(and how long was that week?) Friday

The thing about routine is, it’s routine. Once you are back into a routine, one day just drifts into another. It seems ages since we were all on holiday, and yet it was only two weeks ago. This morning, even though all the alarm clocks were turned off and I went to bed slightly later than I normally do on a school night, I woke up at 6:14am and watched the alarm clock tick over. Yes, my body clock is now retuned to school time, and even though I can sleep in – and weirdly enough, every week day I really could sleep in – by 7 o’clock I’m staring at the ceiling, thinking about work. Yes, I can be that dull.

Friday started with the good news: all class teachers present and correct! The music teacher is still AWOL, but that won’t be a problem for me until next W*dnesd*y. It’s been a long week having to teach my normal time table with the added pressure of the Instituto México exams, added into the equation there have been lessons to teach in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. Plus there have been exams tests to write, lessons to plan, parental meetings to prepare/debrief, and then there has been the assembly to think about. So, it was a relief to know that Friday would just be spent with the sixth grade, and my non-contact time would be available for all the administrative work that goes with the job of a teacher.

Monday sees the start of this month’s exams tests – I refuse to call them exams. We’ve only been back for two weeks, and in the case of the sixth grade, we’ve spent most of the time working on revision of older topics. So, the maths exam test will consist of 5 questions. Of course the danger with so few questions is that one mistake can destroy a good grade. In this case, get question 5 wrong (it’s about sales tax) and you lose three marks, three out of a possible twenty-five. So, even if you get the rest of the exam test correct, that still means your best possible score is: 25-3 = 22; 22 out of 25 = 88%; 88% => grade of 8.8. In other words (or numbers), the exam test might be easy but care has to be taken.

After making sure that we all knew what we were doing in the maths, it was time for some science! A lesson with a lot of drawing today and, it should be said, successful drawing! Yes, the thing I put on the board was instantly recognised as a bird – yay me!

As usual – although it still seems a surprise to some students – Friday is the day I take in the Reading Logs, take in the numbers and publish The Wall Of Fame:

THE WALL OF FAME

857 pages: Ana Paola

444 pages: Ninotchka

338 pages: Miguel

325 pages: Polette

Just a top four this week, and there are three people in The 200+ Club. Slightly reduced numbers this week. I’m hoping that this is just a settling in period, what with “back to school” and “Junior High exams”. However, they were also set the task of writing a book review, and some of the students took the easy way out. The book report is supposed to be about a book that you have read recently, not one you read back in the fourth grade!

There were some interesting examples chosen for Endurance. Nice to note that four students chose their mum as someone who has endured. Hopefully we will be able to put those examples together into a coherent assembly in ten days time. If not, we’ll still be able to sing the song “Sing”.

It was Daniela’s birthday, and everyone went to her party, which was a great way to celebrate the end of a long week. Well, I say everyone but I wouldn’t know for definite…I wasn’t invited. Have a good weekend, and don’t forget, 23rd January is International Pie Day!

English Word of the Day. Trainers. You call them tennis shoes or sneakers, I call them trainers.

Homework:

• Endurance: find an example of an individual (or group of individuals) who have endured through hardship to achieve success.
• Reading: you should be reading for 20 mins every night.