[Miscellany]

How can it only be Tuesday? It feels like it's at least a Wednesday in August 2008 - I've had enough, bring on the weekend.

I've spent the last week trying to order art room stools. Who knew it would be so hard? I thought it would seriously take me 15 minutes. Ring up, have a chat, order them in and then sit back with a dry martini in one hand and patting myself on the back with the other. But nooo, of course I've had to measure table heights, get children of various sizes and shapes in to test heights of chairs, measure the existing stools, mull over how many I should order and of what size, wait for the rep to come in with samples, pick out colours, have endless chats with the company manager on the phone and then finally after a week of ridiculous work in my lunch breaks and afterschool I go to the office to fax the order through and they've packed up and gone home! Typical.

I told one of the classes about the new stools and they all started cheering and clapping. Gee, they must really be sick of sitting on splinters. I never realised they were that bad though. Then I told them that we were doing some box construction (making things using boxes) and you'd think I'd told them that Justin Timberlake was coming to visit. They were all clapping and carrying on. Maybe they were just in a cheering mood, who knows? I'm excited about the stools though. That's how sad my life is guys.

The art room at the moment is an absolute pig sty. I can hardly stand being in there. Somehow I just haven't been on top of it. I'm so tired at the end of the day that I've just been shuffling around impotently and then finally leaving it and going home. A bunch of time has also been spent taking a bunch of raku gold tiles out to the sticks to be fired. I am spending an absolute fortune on petrol these days! I'm just getting so frustrated with all the travel and lifting, organising, planning and other craziness that I need to do to keep this art program going. ohhh, I've just made myself break up in a cold sweat thinking about all the things I have yet to do. I am running on empty and I can't believe that the term has only just started. I wish I had my own personal midget to give me neck rubs and clean everything up at the end of the day. He doesn't have to be a midget actually. It could be a normal sized person. In fact a midget probably couldn't even reach my shoulders. Better make it a tall man. One who likes cleaning, and thinks I'm their queen. Is that really too much to ask?

People have been coming into the art room and stealing some of my resources. They gave me a few weeks grace at the beginning of the year before they came in for the kill but now it happens a lot. I know from the last art teacher that this is normal behaviour. I know from my own evil stealing of art room materials over the years that it's pretty normal. But, I'm still pissed. I've already got the maintenence guy to bolt the three store cupboards and I'm going to order another with a lock and I'm already thinking of stealworthy things I can put in there. If someone asks me personally then I have no problem lending out things but if they take it without asking then I want to kick them in the shins. I have decided that if by some twist of fate I become leader of the world that I would actually be a dictator. I always thought I would be a benevolent leader cuddling kittens and saving the whales or something but that's a load of shit. I'm actually Mussolini cleverly disguised in a flippy skirt and toting a pink handbag.

The conversation in the staff room today was about how everyone feels genuinely down lately. The prep teacher said that when she gets in the car in the morning she prays that it doesn't start so she has an excuse not to come in. The 3/4 teacher said that he prays for a virus so he can have a few sick days. Then one by one everyone started admitting that they have these secret little fantasies of being ill or incapacitated just so they can miss a few days of work. I am amazed. I thought I was the only one who actually wished bad things would happen to them just so they have a legit excuse to take a break. People are always going on about how many holidays that teachers have like we have no excuse to be tired or run down or stressed (ever), but at the same time our day to day working conditions are HELL (but with lots of sweet art work). I don't think people understand that we can't even go to the toilet when we need to. I can't tell you how many days I've gone all day busting without a toilet break. Sometimes you get to the end of the day and think - enough. Just enough.

Guys, I am so exhausted and emotional. How am I going to survive this term?

posted by M at 6:20 pm 15 comments