The things you find August 31, 2006

Remember how last week I mentioned I’d been clearing out my room for my imminent departure? Well I found all my old art folders from school dating back to 1998, when I was in grade 9. It documents part of an artistic wave that I am still riding, although now I tend to keep to my small watercolours or portraiture sketches, which bloom in fits and starts each time I remember that I am supposed to be some sort of closet artist. The wave, sadly, has trickled its way down to a sticky sop at the bottom of a drainpipe, and I find myself wondering what has happened to my creativity? Then I realise that it’s all been redirected into thinking of easy things for kids to make that won’t look completely stupid when they’ve finished wrecking decorating their various ‘presents’ for their poor hapless parents.

So here I am, taking photos of the last 8 years of my artistic life. A lot was thrown out, and what I have to show for it today are the dribs and drabs that either bring back some sort of memorial twinge of the days when I painted a particular piece, or that I think are too good to throw away, because I simply couldn’t reproduce them.

Here are a few examples of the things I’ve found that are any way half decent. You can look at them full sized if you go to the new Flickr widget I’ve just added to my sidebar.

Oh yeah, only 9 days to go before I flee the country!

Today was arse. August 29, 2006

I had a shocking relief day today – grade 3/4’s. One of them (who was medicated daily because of his behaviour) thought it would be a great idea to steal all the goodies (chips/chocolate/Nutella etc) out of about 10 different lunchboxes – none of which belonged to him, and none of which belonged to anyone in his own class.

After downing about 6 Freddo Frogs, the sugar started to kick in. Defiance, swearing, finger-up-sticking, constant shouting, you name it.

As any respectable teacher would do, I went through all the ‘behavioural policy’ steps that the school suggests you follow if you would like to keep being employed by them (and the Department of Education for that matter) – ie. no slapping them up the chops.

Classroom Behaviour Flowchart:

1. Establish a supportive classroom environment by discussing class expectations, obligations, and revisiting students’ rights and responsibilities. – CHECK
2. Non-verbal directions (Head shake/gesture/’teacher glare’) – CHECK
3. Verbal directions/rule reminders – refer to inappropriate behaviour/praise appropriate behaviour – CHECK
4. Time out in class – remove student to desk on his/her own away from other distractions – CHECK
5. Green Card – If behaviour is not amended or continues during or after first time out, student is sent to work in another room for a predetermined time. – CHECK
6. Red Card – If student does not co-operate with ‘time out’ procedure, is uncontrollable, or is a danger to themselves or others, senior staff are called to remove student from class. CHECK

He was ‘red carded’ before recess, and senior staff had to come and get him out of the room. It was only after this that the food stealing and consumption was brought to my attention. Another staff member and I check his work desk and lo and behold, we found the remains of his stash – a few Freddo wrappers, and a few stolen rubbers. He’d taken the rest of the food with him in his bag when he’d been removed from the room. Little sod.

He was also no better when he was allowed back into my class after lunch.

I hated today. It was arse.

The stupidest conversation I’ve had recently August 22, 2006

Gio and I were just talking online about my upcoming farewell-do.

I’ll let the rest of the conversation speak for itself…

Gio says: i receeved the invitatons

Annaleis says: awethome

Gio says: why did u send them all to me

Gio says: ???

Annaleis says: because i only had your address

Gio says: i dont no where u live

Annaleis says: remember…i asked you online the other night, and told you i’d be sending them all to you…

Annaleis says: BC and cam do

Gio says: BC?

Annaleis says: brendan…

Gio says: C?

Annaleis says: Brendan….Crates…

Annaleis says: are you blonde?

Gio says: His last name is crates?

Annaleis says: I feel like smacking you

Gio says: sucks to be him

Annaleis says: your name is fran…

Gio says: nice pictare

Nuff said.

Me update August 21, 2006

Punctuate that title as you will, depending on how much of a bogan you think I am.

It’s not often I get my hair cut. In fact, my hairdresser was amazed last week when I Waltzed my Matilda into the local salon, because it had been less than 6 months since she’d last seen me. I’m surprised she even recognises me at all some years.

