Montserrat was particularly clear as I proceeded on my way up the Ronda de Dalt towards the school. I am sure that I should be able to work out some prognostication for the weather from the clarity with which I could see the bizarre corrugations of the mountain range so dear to the hearts of Catalans, but I can’t. It either means that the pollution is at unusually low levels or alternatively that pollution has become more cunning and is hiding its poison in transparency.
In face, looking out of the staff room window in Building 1 I can see that a gauzy pall has descended on the city and the sun is more hazy than it was on the journey in.
I count all of this as a positive, as the weather forecast was less than inspiring for this week and, although it is markedly colder than it was last, at least it is not raining – so I am (relatively) happy.
My last batch of marking is due to be completed this morning and the computer is primed and ready to take in and process the raw marks that I get. I have the marking key at hand. I can do no more until I get the papers themselves.
The examinations finish today, but lessons with classes go on until the end of the week. With some of the groups this is their last times with a particular teacher as everything changes for the next term; except the change occurs in March and the term ends in April. This is another of the courtesy details of life in the school that makes life just a little bit more difficult.
I have a double lesson of Media Studies this afternoon and I am disinclined to teach but I do not have a film which (even remotely) can be linked to advertising that is the aspect of the course that we have been studying. No doubt I will think of something – and anyway I want to get the examination papers marked before I leave this school this evening.
The so-called “evaluation” meeting to discuss the results of the kids is being held, wait for it, on Friday afternoon and will probably extend itself interminably until about 7 pm! On a Friday! They would never, never, never get away with scheduling a meeting at that time in Britain. But when you consider that the original time for this meeting was on Saturday morning then you tend to count your blessings!
Today being what day it is, I have caused my usual sensation by wearing appropriately garish neckwear to celebrate the National Day of my country. Large red dragons march defiantly and diagonally across my tie in front of a background of green and white: it is, you might say, noticeable. And rightly so!
As there is a school trip to Wales during Fiasco Week and our party will be sharing the centre with another private school from England, our pupils have been encouraged to write letters to their British counterparts. My colleagues have discovered, perhaps not surprisingly that many of the kids have called the country “Whales” or “Gales”: I trust that they will be a little more accurate after their experience in the actual land!
I’ve started listening to Rattle’s Records and I am pleased with the quality of the reproduction and the intensity of the interpretation – a continuing delight! I haven’t really delved deeply into the less well known of the pieces in the sets of discs and I look forward to learning something new.
Clarrie’s book has arrived: “1000 Years of Annoying the French” by Stephen Clarke a jokey yet serious look at Anglo-French relationships showing how the French have lied and misrepresented everything from the North Man (NOT French) invasion of our jewelled isle in 1066 to French involvement in World War II. 600 pages of enough stuff to fee righteous indignation for an age!
I have also had two other books delivered. By delivered of course, I mean that the delivery people left a note saying that they had “tried” to deliver the package but were unsuccessful. As they obviously did not have the package with them and made no attempt to contact the people inside the house where they were supposed to deliver the package, I suppose we should be grateful that they did at least deliver the notification that they had the package somewhere.
“Portable Genius” a handbook for Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 was the first of the books and looks just about at m level and has lots of screen images to keep me on the right track as I try to explore what this set of programs can do.
The second is “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World” by Niall Ferguson. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his “Empire” and bought this on the strength of my response and a feeling that I need some background to put what investment managers have been doing with my money into some sort of historical perspective.
The reading is building up nicely for the long weekends!
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