Day 76: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I don't like Mondays. Especially when I spent the entire weekend writing up my second assignment for Teachy Firsty, and stayed up until half 2 to complete it. It was not good. Luckily I did get it done, and managed to get into work early to prep the lessons.

Unfortunately the schemes for this term have been created on software that I can't access from home, and so can't really prepare the night before, to which I'm accustomed, unless I stay at school. So I had to get in early to sort them out, which isn't ideal. The schemes are mainly done, but if I am to adapt any - and some require it, especially for my class - then I need to put more than 30 minutes into it.

So I knew I'd be feeling a little worn out with three lessons, which is the most I've had since Christmas, but damn - it was tough. First lesson of the day was year 8, and that familiar taste of dread started building up from staff briefing, when I tried in vain to stay in the staff room chair for as long as possible after. I sorted out the lesson, and prepared myself. They actually weren't that bad. They weren't great, but they weren't terrible either. We got some work done, even though it was a lesson I'd thrown together myself, and I was rather pleased with the outcome.

After break I had year 7, and the lesson was.. ok. A little dry at times, because the tasks I'd asked them to do wasn't terribly well explained (mea culpa) but they all had a go and it was ok. I can't remember much else.

Finally after lunch were year 9. I was relieved to have my colleague in with me, mainly because I relied on his own subject knowledge heavily throughout the lesson. We were talking about camera shots, and I was a little disappointed to see that only one of them was really paying attention. I enjoyed the lesson's topic, at least, especially a creepy short film I got to show them, which was a Ring-esque horror. A was up to his little tricks again, I think he's gotten worse since Christmas, which is a shame.

I had last lesson off, and tried to sort myself out, to no avail. I'm drowning under a pile of paperwork and marking, which is keeping me up at night, so it's doubly frustrating that when I have the opportunity to do it I seem to find some other thing to distract me.

After school finished we had our Teachy Firsty meeting. It was a discipline surgery thing, with the formidible head of discipline, or whatever her title is, talking us through our classes and students we had trouble with. It was a bit of a bitch fest, but I managed to get some advice on a few kids, and was presented with the no-brainer of following up all problems and calling home. Which I'm still struggling to do (I suppose after *that* phonecall I'm a little reticent about calling anyone.)

I felt really bad when I left the meeting to grab my diary and was invited for a drink by a colleague. I brusquely barked "Can't. Busy." as I bounded up the stairs, forgetting it was her birthday. Ooops.

After the meeting I grabbed my stuff and decided to mark at home, which obviously didn't happen. I didn't even get an early night. What am I playing at?