Nonetheless, I did promise the last time I had my hair cut that I’d be in within the next 6 months. By Lucifer, did I keep my word! It was cut last Thursday, pretty much the same as before but about 2.5cm shorter (an inch to you old farts).

Now when I put it up I need a hair slide for the back. I might as well get an undercut next time.

What say you?

Sohpie Dahl better watch herself when I land in London.

Room update:

And to your left, a rare glimpse into what can only be described as a rarity in these wild forests…Bedroomius Flooriana.

I haven’t seen this much of my room since I was 12.

Pretty peach tree update:

Millions of peaches – peaches for me!

Gratuitous Oscar photo

That concludes me update.

See you on the flip flop, or thong, as we Aussies say.

This about sums it up August 21, 2006

 

Aesop knew what he was talkin’ bout.

http://www.cagle.com/news/LiquidTerror/6.asp

In other news…Only 19 days to go, I’m going to work 2 more weeks of relief, then I’m taking the last week off to finish cleaning and packing.

The tally stands thus far -

• 5 full bags of rubbish and
• 2 full bags of clothes just out of my bedroom.

More to come soon…

There’s a little Sadie in all of us August 19, 2006

I started the gargantuan task yesterday of cleaning my room.

In about 2 hours I got 1 full garbage bag of rubbish, and another one full of clothes to take to Vinnies.

Half an hour into today’s cleanup session and I am fast approaching another 2 full bags of junk that I don’t need. And I found about 10 pairs of shoes that have overstayed their welcome.

I wonder how many days I can keep this up?

Poor Charlie got lost in the room-jungle yesterday, I had to rescue him from under the dresser. He was stuck between a shoebox lid full of crochet books and the corner of the walk-in, and was having trouble navigating the vast amount of cords that snake around the room and congregate under the dresser. Bless his little cotton socks – he was trying to find a place to lay another egg!

Brand new on the UK front… August 15, 2006

I know I just posted a few minutes ago, but I just received this in my email.

Travel advice from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade:

• We advise you to exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety in the United Kingdom because of the risk of terrorist attack.
• Pay close attention to your personal security and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security threats.
• The United Kingdom lowered the threat level to ‘severe‘ on 14 August 2006. This means that an attack is highly likely and indicates a continuing high level of threat to the United Kingdom.
• UK authorities have also enhanced airport security following a reported foiled terrorist plot.
• On 7 July 2005, four bomb attacks occurred on the transport system of central London. Security measures remain at heightened levels and British authorities have warned that further attacks cannot be ruled out.

So far I’m still going, but I’m getting out of London within the week.

The backlog is about to be expunged August 15, 2006

Hooray and hoorah for me, all my photos from a few months ago have finally been burned onto disc so I can use them!

And you unfortunate souls have the distinguished pleasure of viewing them, and indulging me in some kind of wayward celebration of things that have happened in recent months, just as you would indulge some crotchety old dragon who makes you sip bitter tea from a cracked saucer while she uses you as a footrest: with poise and grace.
Oh yeah, and I’ve decided to write a children’s book using these new images.

What say you?

These are the mittens, one and two, which I knitted just to show to you.

The mittens keep my fingers warm, just in case of snow or storm.

Charlie thought he was a bloke, but then one day squidged out a yolk!

The yolk was small the yolk was round, but nowhere was a chicky found.

Mess is filthy mess is thick, my room can sometimes make you sick.

Puppy’s white and puppy’s round, can you see him? There, he’s found!

I think I’ve found my calling.

In other news…I’m teaching Kinder again tomorrow, and today I went on an excursion with my grade ones – we went rock climbing! It was great!

In a few weeks I’ll be stopping work to concentrate on packing up my stuff and all that messy going away stuff.

Oh, and Charlie’s still biting holes in my hand, but only when he’s around or near his cage. I think I’m about to become a grandmother again…

Kindergarten August 14, 2006

Today I taught my very first Kindergarten class.

Oh yes, I’ve had kinder before, but only as once-off half-an-hour-at-a-time jobs for music or PE. I also taught in a K/P/1/2 class for my first year prac way back in ‘02. There were five Kinder kids in that class, and I saw them for a total of four days.

