Day One

Well that was day one. I'm absolutely pooped as I've spent all day on high alert pretty much. Feel like I spent most of the day wandering the corridors (which all look identical, by the way) trying desperately to keep up with my student. We were shadowing students today you see, and of course they know where they're going so tend to steam off at a million miles an hour... More shadowing tomorrow.

I don't know if I'm cut out for this teaching malarkey at all. Really. One positive thing I learned today is that the way they teach science is that they concentrate on biology first, then chemistry and then physics as the year progresses. So that essentially means that I should get away with not having to do any physics! Much awesomeness!

Having said I don't think I'm cut out for it, I can see why people like teaching and it certainly does take a certain kind of resilient person to do it. Even just helping out in the classes today, I can see that those moments when the penny drops and the kids actually 'get' what is that they're doing and learning, are worth it. I can also see how some kids just get completely left behind in the system. With so many pupils and most of the attention going on the ones that are misbehaving, the quiet ones that are struggling just get forgotten. I think there's too much pressure on teachers to be too many things to the kids and do too many things in their working day. I think I saw some examples of good teaching today, but also some less than stellar teaching.

Wonder what tomorrow holds?

Change

OK folks, it's all change around here. Seven weeks ago my dog died (we'd been together for 18 years and three months), then three weeks ago my boyfriend of six years broke up with me... the night before starting my PGCE! Yep, timing, it's all in the timing I would say.

So here I am, three weeks into a horrendous break up, three weeks into getting to grips with my secondary science PGCE, and it's the night before I start my first school placement. Holy moly! I am terrified, not just about school but about pretty much every aspect of life to be honest.

I'm surrounded by packing boxes and newspaper and trying to get on with packing away a whole life. It's too much for one person I tell you. But I am just one person now and need to get on with it. I hope to get the keys to my new place this week and then I'll be out of here, a new life, a new challenge, a new single me. First things first, it's my first day at school tomorrow, so I'm going to get myself sorted now, get my bag ready, my lunch, layout my outfit and then try to get a good night's sleep... EEK!!!

O...M...G.......

I'm too traumatised to blog tonight. That and too drunk! Thank God for my dear friend KH, she took me out for wine and chats after the day from hell.

You go to a school. They think they're getting someone with experience. You have none. Things go awry and before you know it, your first lesson is taken over by a teenage girl shouting "fucking dickheads" at no one and any one. That sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Now I'm blissfully merry and not so concious that at noon today I was sitting alone in a staff room, in the science block, crying into a tangerine.... (no one had shown me where the canteen was)

They can smell the fear...

I'm just too scared to blog tonight. I got a call from the teaching agency. I have a placement. Starts tomorrow... OMG. Yep, I'm sorry but this calls for an OMG. I'm petrified. Tomorrow is a trial day. If they like me they may want me until the summer. That would be awesome and terrifying.

Trying to research the school and the curriculum at the moment. Trying to arm myself with as much info as possible. Best case scenario, I'm totally hyping this up, the kids will love me and be delightful and the day will go fine. Worst case scenario, they will smell my fear like a pack of wild dogs and absolutely and brutally murder me.

You'll find out tomorrow night I guess....

I like to eat muffins starting at the bottom

Yes, it's true. That's how I like to eat muffins. I think the best bit is the top and therefore I like to leave the best till last. I shared this thought with the boyf the other night, admittedly it did come out of nowhere and we weren't talking about muffins at the time, he said that even for me that was a particularly random comment. Apparently I am prone to making random comments at peculiar times.

I met with a couple of my uni girlfriends yesterday. It was so lovely. Tea and cake and a really good catch up. It always amazes me how friendship comes so easily with some people and even though it was a few months since we last saw each other it felt like no time at all. That's the best kinda friendship I think.

At the shop today for an early one. That's cool though as it gives me time to catch up here and as it's always quiet first thing I can read some of my Kathy Reichs book. I find it so hard to put her books down, I could quite happily just stash myself away somewhere and read cover to cover in one sitting. I was trying to read a bit this morning before getting out of my cosy bed and coming to work, but the pooch ruined it. She was cosy on her rug next to my bed, she made her little groan of happiness and then had a really good stretch, I felt all warm and fuzzy looking at her, then just at the end of her stretch she farted! That was it, time for evacuation of the room, so my reading session was cut short due to dog miasma.

