Surviving...perhaps
Well, I have been in school for two weeks now, and this last week taught a full week - I did everything Mon - Thurs mornings and Tues - Thurs afternoons. Not always quite running the day - I think on Tuesday, the class teacher (CT1) looked after the reading as I was still getting something ready, and little odd bits like that. In general, things have gone very well. I had an observation on Tuesday, for Maths. My Maths group are usually a complete nightmare, it's the bottom set, their concentration isn't great and neither's their understanding, so put the two together and it can make for quite hard work. Tuesday, however, I must have been on fine form coz they were fantastic. I was trying out some new behaviour management stuff, and the lesson was quite fun, so my link tutor was very impressed :) It's a good thing she didn't come the day after - towards the end of the lesson, I actually walked out for about 30 secs because, as I told them upon my return, they clearly had no interest in my being there or what I had to say, so I didn't see why I should stay. When I did walk back in, they were all sat there in absolute silence, looking quite freaked out.
Kids do surprise you tho, there's one, who we'll call Small Child, because he is, who's been being a pest all week, in many small ways, yet on Friday evening I was out in the playground with them as they were going home, and he came up to me, gave me a big hug, said 'bye mrs *****, have a good weekend' and gave me some chocolate - one of the kids was giving out chocolate for their birthday, and he'd filched two bars rather than the regulation one. So I was all 'aww, Small Child, maybe you're not so bad after all.'
In other news from the playground, Odd Girl from the class next door was apparently going to be getting married to one of her classmates next Tuesday, altho on Friday the playground gossip was that they'd broken up, despite having declared themselves very much in love. It might have had something to do with the young man's choice of love tokens - his classteacher managed to confiscate the lego star wars man on a keyring, the (pre-euro) French and Portuguese coins and the bullets (yes, the bullets) but is not sure what else escaped his notice. 8 year old children are strange creatures indeed.
I am enjoying the teaching, even tho it completely exhausts me. What most does my head in is not really getting a proper lunch break - either I have so much to do I barely get time to eat, or the kids are constantly in and out. I am trying to train them to ask before they barge into the classroom, since it is verily my lunch break also. Hopefully we'll get there.
Life is generally a bit more fun at the mo too because the French student teachers are over here, the ones from Lille, and there are two in my flat. It's quite fun having people to chat to in the evening - I do miss it a bit after last year, when there were always people about and such. I also seem to be getting on much better with the other girls upstairs, which is a bit random but also good.
So, yes, I am surviving, essentially. Kickbiking to school every morning (and back too, of course) seems to be having the desired effect - I think I might be able to discern the beginnings of proper cheekbones once again. The main thing that's suffering is my voice - I need to come up with a good way to raise my voice less often. I wonder if suspending them from the ceiling by their ankles would work....
Kids do surprise you tho, there's one, who we'll call Small Child, because he is, who's been being a pest all week, in many small ways, yet on Friday evening I was out in the playground with them as they were going home, and he came up to me, gave me a big hug, said 'bye mrs *****, have a good weekend' and gave me some chocolate - one of the kids was giving out chocolate for their birthday, and he'd filched two bars rather than the regulation one. So I was all 'aww, Small Child, maybe you're not so bad after all.'
In other news from the playground, Odd Girl from the class next door was apparently going to be getting married to one of her classmates next Tuesday, altho on Friday the playground gossip was that they'd broken up, despite having declared themselves very much in love. It might have had something to do with the young man's choice of love tokens - his classteacher managed to confiscate the lego star wars man on a keyring, the (pre-euro) French and Portuguese coins and the bullets (yes, the bullets) but is not sure what else escaped his notice. 8 year old children are strange creatures indeed.
I am enjoying the teaching, even tho it completely exhausts me. What most does my head in is not really getting a proper lunch break - either I have so much to do I barely get time to eat, or the kids are constantly in and out. I am trying to train them to ask before they barge into the classroom, since it is verily my lunch break also. Hopefully we'll get there.
Life is generally a bit more fun at the mo too because the French student teachers are over here, the ones from Lille, and there are two in my flat. It's quite fun having people to chat to in the evening - I do miss it a bit after last year, when there were always people about and such. I also seem to be getting on much better with the other girls upstairs, which is a bit random but also good.
So, yes, I am surviving, essentially. Kickbiking to school every morning (and back too, of course) seems to be having the desired effect - I think I might be able to discern the beginnings of proper cheekbones once again. The main thing that's suffering is my voice - I need to come up with a good way to raise my voice less often. I wonder if suspending them from the ceiling by their ankles would work....