In short

3 weeks left (and one inset day on the Monday- grrr). Two weeks until my School concert- my first that I have organised. I am slightly nervous of course, but I am sure that it will be fine! The children always make it fine. The choir are sounding really good and I really hope that the audience like our selection. In particular, Nanuma- a 3 part African song, The Birdcatcher from Mozart's magic flute, and Volga Boat song all sound pretty good!
It's being a very entertaining final last half term with my little dears. We have sooo much still to fit in, it seems daunting to finish everything in time but we persevere! We have been enjoying Canoeing- it has been very dramatic, lots of scared moments. Isn't it typical that the one child who didn't come swimming at all would be the only boat to capsize! He was terrified this week and wouldn't move in his canoe so we had to get him into the powerboat instead. Then another child became scared and started panicking and hyperventilating when they were standing up in canoes (bizarre, I don't know why she suddenly became scared). Anyway, she wasn't stopping panicking so we had to get her in the powerboat too. However, she still wasn't calming down and kept trying. I tried getting her to breathe slowly with me, tried talking about other things, tried to reassure her, though without success. Finally, do you know what got her to stop panicking? I sang 'My favourite things' and she joined in with me straight away and we sang the entire song and she was calm!!!! What the canoeing instructor thought of me I don't know. Fearing my sanity I expect. When I told my colleague, her retort was, "You must drive your class mad- they must think they're taught by Julie Andrews!" Yes maybe, but I have to say- I chose to do what I knew would help that particular child and I was right! So HA!

Am currently watching 'Ever After' with Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott. It is completely and utterly the most beautiful movie ever. Really! So lovely, poignant and romantic! Watch it do!

65. Book of Mercy- Leonard Cohen.
66. Sideways stories from Wayside School- Louis Sachar
67. Be careful what you wish for – Alexandra Potter
68. Size 14 is not fat either – Meg Cabot
69. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy

Attack of the orchids

They lie in wait. They are still in the fullness of bloom. They still watch me. They plan their floral wiles. Be warned!

Revolting reports

It is finished.
(except one)

-------------------


61. Doctor Who - Grimm Reality – Simon Bucher-Jones & Kelly Hale
62. The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster.
63. The right attitude to rain – Alexander McCall Smith.
64. Dancing shoes- Noel Streatfield.

Sunshine and success!

Today was the auspicious day of our LSO concert at the Barbican! Slight apprehension was not helped by a colleague who said 'Rather you than me, I haven't taken children on a train in 17 years of teaching!'. However, my instinct proved true and we had a fantastic, easy, pain-free day, enjoyed by all. This trip for me was not succeeded by a dirty great headache, but a feeling of elation.

The walk to the station - great

The train journey - fine

The walk from Liverpool street to Barbican- fun and easy.

The lunch by the fountains - very pleasant.

The trips to the toilets- the only slight blot- one set of toilets, 50 schools arriving simultaneously. You do the maths.

The concert - excellent, perfect in length, entertaining, wonderful!

Bamboozled, the participation piece- excellent, my darlings did me proud, remembering everything and performing with alacrity!

The subsequent finishing of lunches and toilet going - much easier second time round.

The return walk to station- very pleasant and easy, only hampered by a slight meandering which was instantly checked.

The return train journey- children all seated in one area, public amused rather than irritated by.

The final walk- quick and easy.

The moaning of children unused to exercise at having to walk for around 80 minutes in total during the day - non existent!

The enjoyment of year 5- seemingly 100%

The tiredness of 6 teachers- surprisingly minimal.

The amount of money saved by school by getting train instead of coach - around £330!

The enthusiasm of Kezzie at instantly going to teach music to the other year 5 class upon return - not so happy. They are very very squabbly. My class are sooo much better.

All in all, a great day for all! I feel very pleased that my first outing (non performance for us) for music was a success! I shall indeed repeat it!

Von das Bibliotek...

59. Whistle down the wind – Mary Hayley Bell
60. Monster Mission – Eva Ibbotson

Orchids- Beauty or the beast? Friend or foe?

