacon, removed it and set it aside, then added onion, pepper, baby corn and mushroom, all sliced appropriately. After a long, slow saute, I added some passata that I had made from last summer's tomatoes (and frozen), added a few herbs, the bacon and a bit of seasoning and then tipped it all over the base. Then on went some grated cheese and into the oven for about 15 or so minutes. It wasn't in the least bit authentic Italian but what does that matter? It was absolutely delicious and between us not one scrap was left. I used what was left of the sauce in the evening, just mixed with home made pasta with more cheese (not a lot) over and that was utterly delicious too! A bit of bacon makes for a great flavour and those tomatoes were scrumptious.
Today I am off to Beth's for lunch. I haven't seen the kittens since they were really tiny, more than three weeks ago now. They have changed a lot, of course, and are very photogenic. If you like cute kittens, go and take a look at Indikon Tonkinese
In the evening Jack Monroe posted a recipe for peanut butter hot chocolate. It looked simple and I was intrigued so, despite a bit of friendly negativity on Facebook, I had a go and treated myself and my work, it was fantastic. I posted about it on Teacher's Recipes. Well worth a go, I think. I shall certainly be making it again, when I want a sweet treat but not too often as low calorie it ain't!
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Saturday: the best laid plans . . .
Well, in my last message I anticipated a day's hard work reducing the pile of SEN things that Needed Doing! Unfortunately and without going into too much detail, I had to take my class all day so no SEN stuff got done.
That's the flip side.
However, never let it be said that my school is unfair - on Friday evening they were doing their best to get cover for me on Monday and Tuesday to make up. OK, so Tuesday is my PPA and my coordinator time anyway but that's not the point. The point is that the school is doing its best to make up the lost time and I think that's brilliant.
The problem was that we needed supply cover and there was none to be had, not anywhere either from our own personal list or from the various agencies we use. I wonder if other schools are also feeling the effects of the norovirus. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
The plus was that I got to have my lovely class again, all day. I have never had them on a Friday. It was lovely!
And today and tomorrow are rest days. The planning is all done and dusted, most of the resources are made and I can have some me time. Alex is coming over for the day and I shall really enjoy that. Thank goodness for weekends.
That's the flip side.
However, never let it be said that my school is unfair - on Friday evening they were doing their best to get cover for me on Monday and Tuesday to make up. OK, so Tuesday is my PPA and my coordinator time anyway but that's not the point. The point is that the school is doing its best to make up the lost time and I think that's brilliant.
The problem was that we needed supply cover and there was none to be had, not anywhere either from our own personal list or from the various agencies we use. I wonder if other schools are also feeling the effects of the norovirus. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
The plus was that I got to have my lovely class again, all day. I have never had them on a Friday. It was lovely!
And today and tomorrow are rest days. The planning is all done and dusted, most of the resources are made and I can have some me time. Alex is coming over for the day and I shall really enjoy that. Thank goodness for weekends.
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