there were approx 5 minutes last week when i felt like things were in control.
i was in the middle of a number of email conversations / text conversations, i had my lessons planned and was up to date on my marking. i may have even slept well the night before.
then the 5 minutes ended.
mid-conversation.
life picked up, and while i am currently taking time to write this, it is definitely taking the place of "more important" things that have to get done. the ministry inspector came to visit our school last week - and surprisingly came to visit me. i always major stress out about these visits and do many late nights etc. getting my binders back up to snuff, lesson plans printed and properly organized, kids refreshed as to what 'assessment as/of/for learning' is, etc. normally i do this but am still mercifully left alone. no one wants to visit the drama class - you never know what might be happening. but this year, the inspector was a retired drama teacher - so into the bat-cave (aka my classroom) he appeared. it wasn't nearly as bad as i expected and i think it was the day following his visit that i felt calm again.
but then 11:30 came and classes began. things need to be printed in advance; music kids need help with their compositions - trying to learn their version of finale on the fly; lines are not memorized for the play; the design for the taxi needs to be approved; choir festival is in 3 weeks - can you get the music up on edmodo so we can practice at home; someone needs to buy makeup, hairbands, screws; don't forget you need to purchase a piano this year; bible study topic of the week is 'predestination' - be sure you've read your articles and bible passages and have a handle on things; mark the journals and the practice logs and the compositions and the reflections; teach the play kids how to waltz; plan what you are going to teach; teach.
i have to-do lists everywhere which is not helping the organization.
but amid the madness there are moments of greatness. skyping with the boys in uganda; doing the 'ugandan mile' - singing one direction songs at a coffee house accompanied by the accordion, having my drama class present a hilariously accurate portrayal of the teachers at this school, playing truth or dare with the grade 11 girls at 2 am, watching frozen as a school after most of them had not slept, those 3 hours of sleep in my own bed between truth or dare and frozen, talking on the phone with the boys at kwagala because their power was out and we couldn't skype but we still got to share the success of our fundraiser and have a joint 'pizza' party; worship team practice with scott, rich, roelof, and curtis while so tired you could barely see straight; seeing the play kids in costume starting to see who there characters really are.
now i am attempting to finish sewing slippers before erin and ben get hitched this weekend. it may or may not happen.
i was in the middle of a number of email conversations / text conversations, i had my lessons planned and was up to date on my marking. i may have even slept well the night before.
then the 5 minutes ended.
mid-conversation.
life picked up, and while i am currently taking time to write this, it is definitely taking the place of "more important" things that have to get done. the ministry inspector came to visit our school last week - and surprisingly came to visit me. i always major stress out about these visits and do many late nights etc. getting my binders back up to snuff, lesson plans printed and properly organized, kids refreshed as to what 'assessment as/of/for learning' is, etc. normally i do this but am still mercifully left alone. no one wants to visit the drama class - you never know what might be happening. but this year, the inspector was a retired drama teacher - so into the bat-cave (aka my classroom) he appeared. it wasn't nearly as bad as i expected and i think it was the day following his visit that i felt calm again.
but then 11:30 came and classes began. things need to be printed in advance; music kids need help with their compositions - trying to learn their version of finale on the fly; lines are not memorized for the play; the design for the taxi needs to be approved; choir festival is in 3 weeks - can you get the music up on edmodo so we can practice at home; someone needs to buy makeup, hairbands, screws; don't forget you need to purchase a piano this year; bible study topic of the week is 'predestination' - be sure you've read your articles and bible passages and have a handle on things; mark the journals and the practice logs and the compositions and the reflections; teach the play kids how to waltz; plan what you are going to teach; teach.
i have to-do lists everywhere which is not helping the organization.
but amid the madness there are moments of greatness. skyping with the boys in uganda; doing the 'ugandan mile' - singing one direction songs at a coffee house accompanied by the accordion, having my drama class present a hilariously accurate portrayal of the teachers at this school, playing truth or dare with the grade 11 girls at 2 am, watching frozen as a school after most of them had not slept, those 3 hours of sleep in my own bed between truth or dare and frozen, talking on the phone with the boys at kwagala because their power was out and we couldn't skype but we still got to share the success of our fundraiser and have a joint 'pizza' party; worship team practice with scott, rich, roelof, and curtis while so tired you could barely see straight; seeing the play kids in costume starting to see who there characters really are.
now i am attempting to finish sewing slippers before erin and ben get hitched this weekend. it may or may not happen.
