I'm finally home from work, hair appointment and spray tan...it's 8.45!! I am finally de-stressing and just about to start the mammoth task of packing my suitcase for New York!! Woo!! I can pack light when I want but I prefer not to.Normally my OCD would have kicked in and I would have an outfit itinary all printed out after taking photos of outfits. As I have been so so busy with work I haven't had the time to be so sad. Therefore I am just starting to pack now- oops. I dread to think of all the crap I will take but not need. I'm also fully aware that as my luggae is changing flights it may get lost, this means extensive packing of hand luggage. The trials of packing eh?
As I'm away I will be having a blogging break and will look forward to sharing some snaps when I return :-)
Let's hope it doesn't turn cold like it was in February...I wont be tempting fate and packing my hat and gloves that's for sure!
I love my job (but loathe the paperwork) and I always want to make the kids enjoy school as much as possible. I realised today just how much kids can idolise their teacher when one said to me:
"Miss...I got up early today. I got up early because I wanted my Mam to style my hair like you wear yours. But she couldn't do it."
Now, my hairstyle is nothing exciting and the only reason I'm wearing it like it is at the moment is because I need to get my fringe sorted out! This made me feel happy (and also thought the parent would hate me for being harassed to do a hairstyle) and realise that as much as it feels like I'm so busy and weighed down by paperwork, the kids are still enjoying the lessons and I am having an impact in not only their learning but the way they behave (and obviously the way they look). Another child I found out changes into leggings and tunic tops to try and look like me when she gets home to play teachers! Flattered or scared? I don't know! haha!
I wondered, "What do I do to make the kids enjoy their education and like me as their teacher?" I came up with some thoughts which I had about my favourite teachers at school and realised they made me the teacher I am today.
No shouting
I don't shout at kids. I hate shouting. On the odd occasion where a child has done something so naughty that I have had to shout people are actually shocked since I never usually do it. I think that so many kids think that shouting is the only way to talk or solve problems. In my eyes, once you've shouted you've lost control of your own feelings and the situation at hand. I go with the more stern voice and talk about things logically and I can tell you that it's worked a treat this year (and in the past).
Talk
Basically, I am known as a good talker. I don't really like silence when I'm around people, it's awkward and uncomfortable. In the classroom this helps as I talk to the children. Again, at home there are lots of kids who are barely spoken to. They struggle to verbalise anything because they aren't used to a conversation. I share my life with them and they share what they are looking forward to or happy about and even what they are sad about. If I'm open with them they will feel confident to share their feelings with me and therefore the classroom environment is a very team like environment. Everyone looks out for one another.
Patience
The biggest thing to have when teaching is patience. There are times when I get frustrated, cross, ill or just plain tired. This is the time when I'm at my weakest, the time when the smallest of things will make me want to cry or shout. But, I take a deep breath and continue. I have a child who pretty much forgets to use full stops every time in their writing. Every time I make a joke about the full stops 'running away' and I sit and go through their work with them to put them in the correct place. One day it will stick but till that day I will soldier on like I do showing incredible patience.
Finding the good in everything
I want to share some of my kids work:
Our new jungle display!
Animals from my lower group...I do teach them - honestly!
Jungle adventure...
Jungle adventure...
What was it that made a teacher your favourite when you were at school?
*Ash cloud watch- seems to be fine at the moment! However I am now becoming ill! Booo!! I hope both stay away!!
The above is defined as: An anxiety disorder in which a person suffers from obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions, such as cleaning, checking, counting, or hoarding.
Many people suffer from this and go through various treatments, however I think that the majority of people suffer from this in a small way somehow or other. I personally have a few of my own OCD activities.
Food
I love food ... but I know what I like and what I don't. When it comes to lunch at school I have the same routine each week. Sandwiches Mon, Tues and Thurs, sausage rolls on Wednesdays and beef sandwich roll on a Friday. I will happily have this and the same crisps and biscuits for weeks on end. A fellow staff member even jokes...Oh it must be Wednesday you have sausage rolls. This as you can tell does not go un-noticed. But considering pretty much every staff member is on some form of a diet I tend to consider myself as the most sane eater of the whole lot haha!
