All Filler, No Killer
14 May
- I accepted a position. Shiny Place called and offered me the job on Tuesday morning, and after a fair bit of deliberation, I took it. It came down to the fact that it was possible I wouldn’t get Earthy Place, and I’d be passing up a pretty decent second option by turning down Shiny Place. The money is pretty great compared to Earthy Place and I also get my own class. My own preschoolers! It’s super well resourced and has great facilities so it’s hardly a shitty place, it’s just not the same as Earthy Place. Either way, I am pleased with my decision. I am really looking forward to having my own kids to work with, and I start Friday so the cash should be flowing momentarily.
- Miss Jones is not sleeping well and it troubles me. Is there anything worse than not sleeping when you know you need to be asleep? It always happens on Wednesday nights, when she has to work on Thursday morning. I’ve tried back rubs and hair patting in various different ways and none of it really works. I can put an entire room of preschoolers to sleep in 40 minutes but I cannot make Miss Jones sleep. I think she is gonan try some over the counter sleeping aides, I know that kind of stuff is not great but not sleeping has to be far worse. We are also gonna try flotation tanks in the near future. There is a floating place to too far from her house so I suggested we go floating, a forty minute float is meant to be similar to a night’s sleep and when if some extra resting ever a bad thing?
- Good heavens, it’s chilly! I haven’t had enough of summer yet! I only had 5 official days of summer back in Oz when I arrived, and while autumn was hardly cold it still hasn’t been quite enough for me. I am so looking forward to next summer, we can just go ahead and skip this whole winter deal.
- Miss Jones is looking to head OS around September. My curse isn’t broken, it seems but there is a light at the end of this tunnel…she’s planning on coming back! Being a dual citizen (bitch!!) means she is planning on going to the UK and pissing around and doing some work for a couple of months. Obviously, I’d never try and sway someone away from doing the whole “OS alone” deal but obviously there is a part of me who’d rather have her right here with me instead. It will be alright though, if it’s meant to be it will be. I suppose in the couple of months we’ve been together we’ve already done the major life change (my moving back to Oz, Masters, quitting study to work full time) and the near death experience (her motorbike accident) so I think we’ve done ok. I’m alright to sit here for a few months and twiddle my thumbs waiting for her to come back to our sunny shores. I’ve been single for years so a few months back to being on my own is hardly a concern for me. I will obviously miss her in the worst way, especially considering I get a little antsy after a couple of nights apart but she’s worth the wait, it’s that simple.
- Petals, I now have a favor to ask. Please share with me your most favorite memories of school, in terms of classroom set up or activities you did or whatever. I need to sort out all the stuff like a birthday chart and my own routines for the class, so I am calling for all your favorite ideas. I am thinking of bed bags (little bags of toys that keep the kids on their beds and quietly playing while the other still sleep), maybe a classroom fish or cool ant farm, maybe a lava lamp or a ceiling projector for sleep time or something. I’m also crossing my fingers for a laptop, the centre seems to be all into technology and being cutting edge so I reckon it means they could spring for a laptop for me
The activities I loved the most when I was at school and pre-school were P.E (yeah, I don’t know what happened either) in fact I loved hula hooping when we got to do it but that may be a little too much for pre-schoolers.
I also loved when we got to cook in pre-school, not the baking side of it, but just doing the prep for stuff like chocolate crackles and things that didn’t need to be cooked and didn’t require knives.
Congratulations on the job Jen, I’m glad you found somewhere that you like.
Oh man – a class of kindies, how gorgeous!!
My favourite time was around Christmas – every afternoon for two weeks we’d make a different thing… so maybe something similar on a theme, depending on the time of year?
A few teachers would read a chapter from a book after lunch every so often – when it was really hot we were allowed to bring in face washers to put under the tap then rest on our heads.
I also used to love it when there was a new picture on the board – the teacher would trace from an overhead projecter and colour it in – it always seemed so amazing!
I’m thinking the meds might be a good idea… hope it sorts out soon!
Congratulations on the job, Miss Delightful — you’re going to be the best teacher they’ll ever have! My own fond memories of school are few and far between, but I always enjoyed being read to, and of course who doesn’t love arts and crafts, amking macaroni pictures and all the rest. Really fire their imaginations and creativity.
As for the missus and the lack of sleep, I’d say it’s symptomatic of being troubled — hardly an amazing insight on my part if she has difficulty sleeping on a night before work. I don’t know much about flotation tanks and sensory deprivation, but it’s important to be able to empty the mind and switch off.
Anyway, congrats again on your job!