Firstly, we had a lesson on making changes and having new beginnings. After exploring the whole thing in simple ways, I got them to think about one change they could make at school and one at home. I'm not a great fan of 'New Year's Resolutions' as such, but a bit of personal reflection rarely did any harm. They proved yet again that, given appropriate scaffolding and time to think, reflect and discuss, little children can show considerable self awareness and good pragmatic common sense. Their ideas for changes they could make in their attitude or lifestyle were good but their reasons why caused us many a private giggle afterwards. I'm not going to quote for obvious reasons, sorry! You'll have to take my word for it.
After I had seen the children off at the end of the day, I sat down at my school laptop, took a deep breath and made a most courageous decision - I installed Google Chrome. Well, it was courageous for a techno-idiot like me. I was fed up with the problems caused by using an old and increasingly unsupported version of Google (I suspected that my recent problems with uploading photos was connected) and, thinking practically, if I cocked it up, the amazing K, our own ICT technician who can sort anything, would be able to unravel my mess. As it happened, I didn't make any mistakes, Chrome is now installed, my mailbox is working properly and the upload photos button is showing again (take note, Beth). Now I have to work out how it all functions - it is different - and decide whether I have the courage to attempt something similar on my own PC.
So I felt good about that!
And when I got home I saw that I had hit 30,000 page views in here. Yay!!! Thank you very much to my readers, regular and occasional, for keeping me going with this in various encouraging ways.
I need to confess. Monday evening I did something I really rather disapprove of. I bought a ready cooked chicken from Morrisons. I was desperate to try out my newly sharpened carving knives and just didn't have the energy to buy one and cook it (pathetic? moi?). When I got it home I attacked it with the knives (just one at a time, you understand) and what a difference. Isn't it strange how properly slices chicken seems to go so much further than hacked about chicken (or turkey). So now I have several portions vacu-packed and freezing and a carcass that has spent the night in a slow cooker making the house smell wonderfully savoury. Actually not bad value really - seven meals-worth of meat for me, not including whatever I do with the carcass stock and bits of meat that fall off in the pot.
So the electric sharpener seems to be earning its keep. I intend to do a regular sharpen because, once they are sharp, all it takes is a couple of turns through each slot and Bob's your uncle!
Here's to today. PPA, ICT suite and then, for the next five weeks, mentor time with my PGCE student. Shame about the staff meeting after school, but one cannot have everything, can one!
Photo - a rather gorgeous sunrise several days ago.
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