I have the same order which I do my make up every day and then get ready. I always leave my hair till last. If I get out of order I feel all all of synch.
I love to read gossip blogs on the Internet (finding out stuff is what i like but more about that later) and when I haven't read it in a couple of days I always have lots to read. I will then read and only stop reading on an even page. I don't know why this is but I do. I also generally read magazines from back to front. Oh and don't borrow a book from me and leave big creases in the spine - I hate that!
I like to know things. Anything that interests me I will learn as much as I can about it. When I was introduced to hockey I read up on it, found out about the teams, players etc etc. I am now known to know just as much as my friends who have loved the sport for many more years. Any celebrity gossip there is I will know. If information is random about celebrities or fashion chances are I'll have some idea. Miss Twin once text me some random question to settle an argument because, "I knew you'd know useless stuff like that." If I watch a film, one of the first things I do is head to IMDB to find out about the actors and trivia. I have often been told I'd make a great detective. I just like to search and found out stuff. Compulsive? Yes but oh so fun!
I could go on but I think I've shared enough of my craziness for one day!! What about you? Do you have any specific obsessive traits?Surely I'm not alone?!
Last year I went on an Easter break to Portugal. It was for 3 nights and I had a great time. On the way to the airport, myself, Miss Twin and GG received a text saying all UK airports were shut. What? How come? Instantly the thought of a terror attack crossed our minds. Surely nothing else could close ALL UK airports? We were wrong...volcanic ash could.
We were at the airport ridiculously early which in hindsight was a great thing as the que was as long as the airport by 11 of people waiting to try and rebook flights. We arrived at 7 and with only 5 families in front of us our waiting time was still about 1hr 30 so I can only imagine what it would have been like at the back of the que! We were re booked for the next day and sought our own accommodation near the airport. It wasn't too bad we thought, an extra day wont harm us. The next day we headed to the airport knowing we weren't going to be on the flight as overnight developments had worsened. We then were re booked for a few days later and given accommodation till flight. This included food as well which was brilliant. What was 3 nights turned into 10 days. It's times like that when I am glad I pack well with my outfit itinerary!! After having made a couple of purchases in Lisbon during the holiday and my spare outfits I still had enough clothes for the whole time.
The 5* star hotel we had to stay at for 6 days...
This brings me to to today- the ash cloud is back. My thought of, "Wow- it's surely a once in a lifetime occurrence," was wrong. Indeed something as odd as this can happen twice. Only this time I fear it will stop me from going away. I am due to be flying out to New York on Saturday via Amsterdam. At the moment that is looking so unlikely I could cry. I've decided the best thing to do is just to ignore the whole situation. What can I do? I've looked into alternative flights and even contemplated driving to London to fly out from there but if things go as expected the whole of the UK will shut. I need to keep everything crossed to make it out of here I think!
On a side note. I was awarded a blog award today from one of my favourite bloggers- Rebecca!Thank you!
So in keeping with the rules I will share 7 random facts
- The only pizza I like is cheese and tomato.
- Chocolate is my absolute weakness- feed me chocolate and I'm your friend for life.
- I always secretly wish someone would write a song for me every time I hear a great love song on the radio.
- I wish I worked in the fashion industry sometimes.
- I'm known as being small but strong- I was nicknamed Bash when I was younger by my family.
- I love pink but never wear it.
- When I occasionally put the lottery on I get a little thought that it may just be me.
Today I was talking a lot about making choices with my class. Quite often my conversations with kids will go like this:
Me: You chose to do the wrong thing, you can't blame anyone else.
Child: But so and so told me to.
Me: If so and so told you to jump off a roof would you?
The good old, bog standard British excuse to to someone saying another person told them to do something. When kids are growing up they find it so hard to realise that actually, they make their own choice in behaviour regardless of whether someone has told them to do something or not. My kids have this in their mind now and I very rarely have the above conversation now, however, when they get older this isn't how things work.
