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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Roll up that man!



The staff have now been told that I am leaving tomorrow and there is that strange attitude which is composed of what I hope is sincere regret at my departure and relief that they are still in a job!

One colleague’s jolly, “Well, it’s the right time to be free when it is coming up to the summer,” was ironic given the seamless segue that I have to make into another teaching situation on Thursday!

My sixth form were still the worse for wear after the three day break with one of the boys’ voices being quite an octave lower thanks to the liquid ravages of Carnival!

Another, on hearing that I did not join revellers over the weekend croaked out that I still had time as Carnival was not over and I could go out and party this very evening. Thinking about it, I consider that arriving in a ‘tired and emotional’ state for the last day of my stay when I hope to return here would be, to say the least, impolitic!

The one achievement that marks my stay in this school is my total mastery of the paper towel machine. This was exemplified by my expert performance on a visit to the toilet first thing in the morning where the window of opportunity to detach the paper towel before the ‘clunk’ indicates the emergence of the graspable tag for the next user is very short. It is a fine art which needs constant practice and impeccable timing otherwise the ability to produce the refined twist of the wrist at the requisite moment to produce a clean, straight edge sheet will be lost!

New school: new sanitary challenges!

Changing schools usually involves the buffer of a holiday to allow a breathing space to adjust to a new experience: this will be the first time that there is less than a day between institutions. I admit that I have only been in my present placement for just over two weeks, but I do feel that I have fitted into the educational life of the school. I only hope that I am able to leave a reasonably enduring (and positive) memory behind me in case any suitable opportunity for employment there comes up. The pity is at present that the English Department of the school seems robustly healthy and determined to stay on!

I am awaiting promised email from my next school outlining what point in the courses the classes have reached. This knowledge will give me an impressive air of omniscience as I waltz into the room and with an uncanny prescience launch straight into the next part of their course!

All change!

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