He has resorted to a visit to the off-licence. He says he has to move his car from their park. I think that he is fortifying himself with a stiff drink before the afternoon session, I have resorted to headache pills.
He is used to teaching in Comprehensives. Early Years is a shock for some of our most seasoned of Primary teachers. They avoid it if they can. He is reeling.
I am snuggled up with whippet and am enjoying Classic FM.
He is coping with Winifred plus 20 others who by now has probably flooded the joint, stripped off because she hates being wet. Is refusing point blank to join circle time and is experiencing her amazing aim as she hurls bricks to gain attention. This morning she tipped them all over her head after giving herself a hair wash in the sink instead. I hope he has remembered that she likes the Honey bear game and will be the perfect pupil if he pulls it out of the hat.
I hope that he has remembered that it is much better to play the currant bun game than to do "sums". They know that you need 5 buttons for buns so we can now move on to more currant buns in the bakers shop and we can perfect our singing and turn taking by tapping into their love of shopping.
The miraculous Mrs A will be unable to help because the afternoon group are still being toilet trained. She will be making sure that not a spot of snack time milk has strayed as we have a child with a severe dairy allergy. And when she is not doing that she will probably be writing copious observations that Mr Ofsted want.
However if she has any sense she will have said bugger Mr Ofsted and be holed up in the book corner with Goldilocks and many of our talented little bears who will make her cups of tea while she reenacts the story with them.
She will have done this before he holes him self up surrounded by the quite and compliant with his head down ignoring the all day gang of bouncy boys who I know have not worn themselves out in the morning session. He is a quick learner.
So am I. Never agree to do afternoon overtime.
It is a terrible shame that the powers that be cannot see the logic of a higher ratio of adults to children. Than 1 to 13.
Is it any wonder that many of our little bears flail about like hell doing they best they can despite the odds to stop themselves from sinking while desperately trying to learn.
All of us do the best that we can. Including our ever so gentle and shocked supply. And some how we have to stop ourselves sinking while learning.
Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to cultivate them with ardor and persistence.
(Sydney J. Harris).
