You may have heard that last night was the peak of activity for the Draconid meteor shower, which was predicted to be a disco in the sky. So, like one does with an event like that, I packed myself and four friends into my little Escort, drove to my caravan by the coast and set up on the beach. We had picnic blankets, many layers of clothing, a couple of disposable barbecues, lots of meat and bread, drinks and torches. We were all set. So we settled down, adjusted our eyes to the dark, and spent a few hours watching the clouds drift by. Of course! Of course it was cloudy! There was only a damn meteor shower going on! A few brief patches of clear sky afforded us the opportunity to see a couple of space rocks burning up in the atmosphere, but nothing like the forcast 'meteor storm' that I had been promised. Sad times indeed.
Although I do recommend post-sunset beach BBQs to anyone. An excellent evening.
Sunday 9 October 2011
Friday 7 October 2011
A To-Do List Follow Up
My last blog ended on a to do list which I gave a time limit. I've got an ongoing list on my bedroom whiteboard that regularly has items for months. Many, many months. The list itself becomes part of the decor and I stop noticing it, so giving myself a target date for completion seemed a practical idea. So a recap & follow up:
1. Resign from current employment - check! A very simple phone call was made, my old superior will be contacted and my p45 will be winging it's way to me. Hurrah! Uncomplicated situation for the tax man.
2. Leave current union - online unsubscription. So is my membership terminated? Who knows!
3. Join a teaching union - had a look. Haven't decided which one is for me yet, so I'll ask around some teaching folk and see who's recommended in the land of teaching unions.
4. Have a look for an in-date CRB or fill in the form - I'm checked to the eyeballs for protection of vulnerable adults! Loads of the bloody things. Any that are suitable for working with children, that haven't expired? Of course not! Why, that'd be too easy! Form filled in, awaiting insertion into an envelope. Must do that tomorrow.
5. Eat leftovers for breakfast/lunch - and lovely it was too!
6. Maybe get a swim in, if there's time after all those phone calls and forms... - nope. It's not that there wasn't time, I was just a bit lonely so I invited myself for dinner with my aunt & uncle. Lovely :)
I also did a fair bit of waiting around for workmen & mechanics & phone calls & whatnot, a friend popped over & I gave my car some of the fluids it needed. So that was my Thursday. Today was busy again, topped up on petrol, dropped my brother off halfway to Uni, fed a friend's ferrets while she's on holiday, picked up my cousin from school, made dinner for 6, then rocked out on rock band for the rest of the night. So now it's quiet time, and me and my kitties are snuggling up and having a (relatively) early night.
Tomorrow is going to be exciting, I hope. Fun for sure. I'll blog about that after it's happened though :)
Night all!
1. Resign from current employment - check! A very simple phone call was made, my old superior will be contacted and my p45 will be winging it's way to me. Hurrah! Uncomplicated situation for the tax man.
2. Leave current union - online unsubscription. So is my membership terminated? Who knows!
3. Join a teaching union - had a look. Haven't decided which one is for me yet, so I'll ask around some teaching folk and see who's recommended in the land of teaching unions.
4. Have a look for an in-date CRB or fill in the form - I'm checked to the eyeballs for protection of vulnerable adults! Loads of the bloody things. Any that are suitable for working with children, that haven't expired? Of course not! Why, that'd be too easy! Form filled in, awaiting insertion into an envelope. Must do that tomorrow.
5. Eat leftovers for breakfast/lunch - and lovely it was too!
6. Maybe get a swim in, if there's time after all those phone calls and forms... - nope. It's not that there wasn't time, I was just a bit lonely so I invited myself for dinner with my aunt & uncle. Lovely :)
I also did a fair bit of waiting around for workmen & mechanics & phone calls & whatnot, a friend popped over & I gave my car some of the fluids it needed. So that was my Thursday. Today was busy again, topped up on petrol, dropped my brother off halfway to Uni, fed a friend's ferrets while she's on holiday, picked up my cousin from school, made dinner for 6, then rocked out on rock band for the rest of the night. So now it's quiet time, and me and my kitties are snuggling up and having a (relatively) early night.
