Half Term | But I Smile Anyway...

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 192

21 Oct 2018 35 Comments

by Ritu in #bloggers bash, Audio, Family, Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Half Term, Quote, Serene, Spidey, Teaching

Don’t you dare say I only work half a day
Don’t you dare sneer at my 10 weeks ‘off’ a year
Give me a lunch break at lunch
Holidays when I choose
No work before 9 or after 5
A weekend just to snooze
Give me this and I’ll give you my roll
But I warn you, my friend
It takes heart
Body and soul

Anon

Thanks, Spidey!

It’s finally half term for us here in the Kentish area of the UK, anyway, and I am so glad of the time to finally unwind.

Will I rest?

Probably not as much as others seem to think.

I have two kids to think of too, you know.

And I have lesson plans that need tweaking too.

I loved what Spidey found for us to ponder today though.

It is so easy to see the face of a teacher’s ‘job’.

Short day, lots of holidays, playing with kids…

But we are like icebergs.

You only see the tip of us, unless you live with us.

Then you see what is going on underwater…

The early starts, and late nights.
The grabbing a chance of a mouthful of lunch in between preparing your classroom for the rest of the day’s learning, marking books, operating clubs, dealing with issues the lunchtimes supervisors can’t handle…
Teaching your bladder to only need to be emptied on a minimal basis, and when you do go, learning how to do the most spectacular speed wee ever!
Piles of work that comes home, and if not work, hours at computers, researching lessons or cutting out resources ready for the next few days.
Hours spent agonising over the assessment and abilities of your children. Working out how to educate each individual, be it through supporting the learning of fundamentals, or embedding and creating an environment of learning that stretches those who already ‘get it’.
Crying over the situations some of your children come from, wanting to be there for them above and beyond the call of duty.
Paperwork involving ridiculous red tape that needs to be done to appease the government, that takes precious time away from actual teaching.
Being unwell, but feeling unable to take time off to recover because you don’t want to let the kids or your colleagues down.
Finally getting to a holiday, but not being able to afford to go, because your days off are always in school holiday time when all the prices are ridiculously elevated…

But we do it because we love what we do.

Ultimately, teaching is a vocation, not a career. We care. That’s why we put the time and effort in. (Just a little extra monetary appreciation from the government would be good!)

So… anyone fancy a job swap with me? 😘

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps ❤ And enjoy your week!

We Made It! #AtEase

20 Oct 2017 63 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Children, Half Term, Holidays, Relax, School

It’s Friday!

But not just any Friday…

For plenty of individuals, it is a Friday we have been crawling towards… the end of the existing term!

The kids are excited. It means a week (or two for some!) off and away from school! Yes there may be homework, but the pressure of getting up and going in is not there!

And us teachers…well, when I say we crawl, I mean it!

This first half term of the academic year is always tough. Settling in new pupils, getting to know them. setting boundaries and rules, assessing… it is a tough slog.

I know I personally have found this last term extremely exhausting, with my new responsibilities, and a lot more children to get to know. Names are never a problem for me, I have learned 70 new ones so far, and it looks likely that I need to learn another 30, if only for a short while, next term! But, the downside of having so many children to be responsible for, I don’t feel I really ‘know’ them yet.

Still, I have made it through this term, with no days of complete meltdowns, (well, not mine, some of the kids however have had a few!) and look forward to a few special days during my week off.

My only worry… when we come back from the break, all the progress we have made with our littlest ones will have been forgotten (believe me, it doesn’t take much for young children to forget what they were doing before!) and so the cycle will continue to roll, with us having to re-settle them, but hopefully only for a few days before they remember what Nursery and School is all about!

So, I am off to start my last day (for a week at least) and then enjoy a week of relative freedom!

Enjoy your Friday Peeps!!!!

Monday Musings – Hey It’s Half Term! Teachers – At Ease!

29 May 2017 75 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Half Term, reports, School, Teacher, Teacher's Life

It’s Monday.

8 am.

And yet I am at home, and not at school… why?

Because it is half term, the mid term break in this LOOOOONG Summer term!

“Woohoo!” You hear all teachers cry!

It has been a really tiring previous term, with assessments, and observations and the general kerfuffle that comes with being a teacher.

Finally!

A week off!

“But it’s not a week off, really, is it?”

(Small whispers from other teachers.)

No… it’s not, really.

Yes we get away from the school building, but after the week off there is still seven weeks left of the academic year! That is still seven weeks worth of planning and preparation that needs doing!

Usually I would go into school for a day or two to concentrate on work, but the building is shut to us this time as there is work happening, so I have my laptop with me.

I can’t speak for all the others, but I know what my week will consist of, on top of managing two kids, getting their half term homework done, and stopping them being ‘bored’ constantly!

