Webquest Progressing well...

Today I went into school, yes, on a public holiday and completed the webquest. I feel very happy about that. It is ready for the students to begin tomorrow. There are still a couple of finishing touches we need to make but I am rapt.

I really wanted to do that webquest, but I just didn't really want to do it in my own time. The thing is with most of these projects, the only time there is to do them is your own time, so I had to just make the sacrifice. It wasn't so bad and I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment now. I am really glad I agreed to do it.

I am also really glad I finished the tiling. Perhaps in some way it helped me to finish the webquest. The completion energy rose from finishing things I wanted to do or some such thing.

maybe...

Triumph!

I have actually finished my mosaic. Well I am not really finished, I still have to put the grout in, but I feel finished because I have broken up and stuck down all those tiles!

I should have been working on my web quest all weekend and as my rebellious nature often does, I got involved in finishing my mosaic. I feel naughty that I didn't do my work and will be up until goodness knows when tonight making amends for that but it doesn't stop me celebrating the fact that I have completed this and I am really very happy with it.

I love the way it looks and I love that I have managed to see the project through.

I 'failed' art at school and have never been very crafty but I think I am not as bad as I thought at being creative. I love the things I have made in the past few years and it inspires me to want to do more. That is good.

Stroll through Morwell

Yesterday I had to go to Bunnings to get some more tiles for my mosaic. I have nearly finished putting all the tiles on and I am pleased about this. Andy suggested we go for a walk. I haven't been exercising much lately so I agreed it would be good. We left from Mid Valley and walked along a drain or a creek, under bridges and through really lovely groups of trees. It was a really pretty view of Morwell and it dispelled some of the impressions I have of Morwell.
I lived in Morwell in the mid eighties. I shared a house with friends close to the town centre. It was when Morwell was less abandoned and I enjoyed my time there.
Unfortunately the battery on my digital camera was flat or I would have taken more photo's. I had to use my phone camera. There were some really tranquil and pleasant pockets along the walk. It reminds me of the book I love by Thomas Moore "The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life". In the book he talks about little corners of the world that are magical and special and good for your soul. I think that walk was good for my soul and I don't know why I so often resist things, which are good for me.

I also took this photo, of some mushrooms growing. I don't know if you can see them properly. They were the edible mushrooms not the magic ones! I remember around this time of the year going out into the paddocks around Drouin East near my Auntie Angela's house and coming back with buckets of mushrooms. I really enjoyed it. You don't really hear of kids going mushrooming much now. I wonder why?

No time to say...

I have not had much to post this week, plenty to do though! It's amazing how a couple of little projects can expand all your available time and then before you know it, you have no time.
This week has been busy.
At work there has been quite a bit of annoying admistrivia, which is to be expected I guess but is still quite annoying when there are more valuable things I want to do with my time. It is always frustrating when you are so busy with meaningless stuff that you can't fit in the important things that mean you are less effective than you could be in the classroom.

Easter

All religion aside, I find Easter to always be a very sacred time of the year for me. No matter whether I have been away camping with friends, celebrating togetherness with my family or having a restful and recuperative time, as I am this year, I always gain some inner knowledge or healing. I am more aware of it now and I look forward to the season. It has usually come as a string of realisations or one of those aha moments when I see my life or purpose with fresh eyes.
Being part of a school community has already made Easter special this year. Our school had our students walk to the local creek and get water to raise awareness and empathy with those who don't have water as readily available to them. It was a powerful experience for us all and I appreciate these things. It is always freeing for me to reflect on all the blessings I have. It is when I take things for granted that my life becomes mundane and I feel dissatisfied.

More time please

Right now I would like more time in my day.
I have so much I want to do and feel that I am rushing through from task to task and feeling impatient with things that waste any little second. The meeting schedule at work seems to have doubled this year and I can't understand why.
I know we have new curriculum to implement but we have better paid 'servant' leaders with larger time allowances and they are covering a smaller range than previous curriculum leaders had to, which by rights should save time.
A lot of the meetings are covering information that could be easily distributed in other ways. I find it highly amusing that we expect students to meet deadlines and learn new things yet there seems to be no trust or expectations that teachers can do this.
Often there really isn't room for imput or consultation and 'pretending' that is what a meeting is about is just insulting and annoying.
I should write all this on my work blog I suppose but it's probably not politically correct and I really haven't got time to discuss this with anyone right now- I am just having a vent! PS:
I have no photo of that but if you can imagine for a moment a cranky looking woman sitting in a meeting with too many other people to be effective silently grumbling to herself about why people still need to complain about things that are inevitable or explain blow by blow what they do in a classroom as if they are not in a room full (and I mean full) of people who do virtually the same things, yet don't need to go into detail about it, every chance they get. I mean who are they trying to convince?
Mmm I have gone on and on.

The View

We went to Jeeralang after work today to look at some land that is for sale up there. We didn't want it but the view was pretty. It was a long drive though. I know I wouldn't want to drive all the way up there every day. It is nice to go and check out places. Today was just ok. It was another day of countless little chores and tasks and I am looking forward to the Easter break. People around me are looking frazzled to be honest and in some weird way that makes me feel not as bad as they look, so I feel semi relaxed. I found behaviours from students today annoying and irritating and mostly because they are the things I would normally ignore. I guess it is me and that's what annoys me.

