one down, nine to go!

One week into term two and I feel as if I have been caught in an eddy.

I will try and give you a small break down of the week......

MONDAY - new photocopier log in procedure which STUFFED everyone up! We have these whizzbang copiers which store a number of jobs in a row......but the new system has deleted that excellent aspect. Standing at the copier I swipe my card in and I work out the systemal procedure and the touch screen goes out of action when a colleague sends their work from their computer......another frustrating feature that I discovered was the fact that you can't multitask. You could log in, set and walk away. The machine would remember. Now you log in and if you happen to log out before your job is done then the job is deleted. Considering all of this I went to class slightly unprepared. Got it sorted eventually. Normal day of teaching. Went home so tired.........but I had a massage on the way home and collapsed into my bed - after dinner.

TUESDAY - General Assembly. Whole school. One hour. Not one of my most favourite things but there are always a few highlights amongst the presentations. Shortened lessons as a consequence. Crazy lady I work with in my department came in and set up her whirlwind. Amazing. Staff meeting after school where we were informed that due to the economic crises we have lots more kids trying to get into the school. Still thinking through that one - how big are these classes going to get? (most of my junior classes are on 27.....) Saw the osteopath and the back is so much better. Still tired.

WEDNESDAY - More shortened lessons (I should say that a normal lesson is 42 or so minutes. Shortened brings back to 37 or so.) Work my butt off to get through the work.....Year 12s not prepared for performances as requested at the end of last term. Got cross at them but I do understand their lack of focus. Those that did perform were great. Choir rehearsal at lunchtime where we learnt some of two new songs and worked a little on an older one. Parent-teacher interviews with Year 9 and 10s. I only teach one class at these levels. I had 8 booked in but ended up getting through twelve. That was fun.

THURSDAY - Late start....except I had organised for my theory students to come to an early class. They didn't I was there 2 hours early! (Swearing profusely!) Again short lessons. Mad catch up with colleagues for various things. Collected year 8 work and year 9 assignments. Taught Frogdancer's son after school. Came home and collapsed - I was in bed by 10!

FRIDAY - today. NORMAL length lessons but I couldn't cope! I had 5-7 minutes extra which I had to think about......Freaked out my year 12s by playing Shirley Bassey to them! I had Year 7's at the end of the day and they were CRAZY! At lunch I rehearsed with a kid from the school production. Can I tell you that the music in that is so hard! I decided to do my household shopping tonight after school. And now I am sitting on the couch listening to Smokey Robinson on the Elvis Costello show. Love it.

The weekend will be correcting, socialising and just kicking back.

Tomorrow is ANZAC day where we commemorate the sacrifices that our old soldiers (diggers) made, particularly the landing at Gallipoli during WWI. I had planned on going to the dawn service but the weather is not the best and it's cold at dawn, with my back still not 1o0% I have decided not to go.