Regardless of how often we make our own choices, there are many which even as an adult are made for us by the 'higher powers' of government and managers etc. We try and instill this value by allowing kids to make choices about their behaviour and generally the running of the school e.g. timetables is all set for them. This will hopefully make children realise that as you grow older, their own behaviour choices are so important.
We also discussed how to make someone special happy by making the right choice and most answers revolved around the idea of compromise. They all choose to do things such as play a friends game, play a game with their brother and take turns at being in goal. As a grown up compromise so often goes out the window. Due to the stresses and craziness of lives, people tend to become quite self-focused. This isn't on purpose it just happens.
That's one thing I like about blogging and reading blogs- it opens your eyes up to other people and things they're going through or feeling and it's nice to have that back. Basically, I think a lot of people (myself included sometimes) need to focus on how to make the right choice to make other people happy. By working all the time I make the wrong choice as this gives me less time to spend time with friends and family. Maybe I should make a choice to spend less time working to make others happy. It's hard and quite often choices are but after all, you get what you give.
What about you? Is there any choice you could make to try and make someone happy that maybe you sometimes forget about or just know that they're always there anyway?
I was asked to stay at the school I'm at today. I've been there for 4 years come end of school year. It is a school where people don't leave they just have babies so every year they move things around to get me into a class full time and this year a few people have left and they asked me to stay. I had the mindset of, "If the headteacher wants me to stay she'll make sure I do." I was right- earlier in the week she said she would know if there was a place for me next year (it was still up in the air as budgets are being cut in schools but that's another story). I said that would be good and that I was still applying for jobs just in case.When I told her this, her face dropped and she responded with, "But you do want to stay next year don't you? You will stay if I offer you a job because there will be something..." I then let her know that a maternity cover is not what I would accept and she started talking about permanent. Then today she asked me to stay for permanent.
Not only that but a few members of staff have requested to work with me. She is even touting putting me in a Year 6 SAT class where I would take the special needs while the deputy and other Y6 would take high and middle to get them improved for SAT's. Then after Literacy and Numeracy I'd have my own class. So it has been nice to feel wanted. Where I go I don't care, it's just nice to know I'm staying again. Plus, I have asked her to help get my professional development tailored to support application to International Schools next year in case I still want to do that.
On this note my Project: Do Me list needs to change:
Daily
1- Read 5 pages of a book.
2- Spend 15 minutes exercising to sort my knee out.
3- Get out of bed before 7am.
4- Drink a bottle of water at school.
Add: 5- Mark Literacy and Numeracy before leaving school.
Update: I have managed to do most everyday. I'm not working out the knee tonight though as I haven't literally stopped all day and it's sore from rushing around. I've been doing about half hour so it's going well. I have managed the book, every night before bed. I'm reading 'Girl With A Pearl Earring'.
Weekly 1.Have a Hydra Quench facial and nail night. 2.Watch a film. 3. Have one night at least off from doing work. 4. Apply for two jobs. I have one :-)
4. Sort clothing itinerary for New York trip next Saturday. (A specific one for this week)
This month (We'll make it till end of June since May is nearly over!) 1.Plan sports day for my school.
This Year 1. Be happy- that's all there is to want from life :-)
I'm having a night off tonight so I can be really lazy and have a loner night. I have been non stop all week and the idea of being alone, watching a film and lazing about sounds absolute bliss! I think it will be my nail night too! Hope you have all had a good week and have something nice planned for your Friday.
Here's a quote from one of my favourite idols- Audrey Hepburn- to sum up how I feel tonight:
* That's me dressed as her as Holly Golightly for a fancy dress party- I won the Oscar for being best dressed there. Audrey's style lives on.
I saw 'Water for Elephants' at the weekend and the idea that life is an illusion is quite right. When you think about it, how many times have things not been what they seem? Obviously this isn't always the case but more often than not things on the surface differ from actuality - be it better or worse.
