ABC - Amy Back in the Classroom!

Time for an update!

I am absolutely exhausted and there is a very good reason for my tiredness. Today was my fourth day of work experience at CNS, my old high school! I'm doing a three week work placement, both observing the classes/teaching techniques, and participating in a role similar to that of a teaching assistant. I have been offered a variety of classes to sit on, ranging from year 7 (aged 11) up to year 13 (18) and I have found it to be an excellent experience to observe the differences between the younger groups and the older ones.

I do not spend all of my time in the classes, however; in my allocated free/non-teaching periods I have plenty of class resources to make! This week I helped my mentor by laminating and cutting up some Fairy-tale themed playing cards in preparation for a group of year 8s. It is important that I get the chance to do resource preparation as well as simply observing the lessons because it gives me a chance to experience the same responsibilities that the teachers have. I'm having soooooo much fun doing it all! It's basically a chance to play, all day, 5 days a week! :op

I've seen a lot of my old teachers around the school and have actually sat in on lessons with some of the teachers who taught me when I was at the school! Sitting in the staffroom with these people is pretty surreal; the staffroom used to be forbidden territory and the teachers essentially disappeared at break and lunchtimes. But now I know . . . I know that the other members of staff have first names, they have lives outside of the school and they spend a lot of their own free time planning and preparing interesting classwork for us, the students! I can easily say that in a very short length of time, I have developed a vast amount of respect for my "colleagues" and consider many of them to be good friends already! All of the members of staff have been friendly and welcoming towards me, offering kind advice relating to both teaching as a career, my studies and my future teacher training. A few members of staff in particular have kindly taken me under their wings and are giving me so much help and guidance that I cannot help but look forward to my career as a teacher :o)

Speaking of jobs, for the first time in ages I have some paid work planned. For 16 hours this weekend I will be acting as a care assistant for a boy with severe learning disabilities. It's a decent job as the boy is sweet and his parents are lovely so it will be a good 2 days work and very reasonable pay! It is only temporary, but it will give me a bit of extra money; very relevant right now as I only have £82.03 in the bank! :op

Anyways, I have school again tomorrow so I'd better go get some sleep. I was up at 6:15am this morning and will have to be up no later than 6:45am tomorrow.
Will update again soon! (Hopefully when I'm a little richer!)
xxxx

By the Sea . . . (Take 2 + Rellies)

Yay! Great day out today! I’m so clever, it was such a great idea! ;op hehe!

Dad drove us to Fakenham where we had a little wander and a little walk(again bought postycards for the grandrents), before we went for lunch at a Hungry Horse pub. Was a bit annoying that they didn’t have many healthy options (am trying so hard to be good right now), it seemed everything on the menu was smothered in “melted cheese”! We chatted and joked, generally enjoying being together; with Dad driving around the country for work, all week, every week, and Mum doing full working weeks, every week too, we very rarely get to spend this kind of quality time together. It was lovely :o)

Dad dozed in the car as Mum drove us to Cromer (notice t’is a favourite town of mine? :op) where we parked, grabbed coats and the camera and headed off for a walk along the beach. We wandered first one way and then back along in the other direction, climbing the cliff steps here and taking lots of photographic evidence along the way!

[Will upload some piccies when I can get the camera loaded on this pooter.]

As it grew chilly and the wind picked up, we turned towards the town and, picking up ice-creams as we passed through, we made our way back to the car.

All in all we have had a wonderful day and I have been so ecstatically happy today, happier than I have felt in a LONG time; we were all together, all happy, all free for the whole day, and I felt we connected as a family. We always do when we find the time to be together. It is so difficult to stay close-knit when we are spread thinly across the country for most of the year, but somehow we manage it :o)

I love my family dearly and wouldn’t change them for the world. I was willing time to stop as we walked along the beach together, but the day DID end and now I am tired. There will be many days like this in the future, no question about it, and I can’t wait!

However, for now, the fresh air and the childish bouncing around I have partaken in today has knackered me totally, so I must make tracks!

Peace out, hehe! xxxx

SPORE!!!!!!!

YAY! YAY! YAY!

SPORE has been released, FINALLY, after two years of waiting and poring over press releases and game reviews, and I HAVE A COPY! God-bless Gamestation for having a pre-ordering service and free delivery :op Hehehe!

The problem at the moment is, our main family computer is too old to run the game (failing in both the graphics card and video driver department) and Adam’s pc, which should be new and fast enough does not have access to the internet so I cannot register the game!

This is rubbish. I can’t believe I now have the game but can’t play it! It is a mean twist of fate :o(

I’m trying to convince Dad to let me buy my brother a wireless dongle for his computer so we can set up our wireless router, but he wants to do his own research into the “Dongle Domain” and exhaust all non-spending routes before we can approach my suggestions. . .

*sigh*

Oh well, not much I can do about it right now so I guess I’ll stop moaning. . .

I’ve organised a ‘Family Day-Out’ for tomorrow.
Will update later when I know how it went! xxxx