Tomorrow is going to be exciting, I hope. Fun for sure. I'll blog about that after it's happened though :)
Night all!
Thursday 6 October 2011
Thing are Finally Occurring...
Before the end of the summer term, I applied (unsuccessfully) for a handful of teaching jobs. I then spent every other week up and down from London to the coast looking after my nan, so gave up on trying to live any sort of normal life. I then tried (half-heartedly, I must admit) looking for jobs as the new term began. Clearly, this isn't the way to find full time employment. But now things have changed. I sent off my GTCE application, called a supply agency and got signed up. Things are moving forward - my life has had it's engines stoked.
Supply teaching is not something that I liked the sound of. I can just picture the many supply teachers I have seen throughout my life tormented by 'the naughty kids'. Primary, secondary, even at college - they all come in with best intentions, just doing what they've been asked to. And they get hell for it! "Bugger that for a job!", I always thought to myself. So God knows what I've let myself in for. I've been reassured that it isn't anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be - as with all jobs, there are horror stories, but played the right way, it's an inspiring and satisfying line of employment. So, I took a deep breath, and with a little trepidation, called the agency, arranged a meeting, and less than 24 hours later I was sat in the office filling in the (massive amounts of) necessary paperwork. Don't get me wrong, I am so, so excited about the thought of being back in the classroom, and even more so at the thought that I wont have planning to do every evening, but I am frickin' terrified. How do you do it? The first time, I mean. Walk in blind, no clue what you'll be teaching, who you'll be teaching...
So I'm taking deep breaths. I could be in a classroom in the next few weeks. Wow.
Also, one of my friends has had a word at her school and I'm going in next week to spend some time in Reception. So this whole teaching malarky seems to be going somewhere. Which is fantastic, because after all the thousands of pounds & 3 years of my life spent training to do it, getting a job in Asda seems a tad rubbish.
Tomorrow's to do list:
Supply teaching is not something that I liked the sound of. I can just picture the many supply teachers I have seen throughout my life tormented by 'the naughty kids'. Primary, secondary, even at college - they all come in with best intentions, just doing what they've been asked to. And they get hell for it! "Bugger that for a job!", I always thought to myself. So God knows what I've let myself in for. I've been reassured that it isn't anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be - as with all jobs, there are horror stories, but played the right way, it's an inspiring and satisfying line of employment. So, I took a deep breath, and with a little trepidation, called the agency, arranged a meeting, and less than 24 hours later I was sat in the office filling in the (massive amounts of) necessary paperwork. Don't get me wrong, I am so, so excited about the thought of being back in the classroom, and even more so at the thought that I wont have planning to do every evening, but I am frickin' terrified. How do you do it? The first time, I mean. Walk in blind, no clue what you'll be teaching, who you'll be teaching...
So I'm taking deep breaths. I could be in a classroom in the next few weeks. Wow.
Also, one of my friends has had a word at her school and I'm going in next week to spend some time in Reception. So this whole teaching malarky seems to be going somewhere. Which is fantastic, because after all the thousands of pounds & 3 years of my life spent training to do it, getting a job in Asda seems a tad rubbish.
Tomorrow's to do list:
- Resign from current employment
- Leave current union
- Join a teaching union
- Have a look for an in-date CRB or fill in the form
- Eat leftovers for breakfast/lunch
- Maybe get a swim in, if there's time after all those phone calls and forms...
Also, a friend of mine in the States has a third grade class who have sent me a whole bundle of letters that I can't wait to get replying to! I am so excited at the thought of having my own class one day, and having American penpals for them!
So anyway, my first proper post regarding teaching. There may be more in the future...