Watching and Reading and Cleaning

Those three words summarise my weekend. I have been watching some DVD's, romantic comedies that were enjoyable but not probably memorable and after having said that I don't even think I will mention their titles. I have read a bit online and put a couple of clips on Revver from the Broken Hill trip that I took earlier this year. I have finally taken the clothes off the line and washed some more and will be vacuuming and generally cleaning up this afternoon. I am also going to visit pa. I have done some offspring ferrying. Asha went to friends yesterday and then to a party last night. I actually went to bed early and set my alarm to go get her. I think I will do that more in future. Trying to stay up until young people have finished with their partying is a little unrealistic for me lately. I can't believe I used to be such a night owl. This entry is just blah blah blah..... I think I am avoiding housework.

Home fires burning

The cold weather has set in. I lit a fire tonight. I love a fire and I enjoy it once it's started but coming home to a cold house and having to collect wood and make a fire seems too much work when I am cold. It is also not good for the environment! I am going to have to find an alternative heating solution. We put jumpers on most of the time because we aren't home long enough to bother with a fire, which realistically is only viable if you are going to be home for a length of time. I am concerned that if we get a more convenient form of heating it will be overused. Decisions decisions!

Today both my children were unwell. Tom was collected early yesterday and stayed home today. Ash was collected early today. I am feeling a little ordinary also so I am really glad it is the weekend. I would like to stay in bed all weekend and read and eat chocolate. I have some movies to watch also. This is a fantasy because there are a few things I really have to do!

Fairy Floss

Today we had a fete at school to raise money for Project Compassion. It was fantastic to see the year nine students enthusiastically presenting it to the school. The students really supported the event and the fairy floss was a big hit with lines continuing until the end of lunch bell rang. There is something really pretty about fairy floss. Who can resist?

Hump Day

Wednesday is meant to be hump day apparently. You get over Wednesday and then the rest of the week is downhill. So the theory goes. When Tuesday feels like Wednesday though, like mine did yesterday I feel as though it should be over already!
Last night when I looked up the link for Harkaway Primary, I sent off an email to Mr Hess the principal, who is still the principal, to thank him for the great memories we have of our time at that school. It seems it has not lost it's small family friendly feel because tonight I got an email back along with photo's and an invite to call in next time we're passing through. It was a sweet spot in a full on day.
Today has just been busy and annoying mostly. Lots of tempers are fraying out and about and mine is no exception. I feel tired and verging on unwell, but I know this will pass and I intend to have an early night to be sure.

Careful what you wish for

I have been foolishly prancing around saying I lack stress in my life and I can't seem to function as well without it. Well today was frantically busy. I got an extra and an emergency yard duty. I had already filled my day with commitments and our interim reports due tomorrow the world went a bit pear shaped today.
On my extra yard duty I took this accidental photo of myself with my mobile. It is an apt self portrait of today and I am impressed with how white my teeth look, particularly since I smoke and drink a lot of coffee.
I have also been reading a lot and learning a lot at present. I have been thinking about homeschooling. This was initially prompted by one of my work mates whose children are home schooled by his wife. Then I read some articles today. If you were interested you could read about it on my work blog. Here I want to write 'my story' about it.
When my kids were at Harkaway Primary School, a school I absolutely loved by the way, I decided to go back and do a Dip Ed so I could be a secondary teacher. I was doing all kinds of different work at the time and I wanted to get serious about a career that would work for my most important priority, which is being a mum, and a single one at that time. Anyway a treasured friend, Rene and I often discussed that we could home school our kids when they got to secondary school and that idea seriously appealed to me. When I did my teaching rounds I felt it was the only sane alternative, as sending the kids to a secondary school seemed too frightening.
The bottom line is that a lot changed in my life between then and when my kids started secondary school. We moved back to Traralgon for a start and the kids really didn't want to be home schooled. They were social beings and wanted to remain with their friends. I am sure there are times when they have hated school and I still don't know if school is what is best for them but it is convenient. I really think homeschooling is the best education you can give your child to be honest. I have often wished I had been able to afford to stay home and educate my kids. I believe they would have enjoyed their education more.

Andy's little clip

I love a little movie Andy made about riding him and Ella to Blonde Bay and Waddy's track. It is really cute. It was on revver but I have taken it off.
Today I watched 'O Brother Where Art Thou' with one of my classes. I love that movie. It's great. The opening song 'Big Rock Candy Mountain' is an old American folk song by Anonymous. I love those lyrics. They are so childlike and cute, yet filled with adult longings. We have been reading the book 'Out of the Dust' by Karen Hesse in that class and I have totally enjoyed it all. I hope the kids have enjoyed it half as much as I have. It is another repetition for me of both texts and has deepened by appreciation immensely.

Motorbike Ride

Today I went on the back of the bike with Andy. I haven't been on the back with Andy before. It was a thrill for me. We went to the supermarket. My exciting trip to Safeway!
I have only ever been on the back of a motorbike twice before. The first time was with my friend Steve, and he was trying to scare me and he did. I am ashamed to say I lost my moccasins that's how scary it was. Yes, it is the part about wearing moccasins that shames me. My next ride was around Berwick with my friend John. That ride was at night and it was to the shop, around the block. It was a big bike and I trusted John. It was probably about 20 years later.
Anyway today was only a little ride, but it was fun. Andy's bike is a dirt/road bike so it is smaller and bouncier. I enjoyed it. I was walking around the supermarket with a big grin on my face. I am pretty scared of motorbikes though. I just didn't think too much about it today.

Watch a clip

I found this new site today called Revver. You can upload little video's that you have taken on it and if anyone watches them and then clicks on the ads on the end, you get paid. This is probably not going to make you a fortune but the thing is that you can put your clips on there and share them. It is pretty cool I reckon. I have put one of the Road to Broken Hill that I took when we went on our holiday. It's pretty basic. It will be interesting to see what the process is like though. Last I checked it had 10 views. I find this kind of thing quite amazing to be honest.