I think of myself for example and I wear make up which is my little safety blanket. However, that in itself is an illusion. I mean my foundation is actually called 'Skin Illusion'! Need I say more? Woman in general have heels, clothes , push up bras and even sunglasses that can make you look like a completely different person. However, you then go one step further with surgery. I think if someone does not like something then fair enough, each to their own.
You look at life and realise it's everywhere!! Adverts, jobs, people etc etc. I flicked through my latest copy of Cosmo and it was full of adverts with illusions:
As you can see on the adverts above, tricks have been used to make the people in them look a certain way. I can guarantee that a razor will not make your legs look as glossy and perfectly shadowed like above. It's a fact of life that no one can be perfect and most people get this, however there are still some who actually believe what they see is real.
In my job, I can see a perfectly happy little child and once you find out more you realise that actually they aren't happy, they are just good at hiding it. I am pretty sure everyone at some point has, for example, pretended to be fine about something when really they aren't. Places of work look great and then you get there and realise that it's not what it was sold to be. Truth is, these days anyone can be anything they want. Anyone can be fooled easily these days and with a little razzle dazzle. How do we tell if things are real? Time, things soon are seen for what they are whether that be exactly what you expected or something completely different. You just never know...
I was reading a post by Kym at Travel Babbles about her Project: Do Me list. This was a little thing she started back in January. It's now nearly the end of May believe it or not! I can not believe the year has passed so fast. I feel like there have been so many changes in my life already. They are little changes but we all know little things mount up to big things. I feel like there are so many positives just bubbling under the surface of my life, like there are things I just can't put my finger on but hopefully there are some good things on the way. One thing I just haven't been able to do this year is RELAX. I still can't make time for myself often enough so with this is mind I have decided to try Project : Do Me again.
My 'Do Me' list
Daily
1- Read 5 pages of a book.
2- Spend 15 minutes exercising to sort my knee out.
3- Get out of bed before 7am.
4- Drink a bottle of water at school.
Weekly 1.Have a Hydra Quench facial and nail night. 2.Watch a film. 3. Have one night at least off from doing work. 4. Apply for two jobs.
This month (We'll make it till end of June since May is nearly over!) 1.Plan sports day for my school. 2. Tidy out my wardrobes and clear out all the rubbish I don't need.
This Year 1. Be happy- that's all there is to want from life :-)
If you want to join in and make you own Project: Do Me list head over to Kym to link up:
Today was a dull start (I even wore my hat to the car and into work to keep my mane calm) but I was in a ready to go mood. Before I start my post I just want to add a random strange thing that happened today. As I previously said, the day was dull and this was no more obvious tan at 6.45 when I got out of bed this morning. As I was making my lunch I began to sing Elo- Mr Blue Sky in my head to try and coax some sun out. Random song yes? Well, I then put the music channel on while having breakfast and guess what song I switched on to... yes...Elo- Mr Blue sky. Strange or what?
I managed to get into school early, beg ask for the football pitch to be marked out for the football tournament at my school this week. Honestly being sports coordinator is a full time job as well as the teaching. Kids were fine, morning lessons were fine and then it was assembly.
The year 3's (my group) and year 4's (my lot from last year) were all in the hall and we were awaiting the 'bigger kids' i.e. years 5 and 6. I decided I would get a seat to sit on as with my knee I can't handle the short benches- I know I sound like an old woman but needs must. So being the good teacher I am, I was careful to lift up the foldy chair as to avoid the children and managed to not hold onto the foldy part which then hit me in the face. You know when you do something and you just hope that it didn't catch too many peoples attention? This was one of those moments. However, my class laughed, I laughed (it was funny so I will forgive you for laughing) and I had to reassure some of the more 'emotional' kids in my class that I was actually ok. They do worry alot. Never have I been more pleased that the 'bigger kids' were late to assembly.