Reports.

I know, there are still seven weeks to go, but when you have 40 reports to compile with your colleague for a bunch of 3-4 year-olds, and you have obscure comments you need to make, about how that child learns, and what exactly they ‘know’, you need to start early!

So at least two days, and possibly more, of my ‘holiday’ will be spent, sat with a notebook, compiling lists and trying to remember evidence for each child.

Then to word it!

The polite way to say “Your child is lovely, but knows Jack Sh*t!” or “Please stop mollycoddling your ‘baby’, it’s not helping them!” or “Thank God I’m not his/her teacher next year!”

But there are so many children who blossom in Nursery, and I could write reams about them! (Note to self; limited space on report form.. do NOT write reams!)

Then after that, I plan to rest up and enjoy a day or two with my family, and visit my Best friend and her new baby!

Because…

Next term will be a killer!!!

As it steadily gets hotter, the kids don’t want to concentrate, they want to be outside all the time.

For the most part, they are doing so well, that this last term is a time to consolidate their learning, and prepare them for when they go to ‘Big School’.

But, (and there’s always a But) we have to do our home visits for the intake who will be starting in September. This means a few weeks of reduced staff in the Nursery, while we traipse around the town, meeting new children, some of whom may not even turn up come September!

Though it’s gotta be done.

It’ll be a busy time, and we will be counting down the days to the summer holidays as soon as we start back, but you know what?

I do love it!

Have a great Monday Peeps!

Sod’s Law (And A Last Minute Vote Appeal!)

21 Oct 2016 18 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Poetic RITUals, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: author shout, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Cold, Cover Wars, Half Term, Help me, Ill, Poetic RITUals, Voting

It’s the last day of term.

Every teacher out there is tired.

7 weeks is a long stretch for anyone, kids and adults alike.

And I have to go and wake up with a cold.

Today.

The last day.

Typical!

I struggled into school, after dropping Lil Man off to his grandparents, and spent the whole day with a tissue box next to me.

It’s no fun trying to keep up with a whole bunch of 3-4 year olds, when all you want to do is give your nose a good blow! I felt like stuffing tissue up my nostrils…it’s not like I could breathe anyway!

Bu the absolute worst part? I am so considerate that I have left it until the last day to feel rotten, so I get to spend a week, which should be my break, feeling sorry for myself, and watching my nose get redder than Rudolph’s!

Hopefully, a couple of days in bed, doing not much, will help. I need to be better for Tuesday when the kids and I are planning to visit my Pops and Mum for a few days. I NEED that break too!

Why does this illness not strike mid-term? Actually, scratch that. Even if it did, I would feel too guilty to take days off! Many a time has passed where I have a migraine coming, or feel under the weather, but knowing I will leave my class understaffed, and not wanting to let anyone down, I drag myself in… inevitably using my own weekends to recuperate.

I’m not the only one. Many teachers feel the same. But what can you do?

Excuse me while I slather myself in Vicks, and replenish my dwindling tissue supply…

(feeling ever so sorry for myself right now!)

And while I am whining on… Can you see it in your hearts, to help a struggling, cold ridden teacher, who finally got her half term, but still needs to be on call as mummy, and wife too…? And click here to vote for the cover of my book, Poetic RITUals?

I need way over 100 votes… people really love those Zombie Dogs!!!! Let’s be honest, I won’t beat em, but no one can say I didn’t give it a heck of a try!

Love you long time, Peeps!

Keep On Swimming!

23 May 2016 35 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, cricket, Half Term, Lil Man, secret, Surprise!

It’s Monday again… How did that happen?!

Been a busy weekend for us. What with Pop’s Birthday and things I knew it would be mad, but certain things you can’t anticipate! I forgot, for a start, that we were meant to be going visiting with the in-laws on Saturday, so my beautifully laid plans for this weekend went out the window!

Then Lil Man went for his first Cricket training… Amd he totally smashed it! The coach was amazed at his leftie bowling talent, and requested he be signed up for the team to play this coming Friday! He was invited for a one to one nets training session on the Sunday, so we duly went to the shops on Sunday morning to kit him up. Whites bought and his first box! How funny!

But cricket trousers come with the hem undone, so I would need to hem them before Friday.

The nets went brilliantly… So brilliantly they asked that he be signed up immediately,and play on Monday, as in tonight!!

No pressure!!!

So, trousers hemmed, kit ready for his first match. Just hope that it doesn’t rain, and the match gets cancelled. He is so excited!

It’s also the last week before half term…

I can always tell we are due a holiday as my energy starts to flag, the kids at home and school start getting rattier and rattier. It hasn’t helped that I forgot my Vitamin D tablets recently, and I’ve been flaking out so early in the evenings.