Monday 29 August 2011
5:40am
It's very early. Or rather, it's very late. I've been lying here for hours now, wanting desperately to fall asleep but not being able to thanks to restless legs. It's not fun. I just got up to shake them off a bit, and now my cat is curled up on my lap, dozing, purring, and just generally being god damn cute. I am doing none of those things. Partly because I don't have vocal chords to purr.
I've opened the curtains and the window (just a little... There's quite a few bugs on the outside of the window that I would prefer didn't "accidentally" find their way in here). There's a bit of light out (I'm looking forward to sunrise now that it's clear there will be no sleeping), and the frequency of cars on the main road is increasing. Sod going to work at this time of day. Some seagulls were screeching a few minutes ago, so the food waste disposal trucks have probably just left the yard to start picking up people's crap. Again, sod going to work at this time of day.
I thought I'd sleep well tonight. I was busy today, looking for jobs and teaching supply agencies to join (because it turns out, I do need some income to survive), dinner with the male parent & boy sibling (Chinese buffet. I ate far too much), and then a few hours of sorting out the many things that I have into boxes so that they can be easily stored in the hallway, ready to come back in when the furniture is rearranged. If I was alone I'd have just carried on hefting bookshelves & my bed around, but as it is, the noise of doing that would be a bit unfair on my sleeping brother in the next room. At least I'll be able to carry on earlier than if I'd slept. This is all such trivial nonsense, and I do apologise. To whom, I know not. It is highly unlikely that anyone would happen by my blog. If you are here, well done, and hello!
It's getting quite light now, and the 6:06 sunrise is only 10 minutes away.
My cat is so asleep he's stopped purring. WAKE UP WORLD! It's a new day!
I've opened the curtains and the window (just a little... There's quite a few bugs on the outside of the window that I would prefer didn't "accidentally" find their way in here). There's a bit of light out (I'm looking forward to sunrise now that it's clear there will be no sleeping), and the frequency of cars on the main road is increasing. Sod going to work at this time of day. Some seagulls were screeching a few minutes ago, so the food waste disposal trucks have probably just left the yard to start picking up people's crap. Again, sod going to work at this time of day.
I thought I'd sleep well tonight. I was busy today, looking for jobs and teaching supply agencies to join (because it turns out, I do need some income to survive), dinner with the male parent & boy sibling (Chinese buffet. I ate far too much), and then a few hours of sorting out the many things that I have into boxes so that they can be easily stored in the hallway, ready to come back in when the furniture is rearranged. If I was alone I'd have just carried on hefting bookshelves & my bed around, but as it is, the noise of doing that would be a bit unfair on my sleeping brother in the next room. At least I'll be able to carry on earlier than if I'd slept. This is all such trivial nonsense, and I do apologise. To whom, I know not. It is highly unlikely that anyone would happen by my blog. If you are here, well done, and hello!
It's getting quite light now, and the 6:06 sunrise is only 10 minutes away.
My cat is so asleep he's stopped purring. WAKE UP WORLD! It's a new day!
Wednesday 6 July 2011
First post of 2011...
Well that's not very good of me. I haven't posted in over a year, and even that was just an 8 word complaint that still holds true now.
So wagwan, 2011? I passed my final teaching placement, passed all of my courses, and am now an almost qualified teacher. Just waiting on the piece of paper that says so! I'm currently in the process of applying for jobs, which, to be fair, isn't going too well, considering there are less than 2 weeks of this term left and there aren't many jobs around now... gah.
Also this year, I took myself back to the US for a 2 week break and went on a girl's holiday to Spain which was fantastic. Lots of time spent in the pool, the sea and creeping in the shadows to avoid burns. Which worked, but meant that I came home looking like I'd spent the week in a cave.
So now that I've made a brief appearance back on my blog, which was clearly a tool for procrastinating because let's be honest - filling in job applications is in no way fun or exciting, it's time for me to depart once more. Maybe I'll remember to come back when I get a job. I might tell you about the joys of embarking in the teaching profession.
Or I might forget again, until next year.
Or I might forget again, until next year.
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