Regardless of being attacked by a chair I continued the day. A chair was not enough to hold me back. In the afternoon it was PE and I took the kids to the field regardless of the fact that it was windy and quite cold for me standing, watching and explaining. Normally I would join in and run around with them but again I am somewhat sidelined. So I did the explaining (striking and fielding games if you must know) and set the kids to task. It was a great lesson and I was even complemented by the sports coach, from the local comprehensive who came to teach the other year 3's, how good my lesson was. I gave up my slot with him so he could go to the Nursery...again, the sacrifices of a sports coordinator. Lesson went well and I led the kids indoors. We got to the door and regardless of the huge box I had balanced on my hip my brain said I could fit through the door. I couldn't. After hitting the door with the box I ricocheted into the door with my arm, Needless to say, this hurt a lot more than the chair.
This is exactly what the door looked like...all evil and that...
Again, my kids being the kids they are came out with great things:
"Miss, do you want me to go and get you one of those ice things from the office? You know the ones you use on your knee?" ... I'm fine (ha...i totally wasn't!).
"Miss, that was nearly as bad as when you hit yourself in the face with a chair this morning." err...Please don't tell your parents!
Obviously the evil chair hit me but still, I can imagine how it looked. Why I thought I could fit through I don't know. I have learned my lesson and have the sore arm, head and ribs to remind me to :
A- Have common sense and hold onto the folding chair seat when lifting it.
B- Always check before walking through a door that you can fit with out injury.
Myself and Miss Faux Fur spent a whole day out and about yesterday, we went to a museum, shopping, bar and then crashed out watching a film with me peddling all my various beauty products. I have a calrins skincare counter in my room as well as various nail and moisturisers haha!! Could we be any cooler than sitting watching Eclipse with HydraQuench Clarins face mask and pizza? I think not!
Things I've learnt this weekend...
- Museums are such fun places.
- Interactive museum displays are the most fun.
- Miss Faux Fur is not team anyone on Twilight...she's just 'Team Boys'. (Team Edward all the way for me!Although I still appreciate Jacob haha!)
- Some men are romantic still (after being regaled by stories from random guy in a bar).
- Sometimes men go into a black hole due to trying to do the right thing (according to guy in bar after being quizzed by Miss Faux Fur haha!)
- Some Topshop dresses don't look right one anyone.
- What I thought were just very fine lines around my lines are actually dehydration lines- hence the film and Hydra Quench mask.
- Myself and Miss Faux Fur can waste hours in a bar drinking coke (I was designated driver) and half lager and limes.
- I still get excited at the prospect of going to the pictures (Off to see Mr Pattinson in Water for Elephants today). Who doesn't love pick&mix and trailers for new films?! - I must drink more boring water. - Myself and Miss Faux Fur are good at saving money before our next trip away- hence the movie night in.
Even though it's not that sunny where I am I wanted to share a song which always makes me feel sunny - even when it was snowy this did the trick :-)
The past couple of days, it seems the kids in my school have all become extremely unsettled and this includes my class. Nearly all 28 of them can't work without fussing, talking, telling tales or being sensible. This has led to me becoming the dreaded Little Miss Bossy*. It's not all and it's not all the time but in my class it's enough for me to notice a difference. My class, when they came to me, were renowned for being badly behaved. When I got told the class I would get (out of the two coming up) people would look sympathetic and say... "They're quite a handful." So much so that my headteacher said to me, "Missy, your class next year are very different from this lot (my current class at the time), they're pretty wild but I know you can get them under the thumb." Err.. thanks?!
So I prepared for the worst, rewards and stickers at hand and within 2 weeks they were calm and better behaved. They were so settled and apart from a couple of incidents they all calmed down and began to behave. During the parents evenings I've had, many parents have commented how much more confident and well behave their child is. Others said that their child has suddenly became enthusiastic about school... comments like that make my day and the hard work worth it.
Because of this huge calm period I have have noticed straight away that they have become this:
I have tried to figure out the cause: weather (it affects kids more than you realise), moving the tables, two weeks off, worry about going to the next year or just tiredness? I have no idea, This has resulted in becoming Little Miss Bossy!! I have set clear boundaries, introduced a VIP (Very Independent Person) award, become more liberal with stickers (kids always respond better to praise) and requesting silence. The kids have responded and I can see them settling again already after just two days. Fingers crossed this continues as it's gonna be a long, tiring time to the end of the school year if it doesn't.
