Hoping to resume normal service shortly
Taken what sometimes seems like a million years ago, in the window of what was once my classroom.
Decidedly lacking balance right now. It feels like I’m just lacking time, but clearly there are just as many hours in the day as there always have been. It is merely that I am trying to cram too much into those hours to keep my sanity.
When I agreed to go back and teach just one class for a few weeks, I knew I would be physically incapable of just showing up for my one hour and making an exit. But perhaps I didn’t realise just quite how many hours I would spend marking papers, talking through rewrites and just plain doing my own homework. As I was marking some papers this morning, I was reminded of that moment in science class when you learn that solids are a constant size and shape…liquids are a constant size but adapt their shape to fill the space…and a gas is constant in neither but will spread out to fill every available crevice.
Apparently preparing a nice class for an exam at the very last minute is like the last option: that one class of thirty students can easily expand to take up all of one’s hours and all of one’s brain cells, until one loses control of other basic household routines. Specifically laundry and dishes. And the end result is you leave your flat in an absolute mess so you can get to class early to answer a few more questions and on your way out, you pass the window cleaner and suddenly wish the earth would swallow you whole because you left the curtains open since you live upstairs and it’s not exactly like anyone case see your rather embarrassing laundry situation from outside. That is, unless they are standing on a ladder right outside your window.
Anyway, it seems worth it at the moment. Teaching so much in such little time isn’t particularly ideal, but their work is much improved over this little window of time. Hopefully they can forgive me for having to cover the entire story of Prometheus (and how it relates to a Simon Armitage poem) in under ten minutes. There are many things about returning to school that have made me even more grateful to be my own boss, but not the students. After all, it’s not often you teach students who ask for homework, come to class early and stay late. That seems to be the sort of thing worth a few weeks of feeling behind on laundry and dishes and blogging.
Just two lessons left until their literature exam. First of three papers. All extra crossed fingers greatly appreciated.
I’ll be back to scrappy posts soon. Of course I prefer scrapbooking to laundry!
xlovesx
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12 May 2009, 20:12
You do sound like you are enjoying being with your students again and we will be here when the school year is over and you are back. And the cleaning and laundry will be there when you get to it.
13 May 2009, 02:34
Well done Shimelle! Keen & willing students are a great pleasure and it doesn’t happen that often in school. Your other bunch of students (us) are happy to wait and if they are like me, have some unfinished projects from you we can be getting on with in the meantime.
As far as the cleaning & laundry goes…I’m in my 60’s (read new 40’s) and I certainly don’t wish I had done more of it when I was younger!
13 May 2009, 02:58
All relevant appendages are crossed. Glad to see you have your priorities right as far as tidying scraproom vs cleaning and laundry :)
See you when you get out the other end :)
13 May 2009, 03:11
As long as you still have clean clothes somewhere in the flat to put on, what is the problem?! Cleaning can wait! Prometheus is more important. Maybe the boy should take a day of and clean the whole place in time for the weekend!
13 May 2009, 06:15
I understand completely, Shimelle! The life of my pupils took over my whole life because I wanted them to have the best experience in school! It’s a good job you’re finishing soon, but you’ll feel it is a job well done and worth doing!
13 May 2009, 06:44
I SO took that. (and it does indeed feel like a million years ago – as opposed to… two).
It is quite cool, i think, that even though to get to the 7am revision classes in time i had to wake up at 4am, reading your posts make me miss doing so.
And even though your class this year is just NOT as good as your last year 11s – i am sure they will do every well. (maybe not AS well as we did, but….) ;P. X
13 May 2009, 09:33
Working with children like that make it all worthwhile!
Fingers definitely crossed here.
Abs x
13 May 2009, 12:22
Exam season! I know that feeling well. I’m currently sitting in my living room surrounded by laundry, and the kitchen is a disaster zone. Exams will be finished for me at the end of this week and hopefully it will be normal service all round! Good luck!
13 May 2009, 16:54
I realized that teaching part time this year… it can indeed expand to fill whatever space that you have. I am glad to hear that they are improving… I will cross all fingers and toes accordingly.
14 May 2009, 14:27
Ah, you’re doing great! Welcome back to those feelings ! treasure them for the sign of a dedicated teacher that they are THEN LET THEM GO!!!! Good luck to all your students ! xx
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17 August 2022, 14:34
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