Do it all over again tomorrow & International Slipper Day

I think the most stressful part of today was trying to get to school by 7 am. The issue is that I have to get through each of my students doing their daily individual reading before school starts at 7.45. With the slower readers this can cut it fine. Turned out six students were absent today but I only just got through everyone. I really will have to try get to school before 7 - groan, it was dark when I woke up this morning and it's going to get colder, but I must just suck it up and ... drink coffee! If I could just have it intravenously just before I have to wake up ...

Sadly some of the missing students today might not actually come back as it is an issue over fees being paid. This makes me very sad as they are good kids. The one boy already had to miss an entire term of school last year over fees. It's also tricky as it means what I taught today might need to be retaught when some of them return as they won't know it. So apart from the early morning push it generally went OK. There were a few minor hitches of things I had overlooked/forgotten about and otherwise hadn't been told yet. It is rewarding actually teaching after all the prep though, as the interaction with the kids is fun and some of them come up with quite delightful things. I became the subject of some of their sentence constructions - I am going to have to get used to that but they wrote nice things - for now :P  Really could do with the option of printing notes for the slower processors as some were left far behind when they had to take notes. There is a significant disparity between some. Took my first P.E. lesson at the end of school on the tennis court and used some ideas from personal training and then improvised a  bit with balls and hoops.

On Friday they are having a dress up day and I will have to show spirit and dress up too. As it's Mother's Day on Sunday here, it was decided to get everyone to dress up as their mother. The boys in my class looked aghast when this was announced and one said at the end of school he might try swim across the Atlantic rather! It is also International Slipper Day so we also have to wear slippers to school. The money raised will go to cancer research.

Had personal training this afternoon and my instructor said to de-stress me, she was going to have me do cardio. I did at several points feel rather tired but she was right, it has made me feel good. Managed to finish all my marking by 2 this afternoon and have just finished preparing for tomorrow. Now need to work on next week's time table as on Friday I have to submit my term timetable, records and forecasts. I also need to start thinking about what I'm going to do as an assembly. Usually they have a motivational story about persevering but I might ask if I can do environmental themed ones or some other slightly different things. If not I will look for some moral themed stories, we can do biblical ones.

So the last bit of HIFA was really good. I think Freshlyground was my big highlight. It was really super to finally have them back at HIFA after their deportation and cancellation last time. They didn't disappoint and were even brave enough to play Chicken to Change - a little risky but hopefully the new regime won't have qualms. I am not that familiar with their newer songs and must admit I mostly prefer their older ones which bring back memories of my time studying in Cape Town. They played some of their classics and then a mixed bag of newer stuff. Earlier in the day I also watched Graffiti Classics, who were full of Irish humour (my one student today said he saw me there and I didn't see him! Oh dear, I will have to be more observant in future). A friend had a spare ticket for Tcheka from Cape Verde and Mário Laginha from Portugal. They were also really good and well suited for the more intimate Global Stage.

One of my favourite original songs by Freshlyground.

OK, I had better resume preparing for next week and get an early-ish night so I can wake up tomorrow and do another round.