All that you have is your soul (Tracy Chapman).

Friday 23 June 2006

Demi-Paradise

The school is going through a transformation, whereby the junior and senior schools are being completely separated.  The younger students (Key Stage 3) will be taking their lessons in the building where I currently teach, whilst the older children (Key Stages 4 & 5) will be taught in the second building, which is about five minutes walk away.

As result, all teaching has been suspended for a week, whilst we sort out our moving arrangements. The room I’ve occupied since September is to be given over to the History Department, which is not a bad thing since it wasn’t really suited to I.T. (witness the “fun” I experienced at the end of last term, when the electrics literally went ‘phut’).

I’ve now got my stuff boxed up, ready for transporting. I will be teaching on both sites, although I think my new timetable, which will come into operation when I return on 3rd July favours my being more on the other site, which doesn’t bother me too much.

A by-product of the move is that the teaching day is being changed, so that our seventy minute marathons are going to become a much more manageable hour in length. The kids are also being bumped up to the next form, three weeks before the end of the academic year (to prepare us all for September). It is certainly going to be strange to come back in ten days or so and teach my new Year 8’s….who are still really Year 7’s!

The good news is that I won’t have my current tutor group. Let’s say that both us are happy to be wishing one another adieu…am I being diplomatic enough?

Until then, if today is anything to go by, going into school will be a most pleasurable experience. My fellow teachers are relaxed and thoroughly enjoying this unusual (but extremely welcome) break from the students.

Demi-paradise?

You bet.

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