Space!

Today was a test day.  I ran away from school at a time which was unprecedented in the history of the institution.  I was home before the lunching hour of one!  This pushes my inviolability to the limits. 

I thought that I had tested the tolerance of the school by brining out a chair and sitting on the patio and watching the kids during my so-called invigilation of the morning break, but my disappearance during the times that I am not teaching is pushing the school to the limits of its tolerance. 

I suppose that I can say that it is their choice; they accept my rules or I walk!

Today I have been able to utilize the day not only to complete my teaching requirements but also to complete a little academic work and go out for an enjoyable evening with the head of secondary in the local British school.  We were eventually joined by the head of pastoral and, for the first time in my experience of working in the school, I actually saw her sit down!

An excellent evening and I look forward to future evenings of the same kind!

Tomorrow will be a defining day when my departure today will either be an important feature or it will be treated as I want it to be: as unimportant.  And thus the rest of my time in the School on the Hill will be defined as acceptable!

Tomorrow the way of the school reinforces itself as we lurch into the examination season yet again.  The Mock Examinations (how apt that adjective is!) start tomorrow and I lapse back into my default position of marking Paper 1 with my tried-and-tested cut-out marking scheme.  I think that my offer to mark my traditional burden of Paper 1 was greeted with a certain degree of delighted acceptance and I think that I might have talked myself into that unwelcome burden when I might have been able to remain aloof!

But the year is rolling along and I have to play my part in it.  Yesterday in bed I tried to work out just how many weeks were left until the end of June, but it was simply too depressing to contemplate with any degree of equanimity!

Meanwhile the teaching has to go on and I have to be there to ensure its continuation!  Or something.

At least we seem to be clearer about when the Third Annual Chocolate Week is going to take place: the second week in February.  I will have to start rooting around for white chocolate recipes to ensure that Julie is contained within our celebrations!

And tomorrow is already the “tipping day” when we begin to work our way towards the weekend.  Such ways of thinking are the ways to get through the week.

Unfortunately there are lots of weeks left before I can feel the tension of educational responsibility drift away!