Therapy

I am seeing amazing places, I am doing amazing things. I am seeing amazing places, I am doing amazing things. I am seeing amazing places, I am doing amazing things.
This is what I was repeating to myself all day as an answer to the question: WHAT AM I DOING HERE??!!

When I called in for work this morning and they said that they had a half day afternoon for me if nothing else came in, I was quite happy to start planing how I would spend my morning. But then came the ominous ring and the offer of a full day's work at the 'tough' school I have been to before. I would be in a year 4 class, an age group that can go either way. Well, I am sure you can guess which way this day went.
It took me about 10 minutes to do the register as I tried to shout their names over all of the talking and them yelling at each other to shush up. Then I lay into them about yelling at each other and how we are not going to spend the day doing that, so they all need to listen up, quieten down and line up for assembly. By the time we are halfway to the hall (which you can basically see from the classroom) they are shouting and wild again, and some girl at the back is in tears. Wonderful. The head teacher stops us, lays into them herself and sends them back to class so she can talk to them. She sends in a TA instead who shouts at them and calls them disgraceful and leads them into the hall in silence.
The assembly is all about how the previous day the school got a complaint from a neighbour who called in to say that two students from the school, in uniform, had thrown stones at her window. When she went out to confront them, the boys swore at her, shrugged their shoulders and walked away. So these boys were being encouraged to fess up, and any tipsters were being welcomed too. Sounds like a lovely bunch.
We get back to class and I tell them I don't want to shout at them today and probably they didn't enjoy getting yelled at this morning already. They all look at me confused and say that they didn't get shouted at. Great, they are so immune to being yelled at that they consider it normal speech. Needless to say I could not teach this lot a single thing as they never stopped talking or fighting long enough for me to get a word in. I had to send for the TA in the next class several times just so I would not lose my mind. The only thing that did get their attention was when I finally got close to my breaking point, and my throat was getting sore from trying to talk over them, and I said I was waiting for them to shut their mouths. Apparently this was shocking to them? Otherwise they ran around wild most of the day. On top of this there were very little plans or work left out for me, so since I could not actually explain anything or do any sort of discussion, I was left to invent work from files I searched out on the computer in an attempt to keep them busy enough that they wouldn't be running completely wild all day long.
I was almost to the point of tears from frustration on several occasions. A kid who decided he would run around 'cleaning' rather than sitting on the carpet with the majority of the class ran in front of me and basically punched me in the face on the way by. I beat the damn 'quiet tambourine' until I thought I would be better off to run away and join a band. Nothing. I could have been in another room watching them on a CCTV camera for all they paid attention to me. And after all of this, a girl who had not listened to a single thing I'd said all day comes up to me and asks: Are you going to be here tomorrow? I like you.
Whaaa?? I do not understand kids in this country.
Hightlight of the day: a girl comes up to me and asks if stupid is spelled S-T or S-P and I get to think in my head a lot of funny comebacks that I wish I could say.
The dim light at the end of this dark tunnel of a day was that I have work for the next two days at a school I like, which means another 5 day pay check.
Three more work days until a week off and a trip to Poland, if I can make it.

Out and About

Another 5 day work week, man this could get tiring. Oh wait. After this week we have another week off for half term break. I guess I can make it until then.

Trafalgar Square

This week was rather nice. Christine's steak dinner was delicious. Thursday was our first attempt at our new "Come Dine With Me" night, also a success. Christine, Josephine, Jen and I decided that the only way we would make some decent meals was if we had someone to cook for, so once a week we are going to get together for dinner. We split up the meal into appy, main, dessert, drinks so we are each in charge of just one thing, which is manageable after working all day and commuting home. This week was Italian. I was in charge of the main and made some great spaghetti (if I do say so myself). Jo made antipasti and bruschetta (*lip smacking*), Jen brought a tiramisu, and Christine contributed the wine. It was lovely to have an evening of good food and conversation and of course many laughs. This week - French!



