Uplifting

Where I work, we have a lot of fun, but not many of the kids are actually striving. Cruising is a major mindset.

This past weekend, our school has hosted a speech and drama competition, and the vast majority of the kids there are focussed on doing their very best. Striving is a huge part of their nature, and the competition and the teams pushing each other on is so inspirational. And the Mass where everyone there is a trained speaker and has just done nearly 48 hours of religious education of one kind or another - its like a completely different thing to the standard Sunday affair.

Its being with those kids who are prepared to work and who want the rewards it brings that brings into focus my everyday clients. It makes me re-assess where I am and what I am doing. I wonder if I shouldn't be brave, and seek a job at a richer school with kids who have academic ambitions. I know it would be more stressful. I'd have to mark more, prepare more and there would be many more parents breathing down my neck.

Which actually reminds me of why I'm not looking for that kind of job. Tonight son#1 and I cooked an elaborate dinner, then went out to the garage to work on his latest project. We spent ages setting up his brother with a new something (ask me not what) on the internet. Right now, I want to have that time to spend with my sons. Not someone else's sons! And everyone seems mostly satisfied with my present work.

Perhaps when my kids don't want to spend so much time with me, I'll consider a better harder job for me. Daft thing is - it'll pay the same as now.

Sun befuddled ramblings

Its been amazing weather lately. After the summer without sun and without drought, we now have the autumn with both sun and drought. The garden is bolting along due to me putting water on it, while the lawn is starting to burn off. They call it global weirding.

At lunch I sat outside, in the sun, alone. The others sat inside and talked to each other about impressively mindless things. I like to sit and chat most times, but I often go back to the class room more peopled out than I was at the start of break. I sat outside and soaked up the sunshine, and relaxed into the quiet. And went back to class, ready for the noise.

In fact, class was quiet last thing, as I tried to explain linkage to tired and heat befuddled year 13's. I'm not sure any of us made much progress. At least there is no school tomorrow, so we have a day to find and engage our brains. Then a two day teaching patch, 2 day weekend, 5 day teach, 3 day weekend. Its a strange term...

Oh, and today the exband got his payout, and I got a mortgage.

Six days

The alternative title for this was "I'm a single lady, I'm a single lady", as tomorrow I go to the lawyers after work and sign the separation agreement between the exband and I. I sent this agreement last year to him, after we agreed to it verbally, and it has taken a WHOLE YEAR for him to sign it. He has been through three lawyers and cost me quite a bit of money getting to this point. I'm gonna feel so relieved (and a little sad) to finally sign.

Onto other news, its six teaching days to the first holiday of the year. We aren't going anywhere much - I offered to take the boys up to see their father, but he said not to bother (!) so we are staying home. It will be good to chillax at home. And maybe catch up on keeping the place clean and tidy.

Quilt wise, I managed to buy the batting and backing for the Japanese print quilt and have started quilting it. The first material I looked at was $80 for 2m, but I found something cheaper (tea dyed muslin), then the first batting was going to be $70, but I got that down too, and the total for the cheaper versions of BOTH was $60. I'm going to be making a few shopping decisions like that over the next little while. Once I have done this one, I will make Hami's blanky which I don't have to buy anything for.

I'm gonna learn to quilt on the cheap!

Insane homework levels

Both my kids have eNORmous amounts of homework this year. I guess it looks terrifying when they get it all at the beginning of the week, and then if we whittle away at it the job is not as bad as you think. But homework is obviously going to be a major part of what we do with our lives this year!

Apparently some parents believe its a good school if there is a lot of homework. It means there is order and discipline and Work Being Done. I'm a little under convinced myself. I suspect it is nothing to do with education, and all to do with Looking Good.

Doesn't matter what I think though, imma gonna haveta 'elp 'em wit it. Dammit.

A lack of fitness

I have now been at work for three days, and I feel like I have been run over by a series of buses. Probably three, ay?

I am ahead of a couple of things - photocopying and planning for lessons. I am behind on a major thing - a scheme for teachers to follow at year 9. It weighs on me!, and I will feel better once that issue has been addressed.

The holidays feel like three weeks ago!! So praise God we have a three day weekend starting on Friday afternoon due to Waitangi day. And then we will have to work without ceasing till the next break. I'm sure I'll get my work fitness back - after all, I do actually LIKE my job.

Back to work

First, we had a meeting in the chapel. With singing. Both songs were EXTREMELY repetitive, one took one powerpoint slide repeated ad nauseum, and the other song consisted of repeating two powerpoint slides. Note to self: its more interesting to sing if the words change a bit.

The chapel is now closed for the rest of the year due to it being an earthquake risk.

Then we had a meeting in the staffroom. For two hours, on the founding orders of the school.

Then lunch, then a department meeting for an hour, then another department meeting for another hour.

Praise God, that was the first day. I'm betting life gets a lot more interesting from now on.