I received an orchid for my birthday. I also went to Kew Gardens in February half term and saw their beautiful orchid display. As I made tea this morning- IT was looking at me! I know I sound like a loony, and perhaps I am jesting or exaggerating a bit. BUT, hear me out!
FOR:
They are coveted the world over. Their beauty is heralded and copious amounts of money pass hands in payment for them. Their was even murder for one in Midsomer murders.
They come in a variety of shades, brilliant hues, sprigged patterns, larger and smaller.
They are unspeakably beautiful. They are intricate, strong yet delicate.
Their blooms have an astounding longevity.
They stand proud and tall.

AGAINST:
They are bizarre the way they last so long! Seriously, mine has been in bloom since February- It has not changed! Is it real?
You only need to water them once a week. That's weird for flowers!
There is that really nasty frond thing that sticks out the back- everytime I see it, I keep thinking it is the leg of a tarantula or some horrifically deadly spider species from down under, or worse! Why do they have that? WHy why?
Have you looked closely at one? They look exactly like some sort of vampire bat face nestled in an innocent facade of petals.
When you've got a whole clump of them on one stem like mine, it is unnervingly like a growing army of snipers, surreptitiously waiting for their chance to pounce.

I think it is a plot! The Nestene consciousness are back- and they want to take over Earth. They did it with daffodils with Jon Pertwee's Dr- perhaps Orchids are their new fiendish plot. So realistic that we think they are real!
What plan of action do we need to foil them?????
Hmmmm, David Tennant coming to rescue me?!

Eurovision novice!

Ahrgh, cold has knocked me for six this week! How kind of it to strike during SATs week when I really needed to get on with my marking and get music reports done and when there's lots of other manic stuff going on!

Well, yesterday, I watched Eurovision for the first time! I have never watched it before and never quite understood the mania/fascination etc. But after watching the 'Your country needs you!' programme once or twice, and needing something to accompany the dull monotony of marking Year 5 long writing task scripts (incidentally, my little darlings have really done me proud in their English writing, with very few exceptions! They've taken my advice, remembered the features of persuasive writing and written some cracking letters and settings-for their shorter writing task), I decided to watch it! On the whole, it was marvellously entertaining and I watched with alacrity. As I watched, I felt the need to record my observations for posterity and my own memory, since it was such a hilarious and unexpected pleasure which I would wish to remember! I shall hereby begin my diatribe (not strictly the correct word for it, since I am not ranting but it came into my mind and so I shall incorrectly use it)

Graham Norton was hilarious- I really enjoyed his sneakily, slightly audaciously bitchy but surprisingly mild sounding comments. I don't know what Terry W was like, so cannot make the comparison! I laughed lots!

Armenia - hilarious bearskins! Didn't notice the song, the costumes got me!
Russia- terrible, terrible, disturbing, creepy. Who let the cats out!
France- nice dress, not convinced by the song sadly, considering I love French songs usually.
Azerbyjan (spelling?) - FUNKY!
Bosnia- Executioners meets pirates of Penzance meets Zorro. And it looked like Sean Bean was moonlighting.
Moldova- reminiscent of a call to prayer at first. Amused by the Dandini costume, loved the 4 exuberant dancers in the background, especially tickled by the head waggling. Loved it by the end!
Greece- EURGH! Put it away!
Malta- v Andrew Lloyd Webber/Disney- lovely song, lovely voice!
Estonia- intriguing, they were very pretty!
Denmark- it really was Ronan Keating's clone! Nice though!
Germany- really catchy song. Didn't like the Dita Von Teese thing, bit sleezy. However, I have now solved the mystery of where my silver sequined trousers which went missing at our Soul Band gig at University went. Liam gave them to him! Loved the tap dancing! V. big band!
Finland- no, but liked the fire majorettes.
Lithuania- ok, not much to say!
Israel- ditto
Turkey- out of tune in places, not convinced by the Aladdin costumes.
Albani- urgh, what was with the creepy blue man- looked liked the Raston Warrior robot from Dr Who!
Norway - awwwwwwwwwwwwww, so sweet and goofy! Loved the violin, especially, the broken horse hair, it showed passion! He didn't have the best voice but I like this song! I'd buy it!
Ukraine- hamster cages, roman centurions, dominatrix- nuff said.
Romania- resembled one of those new age fantasty cards with woodland fairies. Didn't notice the song!
Sweden- just not convinced.
Croatia- no no.
Uk- Good but she could have shown more emotion in her face. Much better tuning!
Spain- Strictly come dancing! Out of tune but fun!
Portugal- so sweet- I'm with Graham!
Iceland- really beautiful, full of emotion.