My experience with this age group was very limited.

Today, however, my experience of Kindies has expanded beyond control! We indulged in making letters with play-dough, writing and decorating our names as big as we could, finger painting prints, imaginative play outside (under cover because it was raining for most of the day), threading beads to make a pattern, cutting out stars, adding glitter and using paddle pop sticks to make wands, and reading books.

I’ve got the same group again on Wednesday. I’ll be better prepared this time (it’s a bit difficult to prepare much for a year group you’ve never taught with an hour’s notice!).

Bring on the Macaroni necklaces.

I don’t know what’s wrong with the people in the movies.

Who really sits their kids in rows like that? Like Billy, it’s insane!

What an odd day… August 12, 2006

I had in incredibly awful day on Thursday; rung up out of the blue to go to a new class – quite renowned for not taking relief teachers well. My day was spent trying to keep the majority of these 8 year olds on task, while at the same time juggling a few of the more behaviourally challenging kids. In particular there was one student who coped poorly with change (ie me). On that particular day he decided that he was not going to do anything for anybody – even senior staff who came down to support me. But I got through it with 23/24 kids happy.

Lunch time was another story – I was on duty in the middle area of the school where a lot of the grade 3/4/5 kids go to play. Much of that time was spent dodging rocks and fairly substantial sticks which were catapulted from a bushy area by a group of four 10 year olds. These kids were ‘red carded’ and once again senior staff had to race to my rescue. The sad thing is that if I looked like I was making a move in their direction one of them would stand their ground and keep pegging rocks at me – from about 5 metres away.

What a fun day. I dragged myself home at the earliest opportunity, left all my teaching crap in the car and looked forward to flopping myself down on the couch with a hot cup of coffee.

But lo and behold, fair reader; that simple dream vanished when I trudged through the front door, and glanced at Charlie the cockatiel. Usually he could be seen sitting on top of his cage and chirping his special chirp that he saves for the people he likes. On this day he was staying very, very still in the bottom of his cage.

I immediately thought the worst. He’d died. At eight-and-a-half years of age. I went closer to inspect the body, but when I got a metre away he came darting out his front door, lunging towards me with razor-sharp beak agape, ready to amputate any misguided finger that dare to enter his personal space – which had grown considerably since the morning. Dead indeed.

I foolishly ventured ever closer, and he nabbed my finger, biting into it hard, twisting and writhing his head as if to tear a piece of flesh just as a vulture strips a carcass. Normally a Charlie bite is nothing but a bit of a poke with the beak and a glare, perhaps accompanied by a half hearted hiss. This type of aggression was definitely new.

I started hating Thursday more and more, but then I spied it. At first I thought it was some sort of food or toy that someone had thrown into his cage, but while I was thinking ‘Who would do such a…’ my tiny brain started to slowly grind out some sort of plausable answer for what this olive-sized pinky-cream coloured rolling ball was that I saw bobbling about on the bottom of the cage. Derr. It was an egg!

Meanwhile, Charlie went back and pounced on it, roughly using his* beak to push it under his fluffy down, like a good mum should. Unfortunately the egg kept sliding out from under him, and it was a good two minutes before he’d backed into a safe corner of the cage up against a wall where it could neither pop out from under him from the front, back or side.

My presence was not appreciated.

That evening the egg was taken away from poor Charlie – who then spent most of the time before bed searching for it and trying to kill us.

Eventually curiosity got the better of us and we cracked it open, because nothing else would have come of it. I’ll post some pics later if anyone’s interested in the scale of it or anything.

Charlie was still very aggressive the next day, so I did some online research and discovered that handfeeding him could help. It took me 10 minutes to get him off his cage; I ended up using a teatowel to cover him up then taking him away from the cage. The darkenss of the teatowel helped to calm him, and the aggression stopped as soon as he was off the cage, happily sitting on someone or being scratched on the head as usual, or eating last night’s pasta. He’s still a bit funny about us being near his cage though while he’s there, but he’ll get over it.

* After we got over the shock of he actually being a she, we decided that Charlie was still a boy, who just had a momentary lapse of judgement. Who am I kidding? We had our suspicions all along. They’re just confirmed now!