A year of full-time work!

As we approach the final 3 days of this academic year at our school, I'm thinking about the successes (and failures) of my first year back at work full-time.
Back in September I set out on my first full year of work in 3 1/2 years after a maternity leave of 8 months, followed by 2 years of working 2 days a week. It must be said that I was starting with very little confidence in my abilities as a teacher due to a number of things that had happened in the previous 3 years. However, I had high hopes and high expectations with blogging and eTwinning projects to work on and trips to organise.
On reflection - and I've said this to several people along the way - this has been the hardest year of my teaching career! I think I had forgotten how little time main-scale teachers get for preparation having been on management points since 1998, therefore I took on too many other things to do at the same time as get back into teaching. My "wonderful" timetable also didn't help matters it must be said, however really I want to focus mainly on the positives rather than the negatives.
The year began well, with a Yr 9 class who couldn't remain in their seats for longer that 3 minutes without fighting / shouting etc... Now this might make our school sound a bit like a zoo, I'd like to poing out that it most certainly is not, this class had just had a very poor experience the previous year due to staff absence and therefore had become extremely disaffected (not surprisingly). Things didn't get much better, when in October it was announced that OfSted were coming and I seem to remember going home in tears that night, telling my husband that I might as well give up there and then, if they came to see this particular class!!! However, I persevered, only complaining a little bit about them and never demanding extra help (in fact I lost the classroom assistant when one boy left to go to another school) and trying to make my lessons as kinaesthetic and interactive as possible (also having happy and sad faces on the board to put names under...sad= detention, happy= merit) and I think I emerged victorious. The class can now talk about what they're going to do on holiday and where they're going to go...even better they listen to me in silence and I can even allow myself to let my guard down a little and have a bit of "banter". I think they have actually become my favourite class (but, sshh don't tell anyone...specially not them!)
OfSted did arrive and (fortunately) didn't come to see my Yr 9 class, the lovely man came to see me with my lovely Yr 7 class. I'd planned something quite normal really and the class fussed as only Yr 7s could. He stayed for 30 mins and left telling that it was excellent. I was amazed and even more astounded when my Headteacher told me the next day that he'd heard that my lesson was "exemplary" (unheard of in Langwitch land). Suddenly I began to wonder whether I could really teach after all!
In addition I ran a workshop on a CPD Day on Podcasting that staff enjoyed and also went to my husband's school to do the same thing and they loved it too. I never believed I could have done that in September!
I made it to Christmas and, after a disasterous Christmas party where everyone I arranged to go with didn't turn up and I was left with a goup of people I hardly knew, the first term was over.
The New Year arrived with no dramas, except we did get a new Head of Area which was a big change and it took us all (or maybe just me) a while to get used to a new regime. In February we had our LEA CPD Day where I was enthused by plans for the new KS3 Curriculum. In additition I ran a workshop on eTwinning which was received well. Our eTwinning project with France went from strength to strength with use gaining National Quality Awards in France and the UK and our History Project loomed upon the horizon with concerns of a lack of interest from certain quarters! It was around this time I had my "melt-down" and since then things have generally gone up hill.
Easter came and went and the Dutch finally arrived. I think it was actually one of the high points of the year. It was exhausting but fantastic to see how much the pupils got out of it. We can't wait to go there in October! I think the time from the middle of April until 3 weeks ago has bee the busiest time at work I've had with even weekends taken up with school stuff. I did, however get a lovely trip to the Netherlands minus pupils to plan for the Dutch leg of the project that we're doing. Orals came and went then of course the IWB challenge that really stretched my abilities with the ActivStudio but really developped my skills and contributed to making my lessons better.
Next came the Cologne trip which, despite several reservations, went well and I think all thoroughly enjoyed it. I know I certainly get to know some colleagues much better and that's always nice on a trip. Of course we were also short-listed for the National eTwinning Award, which me being me, wasn't enough but I am trying to feel proud of the achievement.
Well, there we are that just about covers it. I'm going to gloss over the last 5 weeks because to be perfectly honest I've been having a nightmare! I think the adrenalin drop and sheer exhaustion of the end of the school year have just got to me and I've been on an all time low. I think my colleagues (and friends) think I've gone mad! All I've done for the whole time is whinge and moan, complain and cry (at work and at home). Nothing anyone has said or done has help improve my state of mind and I feel like a right misery guts. All, I am sure down to lack of energy! I know that I am ususally a valued member of the MFL Area...but try telling me that at the moment and I would laugh loudly and tell you not to be so stupid! I look forward to a good rest a great holiday and starting all over in September with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.
Challenges for next year? Plenty: developing blogs in French and German to be (hopefully) administered by Heads of those Languages, working on eTwinning Projects with Germany (and Poland and Hungary) and with another Polish school (and French and Swedish) to hopefully lead to a Comenius Project plus something in the pipeline in French too. In addition, doing some digital video, video-conferencing and developing the MFL area of our VLE...and of course doing some Primary Spanish plus a much improved timetable.
I didn't know one could pack so much into a year of work but there we go. I do have much more confidence in my teaching abilities and I'm still standing (just) but don't know how many friends I still have after my 5 weeks of tantrums!