This weekend Andi came to town from Plymouth and Jan from Kent. We met up in Leicester Square on Saturday morning and got ourselves tickets to see Wicked. It was a pretty good show. The other really enjoyed it, I had just read the book and was kind of disappointed how different the two were. We then headed back to Wimbledon and met up with a few others for Jan's belated birthday dinner at Giraffe.

mmm sushi

Sunday Josephine and I booked our hostel in Krakow, Christine finally made up her mind to join us and we fly out on Sunday morning! Then we went into town to a nice shopping mall to look at all the pretty things we wish we could afford. We stopped for lunch at Yo!Sushi, where you just grab what you want off of the conveyor belt, genius! And, of course, delicious.
Now another sunny weekend is coming to an end. Fingers crossed for another busy work week so I can afford all of my bills and my flight home which  booked this week. The countdown is on :)

Sunshine!!

They're driving me mad, they're making me craaaaazy!!

How on Earth is it only Tuesday?? After a nice relaxing weekend, which of course breezed by, this week is off to a slow start.
Friday was charity drinks night at our agency. Free booze, you guessed it, I'm in! I also met up with some of the people I will be travelling to India with in July, which was exciting. I even met up with one girl again the next day and we went for a run through Wimbledon Common. It is beautiful in there, who knew?! Was nice to get on some trails again, but man what a different workout! I was dying towards the end of the run and all my stabilizer muscles were giving me grief the next day after letting them go slack from road running for so long.

Monday I headed out to a school and a year 4 class I have been in several times, even know most of their names. None of it helped. They were off the wall! So noisy all day. The day ended with me at the carpet with them and just as I was laying into two kids who were being so rude and wouldn't stop talking their teacher walks in. Great. This could go two ways, 1. She thinks: good this chick is on top of them. And I get called in to that class again. Or 2. She gets protective, all ``only I can yell at my students``and I never get called back. With less than 3 months left, I am indifferent at this point. After work I forced myself back out the door to go a for a run to burn off some of the tension of the day. Also, Spain in 7 weeks means it is time to get serious. Unless of course I spend the entire trip in a moomoo in 40 degree weather.

Today I was at another school I have been to before, but in a new class. Year 3. Also horrid. The teacher was in the school but didn't have everything planned so she was explaining things to me right up until the kids were walking in the door. She warned me about one kid who has a behaviour card, but mentioned nothing about any others.  Well the kid with the behaviour card was fine - just annoying. It would have been nice, however, to have a little mention of 2 other crazies who were instantly chasing each other in circles around the class. Other students cowered out of the way since one of the crazies is apparently known to just lash out and whack anyone in his way.. Off to a good start. I barely get through the register with the ability to hear my own thoughts still intact and crazy 1 is up again chasing after another kid with a ruler. Just as I grab his wrist mid-swing their teacher comes in and starts shouting at him, takes him to the corridor and tears a strip off him and that is all I see of him the rest of the morning.
At the end of lunch I realize that she still hasn`t given me any plans for the afternoon. So I look around the class for inspiration and start making up some slides. I am thinking to myself at this point, if I just put in earplugs for the afternoon, will anyone really notice? She comes in about 3 minutes before the bell rattling off what she wants me to do in the afternoon: a discussion based activity for an hour. Wonderful, because I have gotten about 3 words out sans interruption all day. I just keep thinking: 2 more hours!
We all somehow survive the day, but not without further degrading of my teaching philosophy. Mainly a big old drop kick to philosophy number 1: a teacher should never have to raise their voice to a child.  I hate doing it so much and it makes me feel so much like crap, but it is actually part of the school culture here.  Kids here actually don`t know the teacher who doesn`t shout. All teachers shout, kids shout at each other. It is depressing.
At least I have something to raise my spirits, Christine is cooking me steak for dinner! The first steak I`ve had since leaving Canada, she better not mess it up.  :)

Another funny note on British culture: they use praise we would use for dogs on children and praise we would use on children on adults.
ex: Tommy brings his work to teacher: "Good boy Tommy! Good boy!"
I help lady lift furniture into her car: "Thank you so much, you're a star"
(Yay, I'm a star!)