School | But I Smile Anyway...

A Humbling Day

23 Jul 2015 25 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, bolog, Humbled, School, Teacher

The other weekend, I had a crazy schedule on the Saturday, with parties here and there for the kids, and I knew it was gonna be a busy one. One of the parties was for my Lil Man’s friend, and it was at a venue in town, so I figured that I could drop him, and have a couple of hours me time, before I needed to pick him up, after all there is always something I could be doing!

Well, we got there, and there was hardly anyone there, birthday boy neither. But the dad was there, and he was very polite, offering drinks and snacks while we waited. over the course of 20 minutes the hall filled with nigh on 40 10 year olds, but there were a surprising number of little people there too… little people from my old class… then it dawned on me that the birthday boy had a sister in my old class, and it had also been her birthday too, so this was a joint party.

So that was 40 odd 10 year olds and around 20 4-5 year olds too, along with some added siblings, and mums who weren’t about to leave their child. And still no star guests! I have to say I was mobbed by little people, my thigh firmly hugged by my old class, and even my ‘boyfriend’ was there!

As time passed, the birthday peeps finally arrived, making quite an entrance, but not before the boy’s dad had asked me, in teacher capacity, to help him control the kids… they were running riot around the place! Now, I was off duty, but really? Can a teacher every be off duty? We see our kids around town, in the shops, at the park, everywhere, all the time, and I for one, here “Mrs Bhathal!” all the time! So I helped him round them up, and thought once the main guests arrive, I could slip off…

Not that easy.

4-5 year olds have good grip.

I ended up in a ring with them playing Pass the Parcel, and then finally I was given a chance to slip out.

It felt lovely, though. All these little munchkins telling me they missed me, and I genuinely miss them too! They wave at me and call my name, whenever they see me at school but I can’t get in their classroom, to spend quality time with them, any more, which is so sad. I have another bunch of kiddies to look after now… but as I have only been with them for 7 weeks, the same bonding hasn’t really happened there yet… Though I do love them too, with their little quirks!

Anyway, I did my dash around town, I only had time for a dash as I’d been kept at the party a tad longer than I had expected, then came back to sweep up my child and get him home for a barbeque that my Hubby Dearest was organising.

Yet again I got kinda mobbed, but it wasn’t just the kids, I had parents telling me how much my not being in their child’s class had affected their child… I felt so sad.. I had made these little bundles cry! But on the flip side, I had affected them in such a way, that they had enjoyed being with me in class, and they were happy. Hearing the parents tell me their kids ‘loved’ me, oh what an ego boost!

But truly, I felt humbled, so humbled. A Teacher has a really hard job, but to know you have affected even one child’s life, positively, is a blessing, and to hear that so many felt that way, I felt richer than the wealthiest person on earth!!

A little update again!

15 Jun 2015 30 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, School, Tired But Happy, Update, Work

So week 2 in the teaching world was great and ended with a high, as I had a company called ZooLabs visit the nursery twice, so each of the sessions of children could see what they were going to do, and boy did they all enjoy themselves!

Zoolabs are a science based educational company that do workshops around schools on various topics, but the main thing is they bring creatures, and mini beasts to the children!

We met Colin the cockroach, Sonny the Snake, Rosie and Phyllis the tarantulas, Tick and Tock the Rat sisters, Milo the millipede, Henry the Giant African Land Snail, to name but a few!

It was so delightful to see the children’s reactions to the animals, and they were so brave, and confident to touch, or hold creatures, and ask lots of questions!

This week, I am out for the week at another school. Remember my Return to Teach Course? Well I am still completing that, as even though I have my job, I can’t waste the money we spent on it! So I am doing a placement, and it is at a small village school, very different to my own, where we have a large intake of children, it’s in the middle of a busy multicultural town, 49% EAL, which means children of other language. This school has, perhaps 2 children regarded as EAL, and is half the size.

But I have been given a warm welcome, and the children in the class where I will be based are lovely! I have already had a declaration of love, and many running hugs, where I nearly lost my balance! Oh its a good thing I love children so much!!!

2 nights of Single Parenthood, as hubby Dearest is away for work, and I am missing him so much, though, I seem to have got an awful lot done over these 2 evenings! Including scheduling lots of posts!

How has your week/weekend been so far?

Normal – Kids Logic Part 29

24 Apr 2015 18 Comments

by Ritu in Humour, Kids Logic Series Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, English, Kids Logic, Normal, School

It’s not just my kids that inspire me… I have a pupil in my class, I’ll call her E. She is the funniest lil thing. But she doesn’t realise it!

She hates smiley faces, like hates them! One day she came up to me, very upset.

Me: What’s the matter E?
E: G drew on my picture
Me: Why did she do that? What did she draw?
E: A smiley face!
Me: Aw, that’s not so bad E! Us teachers draw smiley faces when you do something we like, maybe she liked your drawing!
E: But I don’t like smiley faces!
Me: Not even a smiley face sticker?
E: No.
Me: Ok, so, if I got you a sticker with words or numbers, you’d like that?
E: Yes.

She says this with a deadpan face, no smile on her own mug either!

