When things go a little wonky...

Teaching is stressful. It is emotionally draining. It is tiring. And, just sometimes, it is not a good place to be. That is the reason that I did not post on Monday.

Instead, today I decided to focus on me and the things that really make me feel more like me.

I've mentioned before that I am quirky and I have some rather...um...odd idiosyncrasies but, the main thing is, that I enjoy those little things that make up for me. So I have decided to write a small list of things that make me, well, me!

1. I sometimes love to wear my hair in pigtails or plaits. I don't care that I am 29 and it may make me look 12. I do it because it makes me smile. I do it because I like the feeling of whimsy.
2. I like to dance around to showtunes and songs from the 80s. I don't care if I look like someone in the midst of a fit or someone standing on an electric fence.
3. Following on from the last point - I love to sing showtunes and Disney songs. Especially when I'm driving and I don't care if people look at me strange because it's my choice to want to do a rendition of Wicked while driving.*
4. I like to paint my toenails in winter, even though no one will see them.
5. I like My Little Ponies AND Transformers. (Though I liked Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors more!)
6. I love Penelope Garcia's style from Criminal Minds just as much as I love her personality. She likes to surround herself with things that bring her joy and I need to do more of that. Plus, she doesn't conform to those around her. Why should she?
7. I love to collect badges. Especially if they are quirky and make me giggle because I'm allowed to smile, damn it. I'm allow to be happy or amused! Adding to this, I also like to buy books because I know I'll read them more than once! Or, if I don't, I'll give them to a good home!
8. I love using large words that trickle from my tongue. I love to manipulate language until I have said the same thing three different ways. I love the sounds that words make and how they can change a scene from seriousness to comedic in a split second. (Or by the removal of key grammar points! Remember that grammar can save lives!)
9. I love making other people smile or laugh because I can. I don't care if I look like an idiotic. If I can make you feel better about being you why wouldn't I?
10. And, finally, I love expressing myself in my own way. I don't want to be a sheep. I don't care if my shoes are so '2008'. Like I give a frak. I was never put here to appease anyone but myself! If you don't like me that's your problem because, for today, I'm feeling pretty darn awesome.

Have a frakking wicked (no pun intended) day guys!

*Singing "Popular" from Wicked is so much fun.

Five Things I Learned Today...

I survived my first day of teaching - when I survive the week I'm having a double shot of whisky...* In surviving my first day I have decided to write five things that I learned today.

One - Period five is not a lesson where anything gets learned. Period five is too bloody close to home time for the students to give a rats arse about metaphors, alliteration, rhetorical questions or anything like that. Period five is good for driving a teacher a little batty...

Two - You can plan a lesson to the most finest of details and, on paper, it can look so awesome that it nearly burns your retinas with the levels of awesome it entails but that doesn't matter if your students don't care. If they don't want to learn about film techniques at that precise moment all you can do is cajole and stress the importance of education. (Basically, be flexible in your planning and have a million back ups.)

Three -Try not to get involved in pointless arguments. Example:
Me: Okay class, I'm sending out letters this week to inform your parents...
Student: I get my mail miss so I won't give it to my dad.
Me: (stupidly) I can always phone.
Student: My dad doesn't have a phone miss. (Sniggers)
Me: (Even more stupidly) Well I can always drop by your house and visit.
Student: My dad lives in the street miss.
Me: ...

Four - Girls and boys should be kept separate at all times in (and possibly outside) the classroom. Excessive groping and leering does not aid in getting class work done.

Five - When students actually get what you are saying it makes everything worth it. (Well, today it did!)

*It wasn't that bad, really. I promise.

P.S. I am so bloody knackered that I want to curl up and sleep right now but I was determined to blog because if I don't do some form of writing my head may explode...