Not as bad as I thought!

Well I got through the day and things weren't as bad as they could have been. The builders had finished in my room so I could teach in there...large post and all. It as great, apart from the over powering smell of whatever solvent they used I now have a very sore throat and a head ache. The even better thing was that this week is Japanese lessons week so Noriko taught tow of my classes and I did "crowd control". Every little helps when all you teach is bottom or next to bottom classes!

A week in the Dining Hall!

I'm currently preparing myself for a week of teaching in the Dining Hall :o(
We were informed in December that the South Site building of Ian Ramsey was unstable and in need of "propping" as soon as possible, with steel posts! It seems that the only supporting walls in the school are the external ones (great building works eh?), so the rest of the building needs supporting. Therefore, systematicall, throughout last half term and this classrooms have been out of action. This week it's my turn, so I elected to be stationned in South Site Dining Room, rather than timetabled here, there and everywhere. I think I'll with worksheets...realistically it seems the most sensible thing to do (apart for Y11 who will continue with speaking test preparation).
Can't wait!

21 again

Yesterday was my birthday :o)
I was, of course, 21 again ... well this year 37...only another 2 birthdays to go and then the next one I'll be 40. Must admit that reading Ewan McIntosh's blog post about being 30 today I felt VERY old.
I have to admit that most of my birthday was pretty crap :o(
I had to take Heike back to the airport to go home. After that I was knackered and kept falling asleep in the car. My so-called longest friend (won't mention the name) couldn't find time in her day either on Thursday or yesterday or today, to call round for a coffee (will try to follow Graeme and Heike's advice about not bothering anymore) and Dan was in a hell of a mood.
On a plus side Graeme and I had a lovely meal out, I got a a great bottle of bubbly from Tesco with a jacket round it and Alice amazed me and Graeme by picking out the BEST skirt from Next for a present for me, that she and I had seen a couple of weeks ago, that she actually pointed out to me then as well (how can a 5 year old know my inner hippy so well????)

A week off?

As we approad the end of our half term break, I thought, after a week of doing very little computer wise I'd post about my "week off".
We had a lovely, if not tiring week with my best friend Heike and her two boys Marc (2) and Eric (1). It's amazing how quickly you forget what life with a baby is like...it takes about half an hour to get out of the house!!! (Or is that just Heike??) We explored the Northeast in freezing temperatures and howling gales (seeing us at out best, of course)...but at least it meant that the boys weren't too warm with their tights under their trousers, 3 layers of jumpers, scarves and balaclavas. I must admit that by the end of their stay I'd started to wonder whether I should be wrapping Alice and Dan up warmer. We looked at the planets and railway carriage at Wynyard Woodland Park. We ventured to Seaton Canoe ...oops, meant Carew (when it was 0 degrees outside) and played on the beach, then went to the Marina for hot chocolate and scones and then walked round to "see" the HMS Trincomalee and the Steamer the PSS Wingfield Castle through the freezing fog. We attempted to go to Raby Castle but it was closed until April - although Heike being Heike insisted that I drive up the drive to get photos (and cringe with embarassement!) - so then drove through Barnard Castle and then back to marvel at the toys in "Toys R Us". Finally, on Thursday we made it to Hadrian's Wall - the Fort of Chesters - in the wind. The kids loved being able to run around and pretend to be Roman Soldiers. In addition we watched a couple of German films - "Goodbye Lenin" and "Was tun wenn's brennt" - which were actually quite good. I really enjoyed being with Heike and miss her now that she's back home in France...yes, she's German but is married to a French soldier...very confusing as far as languages go (not for me but for the rest of the family!!!).
So that was my week. Now I have a week of lessons in the dining hall whilst my classroom get "propped", since our building is falling down :os

New Key Stage 3 Curriculum

We had an LEA CPD Day today, part of which was dedicated to introducing us to the new KS3 Curriculum for September. I'd hear whisperings about it - generally negative, it must be said! However, having had it presented properly I must say that I'm buzzing with excitement. How great to be able to do topic-based, cross-curricular projects, without the constraints of a prescriptive Programme of Study! It's what I've wanted to be able to do most of my career, I think :o)
My friend and I couldn't stop with our ideas of topic based projects that could have cross-curricular links. Just one of ideas was a topic of (say) lifestyles...on a basic level this could include stuff aobut houses etc... but then Daily Routine could involve links with Geography to talk about the routine of a child in the 3rd World (also, in our school's case link in with our Lesotho Link that we have) and then to work in that past tense it could also be linked with History to discuss lifestyles of the Victorians (for example). They could have a "portfolio" of work..something written, something spoken etc... and Assessment opportunities built in, together with usual AfL and Thinking Skills activities...but how much more motivating for out pupils, instead of working through the text book!!!
I must admit that I'm a little concerned that other colleagues might not be as enthusiastic but I really feel that this is an amazing opportunity and we need to be sure that we don't let it slip away from us or be watered down in someway!My goodness, the ideas keep flowing but I'm going to keep them to myself (don't want to give away all my good ideas...only joking)...I don't want to get carried away and then be disappointed!
Oh, I also hear that there was a wonderful workshop on eTwinning given by someone called Helena Butterfield...can't imagine it myself somehow (she sounds rubbish to me!). All information and links on my Langwitch Wiki in the Teacher's Corner :o)

Langwitch Blog is a year old!