Actually, if you smile at her, she really won’t smile back.. I have a thing now, if she does great stuff for me, I sort of blow my cheeks out and make a face at her which makes her laugh! She knows she’s done good, and I get a positive reaction from her!

Anyway, back to the title.

One day we were discussing accents and languages

E: I don’t know what L is saying (L is Polish)
Me: it’s because she’s speaking her own language, she might not understand you sometimes when you speak English
E: I don’t speak English.
Me: Yes you do!
E: No I don’t!
Me: you’re speaking it now!
E: I don’t speak English!
Me: Ok E, what do,you speak then?
E: Normal. I speak normal.

My Private Education…

09 Apr 2015 24 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Memories, Private School, School

I was very lucky! Well I think so anyway. My Pops was a well established dentist, and he could have had everything, my parents and us kids could have lived in the lap of luxury, but we didn’t. We could have had the huge house, two car household way sooner, but we didn’t. Because when they married and had us kids, my mum specified that she didn’t care for all these material things, what she wanted dearly, more than anything, was the best education they could afford, and provide, for us both. They researched lots, and my name was put down on the waiting list of the school I went to as soon as I was born, and the same went for my brother.

So from 3 all the way to 17, from nursery, all the way to finishing my A-Levels I was at the same school, an independent all girls school. And I have to say that I came out of it with no bad memories whatsoever!

My first school birthday party

I started in nursery with very little English, as I detailed in a previous post here. Hello was my only word! But I survived, and within weeks I made lots of friends, and really got in there, I was the youngest in my class, actually I was a year ahead. The school had taken me on, with the thought that if I struggled, I could repeat a year, and I wouldn’t have missed out. But somehow, I managed to stay there, one year ahead of myself the whole way through! I remember our classes having cute names like Rabbits, Treasure Island, and Wonderland, in these Infant years, and we were in a beautiful building, an old Tudor style house called Alice House. After that we went to Juniors, then Senior school in a different building, another old row of Tudor style houses, full of character! At 14 our school decided to buy an old mansion close by, and move there. Malvern Hall, another beautiful character filled building. And obviously, being so old, there had to be ghost stories attached… oh the times I remember scaring and daring each other to go up to certain places, where we were convinced there was some eerie activity happening!

School Uniform!

Oh and I have to mention the uniform… Maroon and pink! Yes really! With a large heavy tweed winter coat and brown felt hat for the cond, and a maroon blazer and straw hat for the summer. As you progressed through school you got to exchange the maroon tunic for a maroon skirt, and the White and red striped summer dress for a short sleeved pink shirt along the lovely maroon blazer! Oh and post 11years old you didn’t need to wear the hats, thank Goodness! You always knew the St Martin’s girls in town, and get this.. We weren’t even allowed to eat in public in our uniforms! I remember the head mistress even coming up to mums and requesting them to refrain from buying edible things for us to eat in public, due to the image of the school! I have since found out that the uniform has recently changed to a more user friendly navy blue and Sky blue! Lucky girls!!!!

One of our school plays, I was a page boy!

Even from the early years I loved theatre and drama, and we staged plays regularly, and I was given amazing opportunities with extra curricular activities, like Ballet, Modren Dance, learning to play the Guitar, and when I was older, participating in the Duke of Edinburg Awards. We benefitted from smaller class sizes, many teachers, specialists in their fields, who gave themselves completely to the school, and it’s students. I have fond, very fond memories of many members of staff there. I recall with a giggle, the fact that two of our P.E. and swimming teachers were called Mrs a Fish and Mrs Waters!

We were given the opportunities to visit so many different places, and go on fantastic residential trips, both in the UK, and abroad too! I went to Butlins in Wales at 10, for a week, France, Fougeres to be precise, at 12, and even a week in Russia, when I was 16, visiting St Petersburg, and Moscow.

As I finished my formal education, at 15, sitting my GCSE’s, I was awarded the honour of being a School Librarian. Geeky, yes, I know, but I was one proud librarian! I loved books, even then, and would spend my lunchtimes, lovingly helping the official School Librarian (yes my school had a full time member of staff just for the library!) organise things, and help the younger girls find things they wanted.

Proud librarian, me!

Then I joined the 6th form, attached to the school. It was quite new, in its infancy to be honest, we were the second year of girls to take our A-Levels there. And weren’t we excited, not having to wear that God awful uniform! We could wear a navy blue skirt or trousers and ANY top we wanted! But on formal occasions navy blazer, white shirt and navy skirt! Oh, and we could leave the campus at lunch time! Weren’t we lucky!!! Again tiny class sizes, due to the newness of the 6th form meant we got so much individual attention, there was no excuse to flounder!

With the 2 girls I went from 3 to 17 years old with!

My brother was obviously not in an all girls school but he went to an all boys preparatory school. Up until it was time for secondary, then he went off to a mixed boarding school where he created many amazing memories himself.

I still carry some of those friendships to this day. We don’t get to see one another easily, living in different p,aces, but the beauty of the Internet, and social media means we are still in touch with one another.

Honestly, if I could, I would go back now! If I could give my children the same experience I had, I would…