* I am obviously, without a doubt, usually Little Miss Sunshine!!
I haven't managed to watch any of Britain's Got Talent as I have generally been busy on Saturday night. However, I have had people tell me about some acts from it and have been sent links. I want to share a couple with you. I hope you enjoy them!
The first is something which made me smile and laugh. I thought it was pretty creative but wont think of nursery rhymes in the same way again!! (Ignore the poor quality, this seemed to be the only video I could find which I could actually embed- stick with it!).
The second is just simply a guy and his guitar. I liked it :-)
Just skip past all the chat at the start. I couldn't find another version to show!
As it was my 100th post I didn't want to just do a normal post.I thought it may not be creative but I thought 100 facts would be fun. However, I have little concentration and 100 is a big number so 100 random facts just seemed like something I wouldn't be able to do.So I thought I'd tackle it in an organised fashion by using sub-headings and sets of 10 ... I teach- let me off with this overly OCD form of organisation.
So here are 100 - organised- things which I want to share about me. After all, after 100 posts I think it's fair to say that I will stick this blogging thing out and I want you all to feel like you know me better.
It has been nearly a week since blogging. It's not that I haven't wanted too, I just haven't had the time to sit and write. Once again I have the thoughts but just can't seem to get them onto screen and with having little time I just decided to have a break
I looked after my nephew last night to allow my sister and partner to go out and therefore I was up very early (too early in fact) for a Sunday!! He's been good but my goodness trying to occupy him is hard work. He's worth it though.
I thought I'd take the early morning as a chance to share my week...
Back to Work
After two weeks off it was ready to go to school and I loved it. I missed the kids and enjoyed hearing all their stories about the holidays. The week was manic and I worked a lot!! There was marking and planning and all other school related stuff!!
Pamper Time
At the spa I go to there was a St Tropez event. As a regular, I was offered tickets. So I took Miss Twin and my Mam. It was basically the launch of their sun care range which also accelerates tanning. It also has melanobronze in it. This is something which 'tricks' the skin into thinking it's getting sun so melatonin is produced therefore you will begin to tan without being in the sun!! Now for someone with my pale skin this sounds pretty amazing. I am now giving the face cream a little go, after all it's nearly summer so I fancy the sun kissed look and not the Casper the friendly ghost look. So I treated myself to that and booked a spray tan... a girls gotta treat themselves every once in a while!
I managed to spend some time with my best friends this week. I'm trying to get bit of a line between work and life. Before my two weeks off I was working non-stop and felt like I didn't have time. I wanted to see them but I was completely engrossed in work. I decided over Easter that that must be changed. I can't just have work.
One of my favourite moments this week was taking my nephew to my sisters and having a night in with pizza and video games. He turned 17 last week but still thinks me and Miss Twin are pretty cool- woo!! We played Mortal Kombat and it was great fun. For the record I'm not too bad at it, I just press anything but it works! He's amazing at it though so I didn't really win a lot bit I tried. I could do a mean grapple and block combo! Haha! We also managed to win the tag team challenge.
As I have been working late I managed to catch some Stanley Cup games. As my team lost in the first round - Oh Rangers...when will it be your time?- I was rooting for The Flyers. A couple of good friends of mine love them and they were rather pleased I was showing some interest in their team. One believes that he can change my allegiance and I keep reminding him that it wont happen!I don't think he is too bothered now since I watched the Bruins get rid of them in 4 games. I may be a jinx. So... Let's go Rangers!!!
So that's a bit of an update and hopefully I will be back to blogging if I can get my mixed up thoughts out!
I am going to leave you with my little nephew's first blog post. When I was working I sat him on my knee for a bit and played with some of his toys but he seemd to think my laptop was more fun. He decided that he wanted to, at 10 months, join the blogging community! So here is Baby G's post...
