A day for conflict, borrowing, exasperation, reconciliation; a day for an early night.

…night.

This storm is getting further away…

Even the kids are tired at work; they feel like us. I caught two fast asleep in the computer room; they woke lost and surprised, staggering with pins & needles.I feel for them.

Swine flu has arrived at work. 4 kids diagnosed, more are absent through illness and contagious-hypochondria. Now, if I could just contract man-flu, then I stand a chance of some time off.
This weather is a good arrangement, keep at it weather-spirits.
This car tax disc (on the desk) should be in my car- right?

Passiflora: Look what I managed to grow.

That Health & Safety meeting was just as good as I’d expected. Didn’t expect the prostate bit though.

That hotel company did the honourable thing and returned my money today. So that is cleared up with no bad feelings, I’m still going to buy a tent though.

I refuse to indulge in this:
I often use email as a portable way of collecting school-work. This kid was asked to send a document for review called a "Proposal" that then needs some comment from me as her teacher. Here it is:

The document was attached to the second email, but was so badly written so that I am too exasperated to continue the thread here. The first version had no punctuation, the after my response, it was filled with commas everywhere. I mean everywhere, in the middle of phrases, anywhere except the places they would have helped make the paragraph intelligible.
Further; I passed a copy of this onto the English department; who then used it to start a lesson on writing to a target audience and use of suitable language, or something like that. It went down a storm.

Over a week to go, damn, I was convinced about Friday.

Feel like a derelict after parents’ evening. Goodnight.
Soon to bed at 10pm.: is this walking into the same trap?

Film: Da Vinci Code: what frivolous sentimental bilge that was. Beautifully shot, with an extremely silly story.

Sketch: from a cover lesson yesterday, didn’t take long, but then the page is small. Year 7s are bonkers.
Today has been troubled by a poor night’s sleep and a disturbing phone text from a stranger.

Reviews: these student interviews are a treat. A point in my job where I can sit with the most wonderful people and ask them : how are you doing?
they are committed to answer, I listen; we eat chocolate and tick boxes.
If only it wasn’t quite so tiring, if only I wasn’t so totally spent this evening. I could then really relish the conversations had with these inspiring people. This whelming malaise has washed out the thoughts I would have entertained this evening.
Goodnight.

A strangely easy week this; perhaps in lieu of tomorrow.

Hope is lost: for the world. Four VI-form girls drove to the supermarket across the road today at lunchtime. A trip less of than 1/3 of a mile. You might be thinking "how lazy", but in practice it was not. If they were lazy they’d choose the easiest and quickest way to get there. I beat them in both directions by walking. They only had a few lunch snack packets to carry; they were, all four of them able-bodied. Yet they compressed themselves into a tiny car and probably spent most of the journey standing at the lights waiting for green.
Their real motive remains hidden. When I have some clue, I’ll mention it here.

Staff training day: today we learnt how to teach kids who are gifted and or talented. The baked potatoes were nice, and I had two puddings.