Well, it's amazing, I've been blogging for a year! Unbelievable. Obviously, it's not this blog that a year old...my Langwitch Blog for my classes at work is a year old this week. I thought I'd spend some time reflected on my year of blogging.
Firstly and most importantly I've really enjoyed it! Learning new skills, "meeting" new people, have more contact with some of my pupils. I really have found a new enthusiasm for my teaching. A year ago I was a part time teacher with (let's face it) a rubbish timetable of only low ability, low motivated GCSE classes, wondering why I got up and left my children for 2 days a week only to return home on an evening with no confidence in my teaching ability and no enthusiasm for my work at all. I even toyed with the idea of starting my own business, teaching French nursery children.
Now, I work full time (albeit on a temporary basis at the moment), still have the same rubbish timetable (former Head of Area didn't like me much!) BUT I'm trying (from time to time) to improve the motivation of the pupils I teach, through the use of ICT. I have some great resources produced by pupils that I couldn't have started to think about that kind of stuff a year ago.
In addition, I have worked with Sylvie to set up a very success eTwinning project that I couldn't have done without blogging (since the project is a blog) and that has lead me to meet some very lovely pupils, who love languages and are extremely enthusiastic about everything we do and love to learn new ICT skills too.
On top of that I've lead podcasting workshops at Ian Ramsey and at Red House School where my husband works...again, I couldn't have done that without blogging.
I now have a Second Life in a virtual world as Langwitch Shostakovich (although am getting a bit bored due to lack of friends!)
Finally, I'm leading a workshop on our LEA CPD Day on eTwinning and all that entails.
All of this through starting a blog last year and not have the foggiest idea about what I was going to do with it or how to do anything with it.
How did I learn to do it all? Well, various things. Fisrtsly and mainly through following the advice that Joe Dale gives in his wonderful blog Integrating ICT into the MFL Classroom. Aside from that, lots of trial and error and Google searches. Added to that I've visited lots of other blogs and seeing nice things on those blogs and adding them to mine.
Fantastic. I am much more enthusiastic about my work now and enjoy teaching my pupils (and colleagues) not oly new language skills but also new ICT skills at the same time.
Long live Web 2.0 and 3.0!

What an afternoon

Today has been an odd day really, if only because I spent most of it in front of the TV or computer and had a bath.
It started of strangly, since I dreamt all night about my tight throat and cough...so obviously there was something wrong there. When I got up I had become a bass, my voice having dropped an octave or two over night :o( I decided that, since it hurt to talk, spending the day teaching would not be a good idea. So, feeling bad (as I always do, if I'm ill enough to take time off work), I phoned work and told them I wouldn't be in, then I dutifully send in some very high quality cover work. I also took Dan to nursery (felt even more guilty when I did this...however, I was ill), which took ages due to the infamous Ingleby Barwick traffic and the fog. After that the morning was fine.
When it got to the afternoon, the sun was shining and I felt a bit better, I decided (as most mothers probably do), that I could have some bonus children time. So I went to get Dan and then headed of to Red House to get Alice when she came out at 3.30, planning to feed the ducks on Norton Duck Pond. I'd just got onto the A19 when there was a bang and something hit the windscreen and stayed there. Naturally, I braked and swerved, eventually found the hazard warning lights and somehow managed to see through the broken windscreen and thing on it to get onto the hard shoulder. What had happened? Somehow the bonnet had come unclicked at the front and when I began to pick up speed, the wind pressure blew it up and into the windscreen!!!! How me and Dan were OK I have no idea :o) Shaking, I phoned Graeme who, like the knight in shining armour he is, came to our rescue, phoned the AA and waited with us until they arrived. Dan, of course fell asleep (bless) and the whole thing was sorted out. We still got Alice but an hour later than anticipated and we still got to feed the ducks (although they weren't too interested). So now we're in the middle of insureance claims.
I'm just amazed that we're OK...we were in the "middle" lane (which isn't a real middle lane due to slip roads on and off) and things were going very fast around us, HGVs thundering past etc. Me and Dan were both very shocked but I think we're OK now...he's in bed and I'm looking forward to some alcoholic refreshment to help me "come to terms" with the ordeal. I told Dan, when we said prayers tonight that we needed to say a special "thank you" to God for looking after us and he wanted to know who God was. When I told him that God created everything, he thought that was great :o)
Anyway, there we go. Great afternoon! Oh and the voice? Still the same, I think I'll return tomorrow with lots of worksheets...got to get a letter out to Y7 about their trip to Cologne.

Music to my ears!

I'm having a trip down memory lane this evening:o)
On a whim I went into Stockton town centre...quite a scary experience it must be said (and depressing too). To cheer myself up, I went for a nice capuccino at Cafe Nero (our version of Costa or Starbuck's) then headed of for a mooch around the nice(ish) bit of town. I went into HMV to look for Wii games for Graeme's birthday (but found none!) and chanced upon the Rock music section...well I say "chanced..." so decided to have a look at the Fish and Marillion sections. Needless to say I came away with 2 new CDs (how passé!)..."Bouillabaisse" - the best of Fish and "Best of Both Worlds" best of Marillion Fish era and Steve Hogarth era (one CD of each). So I've been having a bit of music fest this evening, particularly enjoying Credo and Shadowplay and of course Script for Jester's Tear (ahhh, memories of Aston and the Saarland on my year abroad!).
However, I'm about to settle down to Ashes to Ashes now the spin off of Life on Mars but without the lovely Sam Tyler :o(