I was a teacher for ten years and it never really felt totally right. For most of my career, I was waiting for it all to click, for the conditions to improve, for the support to be given, for the current I was swimming against to slow. For a time, I thought it did. Teaching… Continue reading For Good
Tag: Teaching
When It Works
Yesterday, I spent some time with my lovely friend and work colleague who unfortunately suspects she has busted a ligament in her knee (it is still too swollen for them to say definitively). We had a bacon sandwich with chilli asparagus on the side which is pretty much the perfect lunch in my book, we… Continue reading When It Works
Around Here
Around here Austin and I stayed in pyjamas for most of the day while Austin had his tummy problems treatment. He handled it like a champ. Around here we binge watched a new home make over show on Netflix called Instant Dream Home. Around here I marked books. Around here Rich and Evelina did a… Continue reading Around Here
Noughts and Crosses
This evening, our school took some Year 8 and Year 10 students to see the play adapted Sabrina Mahfouz from Malorie Blackman’s novel Noughts and Crosses at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. The whole production was fantastic but I particularly enjoyed the minimalist set design and the monologues. The trip went so well and our… Continue reading Noughts and Crosses
I Know This is True
Cooking on the barbeque in the summer and having just grilled meat with salad for most of our meals is the best. I know this is true. I am not cut out to be a primary teacher. Spending a couple of hours with some Year One age children (i.e. Austin's age) whilst I chaperoned at… Continue reading I Know This is True
I Want to Remember
I want to remember the smile on Evelina's face when she pulled off an awesome lift in her Acro show today. I want to remember the simple joy of a family barbeque and the sun bathing the garden in golden light. I want to remember how we ate and laughed and hugged. I want to… Continue reading I Want to Remember
Five Things that Made Me Smile Today
Finishing marking a whole set of books;Harper's attempts to scam an extra meal out of Evelina;Rich's return home from London;Having a healthy debate with some Year 9 students about the value of English as a subject (and the meaning of life);Watching Evelina read the opening of one of my favourite books (/ book series) of… Continue reading Five Things that Made Me Smile Today
A Change in the World
How are you changing the world? That is the question that comes with today's Bloganuary prompt. There have been a few questions that I have shied away from this month but as a teacher, I suppose there is an argument to say that I am changing the world by educating young people and teaching them… Continue reading A Change in the World
An ideal day
Today was not an ideal day. But if I was to design an ideal Thursday, it would look like this: 6am I wake naturally and rise before the kids wake. I stretch, read, and write with a cup of tea. The sunrise streams in through the slanted shutters. Harper sits at my feet. She has… Continue reading An ideal day
A Deep Breath
When my kiddos get sad, angry, hurt, or frustrated, the very first thing I tell them to do is to stop and take a breath. Slow and steady. In through the nose then out through the mouth. This calming practice doesn't just work for tearful kiddos. From women in labour to that breath you take… Continue reading A Deep Breath