"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, rounded with a little sleep"~

"Half Term": A period of respite from kids for their teachers; a period of respite for kids from their teachers. There has, and always will be I imagine, a great deal of public opinion about the long holidays that teachers are priveleged too. Not many, it seems, quite understand that the average teacher does more work in one day than another does in two. The sheer pressure and intensity of the average teaching day - whether it be full time/permanent or, in my case, supply/cover is quite staggering.

For the average full time member of staff, the half terms and holidays are awesome times where they can catch up on sleep, maybe spend a few extra hours with friends/family, and - most likely - catch up with the rediculous amount of work demanded of them by the government/school. As a supply teacher, I escape a great deal of this extra work, and I am most glad of it. Starting at Pensnett, especially after a long break from The Calling™, was a harrowing week, but I am in many ways looking forwards to the next four weeks till Easter.

Let me be frank. Supply teaching, for the amount of work you have to do, is a well-paid job. £110/day with work usually left for you. This is, of course, before tax, and before my £7 a day travel expenses. Paid a week in arrears. Because of the half term I didn't get paid yesterday, and I don't know if it'll be next week either.

Doesn't really matter. The money is decent, the lessons are all planned out in enough detail for someone as competent with his subject as myself to run with them and adapt using my own knowledge on the fly. I don't feel stressed. While I'm taking folders home I'm not doing silly amounts of planning. Yes i'll have to do a bit of marking over the next four weeks, but sometimes its good therapy to whip out the red pen anyways!

Over the next four weeks I'm looking at creative writing with most groups - a certified Master of Creative Writing (hey, I have a certificate and everything!) teaching the area of his subject he's most passionate about - what could be more fun than that. I'm hoping that there's some good stuff produced if I really push the kids in the right way. I'm also teaching poetry. I can't write the stuff for toffee, but I've taught this particular selection of poems before, 3 or 4 times. I know the stuff well, and again its that that will enable me to teach it effectively. In teaching and learning, nothing beats practice!

So yes. Half term. I've had a nice, lazy, relaxing week. I've played some World of Warcraft, levelling Excelsior (my shadow priest) to 61 which has been fairly trying at times due to lack of decent gear. I've also done a piece of artwork which I shall talk about in a moment. The only thing lacking is any noticable writing. I'm gathering my thoughts and energy for the last push to finish the novel. I've got some ideas that I want to try and implement and am just planning how I want to fit them in.

Anyways, as you are no doubt aware, February half term housed that joyous celebration of cheesy romance and gift-giving, the horribly over-commercialised Valentine's Day. In some bizarre twist of fate I am almost always single on V-Day. And because its me I usually have no one interested in me either, as I'm hardly the world's most social person these days, and I am incorrigibly shy even if you can get me out and meeting people.

This year was a bit more interesting. Several people interested in me for a change, which was quite refreshing I can tell you. If any of them happen to read this blog, I'd just like to say thanks to them for making me feel a little bit more special than I normally would around now. :)

Music: It has oft been commented by my good colleague Mr Jones that I listen to far too many soundtracks. This is, I admit, true. However, during the last two weeks I've been diversifying my musical collection. I have followed up my love for Ayumi Hamasaki's single Evolution by finding out some of her albums which are all thoroughly excellent! I recommend My Story, Rainbow, and Guilty especially, with the songs Humming 7/4 and Close to You deserving special mention for their rediculous catchiness! I've also been listening to Flyleaf's self-titled album for a bit of variety, as well as padding it out with a bit of Nightwish, Paramore, and Allen/Lande. And yeah, I've been listening to some soundtracks too. Bite me!

I was gonna spend a section of this blog talking about and showing work in progress snippets from a painting I just completed as a gift, but this blog is a little bloated already so I'll save it for another day.

Its the weekend. I have passoã and cranberry juice. Let the last few hours of half term roll!

~J

PS. The quote is from The Tempest which I am teaching to year 9 for their SATs. After Valentine's Day I thought it vaguely appropriate (for the dreaming) and for Half Term I thought the sleep also befitting ;)