Day 295 - Subbed At Half Time

Friday February 5th

I struggled manfully in having planned all my lessons but my voice and resolve gave way in my first lesson. The lesson itself was a bit of a disaster - it's the last time I ask a band 3 set to do a Tarsia puzzle...schoolboy error.

After that I was ushered gently into the staffroom and out of general circulation for the rest of the day. It turned out quite well as I managed to get everything organised for next week.

Day 144 - How Badly Can They Behave?

Monday September 7th

So my biggest nightmare is being soft on behaviour. I lie/sit there and think of all these different scenarios where kids defy me, laugh at me, swear at me, attack me (or someone else) and I am frozen on the spot, unable to take firm action. My preference is for some cutting witty remark that stops them in their tracks and there is no more trouble but I know that is fantasy land.

Even standing in the corridor and checking uniforms (top button done up, tie up to the collar, shirt tucked in) is a dilemma. How do you be consistent if you know that a. say it once you have to say it a thousand times and b. once they walk round the corner, they undo their top button again.

At the staff meeting today, I received a weighty copy of the behaviour policy and had a talk from the child protection officers. We have a 'Referral Form' which we need to fill in and pass to senior management if we punish anyone. The list of misdemeanours is priceless - swearing, smoking, drugs, alcohol, not working. Also priceless is what you need to refer to the CPO - pregnancy, abortion, drug abuse. Not much of that to deal with at Diageo.

Day 91 - Squeezing up the Stairs

Thursday July 15th

Our ship has come in! All day at the new house, directing our three moving guys into various rooms. A big job for them but they did very well given they had 4 floors to contend with.

A slight hiccup with the sofas but we agreed to keep the big blue one downstairs and then willed the leather one to get up one flight. Finally it did and Mrs N was happy.

We checked out the new athletics track and astro-turf in Bar End. It only opens from 8am and costs 2 quid to run on it. Looks like I will have to join the Winchester and District Athletic Club

Went into town to eat and ran into the Winchester 5k. How I wanted to be running - I'm sure I can get sub 20 mins now, especially on a flat course. Instead I watched them forlornly from the window - the Winchester running vest of black with yellow horizontal stripe looked very fetching.

Finished off at the Maths Dept party. Enjoyed spending more time with my new colleagues and mostly listened. It will certainly be entertaining in the staffroom, if nothing else!