Meteor Showers and Beach BBQs

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.

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!

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:

1. Resign from current employment
2. Leave current union
3. Join a teaching union
4. Have a look for an in-date CRB or fill in the form
5. Eat leftovers for breakfast/lunch
6. 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...