I really liked this quote!

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. ~Donald D. Quinn

Two pupil councillors

At the Intermediate where the boys go/have gone, they have pupil councillors. One boy and one girl per class and the class vote for their councillors. Last year Ross was pupil councillor and today Colin was announced as pupil councillor! Colin was sooo happy. And that means two brothers have been pupil councillors in the same teacher's class two years in a row.

Why?

Why do people say "Oh my god? or "Christ!" etc as a term of swearing or simply just as a word to use in the same manner as teenagers use "like"? I personally find it offensive as do many others. In my religion (Christianity) that is blasphemy. Why don't these same people say "oh my Allah" or "Mohhamed!" or "Buddah!"?

I wrote to TV One and asked them the same question; they replied and said they would pass the feedback onto the newsroom etc. I have noticed that there is not quite so much blasphemy as there was. Now I wish other people would do the same

Scrapping on Saturday

I did quite a few l/os and then yesterday I cut the titles on my WB and did the journalling. What I like most about the WB is having the ability to make the title the same font as my journalling. I know that I'm not as creative or as artistic as many people out there, but I feel that my story is told too, so that's what's important. A few of these I'm going to enter at the NZ Dares for their dare to use at least ten photos

This one is from Mt Maunganui -

all I did was add the title

This is in Queenston up the Gondola for NZ Dares - 10 photos

This is also from QT

The Caitlins north of Invercargill - also for NZ Dares - 11 photos (it's just the wrong ay round)

Woo Hoo!!!!

I am such a happy person today! I got a text message from my Head of Department telling me I have a classroom. So why is that so exciting I hear you ask. Well, for four years I have had to teach in other people's classrooms - no storage space of my own, always having to drag my preparation and folders in and out of classrooms, not being as organised because I am busy getting sorted whilst the kids are coming in, not being able to have the desks arranged as I want them, never being able to put my students' work on the walls ............ I can't wait for tomorrow to start moving in!

Edited to say: because I am a part-timer, in a big school such as ours, there are no classrooms for us p-ts to have our own, hence my excitement at finally getting a classroom

For Alan

My BIL in South Africa has his 50th birthday in two weeks time. My SIL decided to do an album for him but chose a 12x12! Each relative has been asked to do a l/o for the album - this is our contribution.





Once I decided what to do it didn't take too long, but I really wasn't inspired earlier this week. I have used Bazzill c/s and scalloped c/s; a piece of vellum from Up2Scrap called "Koha - the gift" firstly because I liked the pohutakawa blossom and secondly because I am sending him a "gift" (he doesn't know about it yet though :-) I also used my WishBlade to cut the title and the dates (the dates were a bit fiddly because they are quite small) and then lastly I added the little kiwi brad

Conversation with a teenager

I hope that when they are a few years older, our converstions are not like this Enjoy!

Two good looking boys

Well, I think so! All dressed in their school uniforms

New Year

The boys start school on Monday:

Colin in Yr 8 at Intermediate and he will be with Mrs Smith who taught Ross for two years! Woo hoo! We are so pleased about that! [Problem - what do we buy for the teacher to whom we have already given Christmas presents two years in a row? Answer - Bottles of Lindauer Fraise (her favourite) and a champagne stopper]

Ross in Yr 9 at College (first year) and he is in a streamed class! Another woo hoo! He is also with Josh (one of his friends) and Changling with whom he had many maths discussions last year

I hope they both have a great year ahead of them

And me? I have a weak Yr 12, a weak Yr 11, a weak to ordinary Yr 10 and an ordinary Yr 9. Don't feel sorry for me with tthe weak classes, as I like them and one can make more of a difference with weak kids than the brighter ones. Bright kids are easy to teach; weak kids present a challenge so I'm looking forward to it