Wednesday

Hyde Hall 27-10-15.  A bit blurry but I love the feather patterns

Good morning, gentle readers.

Things are still ridiculously busy and it has brought back to me why I actually retired - or one of the motivations anyway.

I know teachers are 'known' for talking about workload but, believe me, it is justified.  As a supply teacher but having worked at the school before retirement I am in a difficult position.  I feel incredible pressure to create and deliver lessons where the children make 'exceptional (or do I mean 'outstanding') progress' all the time (I know . . . not possible but that's the current expectation) so am working for nearly double the time I am actually paid as a supply teacher.  I've just done a couple of hours of stuff, will and at school at 7:30 and will probably stay until after five with more work in the evening.

I suspect that if I were to be teaching at a 'strange' school I wouldn't feel that at all and would have little guilt at leaving certain things undone if I had worked the time and a bit more.

I'm looking forward to getting back to what has become my normal routine.  Swimming, pottering in the kitchen, etc.  I have two batches of chutney to make, plenty of sewing to be getting on with, a house that could do with a tidy-up and so on.

However, despite all of the above, I am loving the teaching, loving the children, loving being back with my old colleagues.  It's not all doom and gloom by a long way.  Let's face it, I do have the choice.  I'm choosing to take on this work on a week by week basis.  I could say 'no, sorry' but I'm not because, after all, there's nothing as good as the feeling when a child 'gets it' for the first time.  I thought I had lost the 'buzz' but I'm feeling it again at the moment.

This isn't a moan, it is a ponder.  All credit and admiration to all teacher who pour their heart and soul into their work and still come up smiling (much of the time), despite the inner anxieties and insecurities and despite knowing that they are having to work towards unachievable targets.

They are stars!!!