Must try harder ...

Right now we're right in the middle of reports, so as usual, I find anything I can to distract myself. It's funny how I can churn out endless amounts of rambling on my blog, but when it come to reports I am totally uninspired.
Maybe if we could write what we're really thinking it would be more fun! Today I read the opening chapter of Matilda with a boy. Here are some of Roald Dahl's report comments:

The periodical cicada spends six years as a grub underground, and no more than six days as a free creature of sunlight and air. Your son Wilfred has spent six years in this school and we are still waiting for him to emerge from the chrysalis.

Or how about ...?

Fiona has the same glacial beauty as an iceberg, but unlike the iceberg she has absolutely nothing below the surface.

Pure brilliance from Mr Dahl, proving that the best children's writers entertain the grown ups as much as the kids.

I was trawling through the Literacy books this afternoon and came across a couple of little gems I will share with you. We have been learning about persuasive writing and discursive writing recently. Here are a couple of the kids' arguments in favour of wearing school uniform:

More Money

Getting uniform would mean teachers get paid more salary and that would make the teachers stay instead of leaving.

Really? Well all of my class are wearing full uniform - I await my bonus!

Here's the next one:

Uniforms have been used for generations by police, school children and security guards. So before you vote 'no uniform' think - policemen look cool!

Glad we've got that one straight then. I wonder whether he was talking about police in full riot gear or the crisp white uniform with matching gloves worn by the Ugandan traffic police!

Decisions decisions ...

It seems as though the school year has only just begun, yet already thoughts are turning to whether people will stay or move on to pastures new. Is it time to move on to a new place? Somewhere with a healthier wage packet, or is it a good idea to stay where I am quite contented,  most of the time? This is the dilemma that faces International teachers every year. We are asked to make a decision on our futures by the Christmas, so that the school can go to a recruitment fair in the January. While this all makes perfect sense, it is always difficult to project your thoughts so far into the future. What if you quit your job and can’t find anything else? What if you decide to leave a place and suddenly realise you would really like to stay for longer? I know for a fact that I enjoyed my second year in Colombia immensely more than my first, yet I had to set the whole job hunting process in motion in the October of my second year. It was only as I boarded the plane to leave that I truly realised I was deeply saddened to leave.  I spent my first few months in Uganda looking at my time in Colombia through rose tinted glasses. I am now entering my third year in Uganda and can hardly imagine leaving. For all the daily frustrations that I talk about, there is something that has got under my skin that I find hard to let go of. Maybe it’s the beautiful country, the year round sunshine or maybe it’s the wonderful people who brighten up your day … or maybe it’s the fact that I am a lazy little madam who likes having a maid in to do my washing or the little luxuries in life we can afford here that wouldn’t be available to us at home. It’s probably a mixture of all of them. So when I look at my options I wonder what the future has in store for me. Am I ready to go ‘home’? But what is home anymore and what sort of lifestyle can I afford to live? What do I do if I go home? For sure, we are spoiled rotten here, with our small class sizes, wonderful kids and ample free periods thanks to all the specialist lessons. I’m not sure I want to get back on the treadmill that is teaching in the UK. And what about other places? The Middle East is renowned for good schools, generous packages and a lively ex-pat lifestyle. But then I don’t think I could cope with the heat and I hate air-conditioned environments, so is that really the place for me? Then there is China, which would definitely have a rich culture, but is it too exotic and different to everything I have known before. These are tough choices and if anybody has any advice on the subject, then I am all ears …

Fetch the dunce cap!

It's a long time since I have put pen to paper and I think I may be suffering from that 'Summer holiday fall back' syndrome. For those of you who are not teachers, I am talking about the way that kids drop back a bit over the summer holiday, forgetting how to pick up a pencil or how to use a protractor.
For five and a half blissful weeks, all I have had to think about is whether I'm getting tan lines on a beach. The biggest stress in my life was deciding whether I should spend my money on a new camera or a laptop. Major decisions consisted of which pudding I should have off a menu or whether I should have a glass of wine or a beer.
Then, with little warning, we are catapulted back into our working lives. We always give the kids a few days to get used to the routines and to tune their brains in again, while we are expected to go from naught to sixty in less than a nanosecond. Moving classrooms, backing walls, planning, collecting resources and a neverending 'To do' list. On top of that, I have just moved house, have boxes everywhere and still haven't found my hairdryer ... normal service will be resumed soon.