Thinking about the boyf too this morning. He left mega early to go to this: http://www.dynamicadventureracing.co.uk/endurance/index.php
Personally I think he's mental (actually I'm jealous that he's so fit and gets to do such cool stuff at the weekends). It's going to be a long day for him and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it, I'm sure I'll only get a quick rundown this evening before he crashes out and sleeps for an age!

By the way, chicken pie went really well and the following night I made awesome beef meatballs with chorizo in a spicyish tomato sauce, yum! Had some left over so had them in a sandwich the next day with lashings of mayo, even more yum! Don't know yet what's on the menu for tonight, I feel like being creative so I'm sure I'll think of something fab.

Enjoy your weekend!

Chicken pie, mmm...

Hello! Mmm, mmm, I'm looking forward to dinner today. We had a roast chicken last night and there's lots left, so the natural and thrifty thing to do is bake a pie. I went to the supermarket today and got some bargainous bags of veg that were marked down so lots of carrots, broccoli and peas will go into mine along with chicken and few bits of bacon. The boyf is a meat eater through and through, no veg for him.

I don't feel bad about having a yummy, comforting pie cos I've done my work out tonight. It's day three of the regime and day three of the work out, so far so good! It's the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. It's great. So by the time we head off to Chamonix for our snowboard holiday at the end of the month, I'll be a little bit lighter and lot fitter. I'll have more stamina for long days on the slopes. Can't wait!

Now for the eating, off to make pastry.

So today I went into town and registered with a teaching agency. Hopefully once my CRB check comes back in a few weeks I can start getting some work as a Science Technician or Cover Supervisor.

Thing is, I'm kind of petrified! She seemed to think I'd be just fine but honestly, not a single moment of experience and they are going to possibly throw me into a classroom to supervise children... YIKES!! Desperately seeking advice now from those in the know, how the hell do you manage a classroom full of kids? Teenagers at that! Think I'm going to be doing a lot of research over the next few weeks to see what I can discover before this little lamb goes to slaughter.

Watching a TV programme, Place in the Sun, and they're house hunting on the Costa del Sol in Spain, where I grew up. It's making me homesick. Sunny days, lots of time outside, beautiful food, beach, great people, wonderful wildlife.... Now, back to reality, rainy day but dog must be walked, so off we go out into the wet gloom.

New month... new start?

So it's the 1st of February today. There's a light dusting of snow on the ground, not a single cloud in the sky, bright winter sunshine and a light breeze. That makes the perfect winter day. So less procrastinating and more doing! The pooch wants a walk and we shall go for a long one in a minute, all the way around the park. Then a real doing day for me, lots of job applications, preparation for my agency registration tomorrow, start of the new fitness regime (don't start these things in January as it will just be broken instantly like all resolutions!), a trip to the supermarket and a mega house tidy up!

So, why am I still sitting here... Let's go!

Frickin' laser!

Today my boyfriend got his eyes attacked by a frickin' laser. Scary stuff. We went to London and got to the clinic, waited around a bit, he went in and came back out about 15 minutes later. Seems to be OK now, which is good and he could read the announcement board at the train station, although it was like reading underwater. Still, all is good so far.

I'm preparing for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. Hoping to see a lot of different birdies in my garden. Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Robin, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Sparrow, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove and maybe a Wren. I might get an hour tomorrow before work but more likely it will be on Sunday morning. Me, a cup of tea, my binoculars and loads of birds.

Maybe the boyf will join me with his new amazing eyesight?

teaching day

Today Luke is learning how to blog. I'm teaching him. That's pretty silly really being that I've had my blog up and running for over a year and the only things I posted have subsequently been deleted (by me, as they were kind of old and irrelevant thoughts). Anyway, new year, new start.

Last year I was finishing my degree, this year I'm waiting to go back to university. Funny really then that my first new post of the new year and new blog should be about teaching. I'm going back to do a teaching degree. Biology PGCE (secondary). So maybe I'll blog about my journey to teaching?

We'll see...