school

Photo by Mike Licht

I have been reading lots of articles about blogging over the past few days. Trying to find out ways to improve my blog. And to find what people consider makes a good blog.

I had to question why I have a blog and why it is important to me. I think mostly for me it is reflection on life, a place to share my creative pursuits, a place to meet and share with like minded people, to develop friendships and to help my wandering children to keep in touch (now if only they would start their blogs)

What did I find in my research? There is a wonderful article by Skelliewag on finding good photos for your blog, I now understand the different types of creative commons licenses on Flickr. There are also some very good articles on Blissfully Domestic on blogging that I am still working my way through. This site is written by group of women and they have a large amount of well-written articles on many different topics that are worth reading.

I will continue to research as blogging is very important to me and it is funny but the school that I work at is know as the ‘blogging’ school.

Back to school this week and I have been flat out. The beginning of term is always a really busy time working on units of work for each of the classes. The Olympics is a big topic this term; a industrious librarian from our area has spent a lot of time over the holidays tracking down links to both China and the Olympics so that part of the job is so much easier this time around.

I have always love looking at the photos of what is on people’s desk. So I took a photo of my messy desk at school with my iPhone, I am not leaving school tomorrow until it is cleaned up. The photo is blurry, sorry.

It was birthday yesterday and I had one of the loveliest days. Jessica woke me with a ‘Happy Birthday’. My grandchildren, Suzy and Adam rang me on the way to work and sang me ‘Happy Birthday’….how special, I giggled all the way to work. Then went I got to school even one I came across gave me best wishes. All the classes that came to the library sang me ‘Happy Birthday’. I think that I had a grin from ear to ear all day. I came home to lots of emails. Graham had arranged a set of trick gifts before his real one, it was just fun. Then last night my beautiful Suzy had arranged a special family dinner at our favourite Thai place. It was one of those magic days.

photo credit: American Candy Stand Cupcakes (Aust.)

No I won’t tell you how old I am? When the kids ask at school I always say 105, the little ones accept that, I have been saying that since I was in my twenties.

photo credit: Pixi Toxicination

The school holidays start tomorrow. Hooray! I started at a new school this year and the first term has being hard ……..learning the new job has been difficult; trying to work out what different classes need and what  pre-existing skills  they have. Trying to fit in with each of the classes’  units of work  and to make what I do with the children in the library relevant and interesting. I have 14 classes over three days and although we have some grades with three classes that are doing the same unit of work and theme, how each teacher approaches is totally different. I am hoping that next term will be easier, as I have been able to sit in on two grades planning meetings and that has helped me tremendously in knowing now where I can fit in. So even though I will be working over the holidays, designing my units of work, I will be able to do it at my own pace and in my own time.

 I wish to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to the beautiful people who left a comment on my last entry. Pen I think that I will take your advice very much to heart and do what you suggest…..so that I can draw and paint more. The theme for last week’s ‘Illustration Friday’ was ‘homage’ and although I really was not in the frame of mind to do it, I still checked out the entries and some people had such wonderful ideas. I really love this one (a bit how I feel at the moment) and this one.

I loved the weekend but this weekend it is a bit quiet with Pen gone. She has arrived safely and moved into her tent, she says that she did not really understand how isolated it was going to be, she compares it to the Australian outback. I think that Graham understood as he spend a lot of his childhood school holidays near Bourke on his uncle’s family farm. It was miles from nowhere; barren and dry country.

School is busy, World Maths Day was on Thursday and four of our classes took part. It was exciting to see children charged by maths, they logged in and then played against other children from different parts of the world and they also played against the clock. I think that the modern child is at a disadvantage in this situation as they have to be really fast at number operations, similar to how we used to rote learn our number facts years ago. Still it was a lot of fun. Also five of our classes blog and two of them are taking part in on-line projects. So that means that their computer time is very precious to them, trying to find extra time for them is difficult. But I love this job, it has all the elements that keep me motivated and interested; once again I am on a steep learning curve. I have started a library blog which I will use mainly for new resources and to keep people informed on what some of the classes are doing.

We saw the two little girls yesterday, they are both changing rapidly, mainly due to them both going to school. Abby is talking non-stop and is very confident; her teacher describes her as “No shrinking violet”. She has always know her mind and really can’t be talked into something if she doesn’t want to do it.

This is my first day back at work, I am so tired tonight. The school is a lot smaller than my other school and the staff seem OK, not like the other school where some had been there for thirty years and were very set in their ways. The library is beautiful but small, the collection is very crowded but seems to be large enough. I am looking forward to starting to plan and to develop units of work.

This is a photo I found from flicke of the inside of a school. Beautiful lighting. It is by Beta Karel who takes inspiring photos.

My photo for the day is of my worktable at home in its usual state.