I loved Iceland, Malta, Norway, Uk and Portugal. In that order. They would have got my top points!

In conclusion, I am definitely going to watch it next year- so entertaining! And I totally understand why people have Eurovision parties now. It's a very social thing- to share comments and laugh about it etc! I am converted!

54. The choir – Joanna Trollope.
55. The Boggart – Susan Cooper
56. Gemma – Noel Streatfield
57. Chitty chitty bang bang – Ian Fleming
58. The Nonesuch – Georgette Heyer.

Waffles with a dash of poetry and a sprinkling of bruises!

I'm taking my class to watch the LSO in June. We're going to watch a great programme including my favourite, Stravinsky's Petruska. We've already had a great workshop this week with 2 LSO players. It is very exciting, but also a little scary, considering I am taking them on a train! No school trip from my school has ever been on a train! I chose to do train because I thought it would be cheaper and would give them experience of a train, and I thought it was probably quicker to get to the Barbican. In prep for the concert, we have to learn this piece with song/body percussion/rap (called 'Bamboozled') it's great! Today, I began to teach them the Body percussion in lieu of PE (we had a special afternoon assembly and as we'd only have 15 mins to do PE after changing before infant play, I decided to use the time in another way)- which was fab- they were really enthused by it, picked it up quick and were amused by it! However, the body percussion (funky though it is) involves lots of thigh slapping and I have since discovered- that my left thigh is covered in a myriad of tiny bruises and that thing where you've done something to your blood vessels. Tis most distressing- in a first panic-stricken bamboozled moment, I thought I had septicaemia! I can't believe I have done that- it looks horrific! Two thoughts occur to me 1) How I suffer for my art! 2) I sincerely hope the kids aren't also covered in similar marks! I think I'd better go onto the song and rap bit for a while whilst it repairs!

So far after the deliciously wonderful bank holiday, I have had a good week,what with a French course on Tuesday. Yesterday, I went through a reading comprehension with my class- really really in depth, to the point of carefully discussing every question and discussing what we'd write. (we do one a week usually or so). Sometimes, when they have poems to talk about, they miss the point or find it hard to answer questions about it. So, I first wanted to do a poem comprehension, really covering the variety of questions you can be asked about it (they are particularly bad at quoting the text in their answers. I harp on and on...). And in addition, my class are not very kind at responding to differences in others. I have been trying to work on it in PHSE, but at the moment, we are studying persuasive writing in Literacy, including persuasion in poetry so I decided to combine the various requirements, to write a poem and answer the questions in it. I decided to try and write in character or in role and empathise with children and wrote the following. I didn't tell them it was by me, as you can see, and was really gratified that they really responded well and said they really liked it! It was a really really successful lesson so I am pleased! I hope it has gone in.
So, what do you think?

Fall and Phoenix by G. Killannerra

They push me and shove me
They make me feel a fool.
How I wish I was a giant tower
Instead of rodent small.

Each day in the playground,
They snuffle for their prey.
They’re baying hounds a-seeking me,
Determined to get their way.

Yet I too now am determined
To stand up for my rights,
To show I don’t care, am strong within
I WILL win this mental fight!

We each are special, unique, with worth,
Each have our special skills.
Beware how you treat now, today,
For one day I might cure your ills.

That which makes me different to you
Is no excuse to tease.
Beauty is variety, God made it so,
Just like snowflakes upon the breeze.

Not much else happening! I lead a very boring existence.
Although, had a fab church home group yesterday on giving. Really, really one to think about, challenging but exciting!
The reports are plodding along. Have done some more science reports, just need to keep going and then hopefully I wont encounter such utter hell at the end as last year!

