[Miscellany]

There's something about teaching that keeps your neurons firing. I've learnt a great many things from children, probably learnt more from them than they've learnt from me to be completely honest.

It's been hailing on and off all day (didn't we just come off a heat wave?) - each break brings with it a sliver of blue sky and a touch of glare behind the heavy grey snow cloud laden sky. Around lunchtime was when it hit the worst out our way. Big sultana sized globes of white ice firing down from the heavens making everything white below. I couldn't speak over the sound of it without shouting.

Immediately 23 or so little feet bounded towards the windows and they all stood there squealing and shouting and staring at the strange sight outside. I tried in vain to round them all up again. Back to work they went, painty palate knives still in their clenched fists but their eyes kept wandering towards the windows and their voices kept rising and rising until again they were all up and walking towards the windows. Again, I round them back up like some kind of kelpie keeping the herd together and keep doing it until I am frustrated, exhausted and ready to give up altogether.

Later, I asked the v.prin how his kids were during the storm. He laughed and explained how ridiculous, loud and bouncy they were, like mine. I asked him what he did to counteract that. I just said "bugger it" and let them all go and watch the storm out the window. That's what they really wanted to do and we weren't going to get anything done while the storm was going anyway. After the storm we went on with what we were doing before.

Lesson #1: You can't fight the rip - it's too strong. Swim diagonally with it, but never against it or you're a goner.

I spent my lunchtime in the resource room laminating art prints. Not exactly a fun way to spend your time. Laminating is excruciatingly slow business. I am the girl who is constantly running into sliding doors because they don't open fast enough! I don't do too well with slow stuff. Anyway, lately I can't quite seem to get ahead of my workload. Every time I look around there is something new to add to my ever-growing list - perhaps I should stop looking the hell around then, eh? But I digress.

In this laminating process I'm mounting prints (don't be rude) to coloured board and then putting them in the sheath (err) and sliding them through the hot, tight slit (um - this doesn't sound quite right). Okay, it's not as exciting as that. It's just boring, frustrating and time consuming. M, the teacher who wrote me that nice note the other day happened to be walking past the resource room and saw me muttering to the laminator while simultaneously flipping my hair out of my eyes and giving every art print the evil eye. Obviously I am a very composed person whose body language never gives them away. She walked in and offered to give me a hand. I smiled and said no. I hate inconveniencing people. When it comes to asking for help I am decidedly male about it all (stubborn and stupid - sorry guys but you know you are - plus I am lumping myself in with you). She insists on helping me. I insist that she go enjoy her lunch break. Once again she insists and I, by this stage am completely frustrated and am ranting like Dame Looney Madwoman about how it's important for her to have her damn lunch break and this is a one woman job blahblahblah.

She just gives me the 'you're dumb' look (I get it a lot) grabs the prints and says that if I don't tell her what to do she's just going to start cutting them up and sticking them on any old way. I finally relent and M is left to mount the prints and put them in their little sleeve while I put them through the laminator and cut off the excess plastic. We're talking and laughing and making jokes and we're done in no time.

lesson #2. Sure it might take a strong character to reign me in, but its okay when that happens once in a while. Sometimes I just need to let others help me out. It's easier and it's funner (made up word).

Labels: school, teaching the teacher

posted by M at 10:16 pm 17 comments