Still a teacher

[woolymonkey]

It's 16 years (or approx one Spidermonkey) since I taught in a school, but the weekend felt like the end of term--last bits of marking done, admin tidied up, wondering what to do with free time this week. Only I got this scratchy sore throat, exactly the one that always used to strike while listening to the Head's end of term assembly... And now, cough, temperature,aches: it's the holiday flu again, the one teachers get as soon as term is over.

Don't feel too sorry for me. It's that quite pleasant kind of ill where I can alternate between light pottering and trashy reading, and quite enjoy both as long as I get plenty of time with my feet up. I even shuffled as far as the town libary in search of randomly fun reading. George MacDonald Fraser's The Reavers turns out to be exactly what I need. After that, I have a Hornblower, with a grown-up Patrick Ness and two similarly grown-up Alan Garners to follow when I'm feeling a tad more focussed. I think I could like this.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Good to hear the marking and admin are sorted. Enjoy your pottering and feel better soon.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

Ah, it's good to know that someone other than me is still reading The Reavers. Fraser's The Pyrates is one of my favorite books of all time.

Get well soon, even so!

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

I've never read The Pyrates but I ordereed a copy yesterday and look forward to fixing that.

[dorispossum.livejournal.com]

half term flu before half term... that's bad. hope it's better soon!

am also enjoying partial taskcompletion high, having just finished the last of the pre-exam timed essays. (unless the sweeties bring me a a few more little gifts tomorrow of course...) Will go and prep the feedback this evening, then it's done - nice feeling, isn't it! :)

Two weeks of training, meetings and (hopefully) starting prep on the new texts/topics starting in Septemer. And responding to emails students send when trying to outsource their revision (Q: what is synecdoche, and what are best examples to quote from 'Pride and Prejudice'. A: look in a fucking dictionary and read the book. In my head.)

I love this point in the year - when the L6 lovelies come back from exam leave, we get to do lots of interesting induction to their new texts. They're all happy and relaxed (and so am I) and there's NO MARKING! Real weekends and a social life. And beer festival next week.

Assuming the lurgi's released you by then, are you going to beer fest?

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Am looking forward to beer fest but not sure if I'll be going in the evenings--lunchtime fits better for me.

I should be fine by then and still have a few weeks holiday before the final marking pile lands on my desk in early June.

[dorispossum.livejournal.com]

sadly will still be at work lunchtimes (though M, whose workplace is right next to Jesus Lock) may take advantage. Am planning to try and do evenings early in week before the big rush starts Friday/Sat.