Les livres
47. The Demon Headmaster takes over – Gillian Cross.
48. Victoria and the rogue – Meg Cabot
49. The hideaway – Jamilla Gavin
50. Adventures of the strange ruby – Enid Blyton.
51. Darcy’s story – Janet Aylmer
52. Confessions of a Jane Austen addict- Laurie Viera Rigler
53. The winter of the birds –Helen Cresswell.

P.S....

... By the way, '5A does The Apprentice' was a big success!!!! They were very good. I hired, I fired, I congaed...

Non-fiction surprises.

I am not a big fan of non-fiction. It bores me*. I read extensive non-fiction material for my undergraduate degree and for my PGCE and believe you me, there is NOTHING more dull than reading waffling treatises on Pedagogy (I always do my studying duty), even the word itself makes me glaze over. However, I always persevere, and occasionally, find the occasional gem. At this point, I should ask, if there is anyone out there who can recommend some gripping non-fiction that might serve to change my mind, please drop a line via comments. I live to be surprised!
However, I read 2 really interesting books over the holidays, which were both non-fiction. The first was a book called 'Four gospels, One Jesus?' which I must have picked up in a charity shop at one point when I first became a Christian, as it didn't look like one I would have bought in Wesley Owen (seeeee, Charity shops/2nd hand book shops make us think outside the box!) as it looked to be some sort of academic theological study (In my humble/biased/ignorant opinion, Academic (not theological) being the WORST** kind of non-fiction for me to read, although not as 'WORST'** as celebrity biographies!). Still, I decided that for Holy week, I wanted to look at the gospels etc and so took it off the shelf. It looked at the 4 different approaches to the gospel and how they all portray Jesus in different ways. As the lion (Mark's) with urgency, quickness, extremes, everything happening at break-neck speed, in conflict, with passion and Jesus in his actions ("He's not a tame lion you know, but he's good"). Matthew, the human face- Jesus the loving teacher, teaching extensively, the only gospel which talks of the church, Jesus in control, yet 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and the cataclysmic natural Earth reactions that follow, and through his human roots, old testament teachings in abundance, . Luke- the Ox- the burden bearer, the sacrificial animal, patiently plodding on through, a slower more detailed gospel, right from the before the birth, Jesus coming out of Israel's history, the importance of the temple/priestship. The human reactions of joy- Mary's magnificat etc (revealing the inclusion of all, gentiles, women, rich and poor, lost, the unacceptable, and all in God's plan), constantly referring to Who is Jesus? The holy Spirit, prayer, joy! The ultimate sacrifice. John - the eagle- the spiritual, the far-sighted, high-flying perspective, gathering under the wings whilst continuing to fly on, 'something in which a child may paddle and yet an elephant may swim' And finally, the Four portraits of the same person- in different roles, yet all in concordance upon Him. For someone who is an academic (Dean of King's college)- it is spiritually and prayerfully sensitive. For someone who doesn't like academic, it is really really approachable and well-written which I have learnt a lot from and enjoyed. I really enjoyed reading it.

The other book I enjoyed was 'Letters to Alice upon first reading Jane Austen' by Fay Weldon. I read this for obvious reasons, it being one of the books I bought in Felixstowe. It takes the form of a series of letters from the author to her niece, who had begun a literature course at University and was most disparaging about reading Jane Austen, and wrote to her black-sheep Aunt in need of help (her being an author of supposedly feminist novels. I think. I haven't read any of them). Ms Weldon, takes us through a beautiful analogy of a city of reading literature, and a surprisingly insightful look at Jane Austen's life and her novels. We learn of the niece's wish to write her own and a lot about being an author (you have to write as a reader, not a writer). This was both witty, amusing and insightful and again, one I would recommend, despite the fact it does reflect its 80's roots.

Ooooh, and most excitingly, I may at last be about to visit Chawton next week, Jane Austen's last abode, where she wrote some of her novels. It is set in rural Hampshire, so I wait for confirmation in high spirits!

More books...
43. Letters to Alice upon first reading Jane Austen – Fay Weldon
44. The spy who loved me - Ian Fleming
45. Blowing it – Judy Astley.
46. Beauty – Sherri Tepper



*With occasional exceptions.
** Worst, a word which here means, following attempts to plough through them, likely to make me want to do marking/cleaning/tidying/voluntarily pick up angry tarantulas, rather than continue to read...