Winner!

Yep, I feel like a winner today :) Since I can't drink yet, have been chomping on these amazing Jelly Belly jelly beans, yum yum!

My final assessment went really really well. I got graded "very good", which is the top grade CCCU gives to TFs. My portfolio was pretty hot, almost everything was there, just need to do some more work on assessment. My observed lesson could hardly have gone better - the kids were great, really keen and on the ball, no behaviour problems, all engaged and on task - it was a thing of beauty. Only minor issue was time, but I dealt with that. My favourite part of the interview was when my assessor said to me that I taught like someone who'd been teaching for 2 or 3 years, and that I was a natural. Hahaha, a natural teacher, who'd have thought it eh? He also said I should start laying the ground work to move up the ladder because there's lots of potential for responsibility. Exciting stuff! So yeah, I'm feeling pretty good right now :)

It's weird though, because recently I was really not enjoying this job, and obviously things are still tough, but I think my faith in me has been slightly restored. Maybe I could be a teacher after all....

But I wonder what it would be like to change schools? I'm always ranting about the problems in school, but my department and so many of my colleagues are just amazing, I don't think I'd want to go somewhere else. Really, especially with my department, they're all just so supportive and lovely, I don't think other departments could compare. Today, for example, after my observed lesson, they were all waiting outside to see what had happened - how sweet! And when I couldn't walk up the stairs they helped me get all the resources and organised room changes and sorted things out for me. I really owe them.

Wow, I think I am a wee bit emotional today, heehee.

Ooh but in other news, D in Y8 was back in my lesson today after 4 weeks in the LSU. He lasted 20 minutes before he started simulating a sexual act and so I had to kick him out. Also, heard a scary rumour that I may in fact be a Y11 tutor next year. Errr, no thanks.

Must stop the negativity....winning thoughts, winning thoughts...I'm a winner, yay!

Thursday

I think today was a bit of turning point. I do have some ranting to do, but I guess it's not strictly ranting since I'm not complaining, more simply stating the facts.

Can't remember if I already said, but my brand new birthday present car turned three years old a coupla weeks ago, and so had to be MOT-ed. And, predictably, it failed. The most annoying reason is that there is no alloy wheel locking kit in the car since the sodding thieves nicked that as well. This means that all the wheel nuts have to replaced, pricey. I think this pushes the grand cost of putting my car in the care of another maths teacher to over £600. Needless to say I won't be doing that again. Apparently the front right tyre also had a deep cut in it, there was some kinda leaky gasket, and something else wrong with it too. Excellent.

I had a double observation (two people in observing) with my Y8s before lunch today. We went to the computer room, and it was mostly going fine, except little D was being a bit of psycho. I knew he was in a hyper mood even as he stepped into the room, but I think the excitement of computers + a room change + having visitors was just too much for him to cope with, and so his behaviour went right out the window. I finally had to kick him out the lesson when he started jumping from the chair onto the desk. Made the mistake of letting him back into the room, where he proceeded to wind up the pupils next to him, then run around the room, then sit at my desk and start writing over the flipchart that I had prepared and was currently being projected to the class. I took him to the LSU straight after the lesson to get them to talk to him and try and figure out what went wrong. A turning point for me really, since whereas before this type of thing would have made me pretty stressed and wired, today I didn't really care. Sure it wasn't a good observation, but what can I do really? Either I am feeling apathy, or I am actually so stressed I don't notice stress any more (this could be true - last night I woke up in a panic at 4am convinced it was time to go to school and so desperately thinking of excuses to get out of it - good stuff).

Anyway, on a good note, my interview at MyBnk went really well. The lady in charge there was really inspiring and we got on really well. The project seems to have a lot of independence for the intern, and it's something that I believe in and think I could actually make a valuable contribution to, so fingers crossed on that front. Also, went and had a drink with the Mulberry TFTs after my interview - they'd had their final assessment today and it all went super for them, so am very pleased. I'm doing my Second School placement at Mulberry in two weeks time, which should be really interesting (all girls, predominantly Muslim, state school with a VIth form - very different to us!)

On a final note, am very much looking forward to the weekend, and as such, I will leave you with this delightful rant from Puja:

Hi girls,

i thought i would email you both and have a rant because the computer system at work has been f**king up since Monday and i have not been able to do any work and it is tres tres annoying. and outlook keeps messing up so i have clients calling up wondering why all of their emails are bouncing back and not coming through. i may scream. but i wont.

also the person i sit next to is somewhat annoying. he constantly (and i mean alllllll the f**king time) slurps/chews/bites away at his nails and hands and its pretty disgusting to be honest. and extremely distracting. but i dont know how nicely to tell him to shut the f**k up.

anyhoo rant over (and i mite add that the slurping is continuing while i write this email) and excitement about Fri!! its going to be lots of fun me thinks. dinner wise - do u want to eat at mine? i though that we could just order a pizza in which would save us having to move and go out and get food. what do u think?

Hwc is stressing about work a lot so we will have to try and cheer her up! she is def coming but will not be at mine till later - prob about 9ish. but she did say that she will prob stay over so we have the whole nite to play 304 and drink! whoohoo!

righty ho - im going to go and have a wander around the office to get away from the disgustingness that is the person sat next to me.

See u 2mrw dudettes!

Love Puja xx

PS - slurp slurp (one of the ppl i work with described it as 're-juicing'. isnt that the most grossest word ever? i think it mite even be worse than 'moist').