Herding Frogs & rabbits

I think it would actually be easier than the way Allan misdirects the kids in preparation for the music festival!

iLeader stepped in to play the piano in the hall, but she is basically telling Allan what/how/when to do! A chocolate fireguard, if ever.

Boss also lent her opinion I the hall - not contradicting Allan per se, but certainly trying to redirect the children's energies. Think Allan only has 60% a clue what she's doing, and is not very good at delivering that message. Net result is a lot of kids in Brownian Motion. In her class, virtually every boy is neither engaged nor delivering good behaviour. Her interaction with those misbehaving arrives too late & too personalised, whereas iLeader would lead the class & address any issues by praising the goodies against poor actors. As I have always said, being eclipsed from her smile would be painful :)

Punch bag

Minnie's = "no touch" (meaning she did not want o get involved!) comment as Allan makes a total hash of a simple job with the chalk, drawing out the playground lines/circles -  rolled her eyes in dismay as she left the yard & made my day. First ever mini-chink of fractions in the ranks!

Watching Legs11 calmly manage her class as usual; piece of poetry in motion.

Kaisei variously stood on my hand, kicked me in arm & head, called me bakayaro ("stupid idiot") loudly half a dozen times & hit me in the face (reflex I regret but he deserved harder). He's now wrecking a nice card game for other boys. The flashcards they are playing with demonstrate the wrong sounds eg 'o' for Gorilla, katakana o not schwa - hard to explain without a phonetic keyboard.

Kaisei does have issues, developmentally, but I do not think that gives him carte blanche to be an absolute bastard to me or anyone else he lines up as his target. At least I can walk away; I guess the kids have to find their own way of dealing with him.

Rainy day blues

Tanjobi (birthday) day, an annoying reminder as I missed all of my daughter's fun yesterday/over the weekend :( with being busy training examiners in Tokyo. Feeling really blue about that.

Got to Eki-mae before rain turned me back for a jacket. Respite = bit of outdoor action & some nice legs on an elegant mum, eye-smile from Candy. Mayhem in the hall as expected; absolutely hate these unstructured scrums.

Proud mums lined up at the back of the hall to see the show, juggling video cameras with mobiles and babies.  In class with indecisive Allan & her punchy lot today.

Let's see: 10:40 & already fed up - my notes do not suggest I survive the day in any finer spirits!

What can a Hippopotamus be

Cycled to work in the light drizzle, and then practiced drop kicking plums across the yard as there was no one to play with!

My 1st time with tiddlers in the red class, who are super small easily underfoot! Allan's brand of  classroom spontaneity, mostly asides & internal dialogue broadcast sotto voce. She always strikes me as cranky & too quick to blurt. Bit crap on piano (always clock-watching or forgetting the next line) & doesn't engage with the kids very warmly.

Jim time about 10 mins: 

jumping killed the CD player doing Everybody Up! 

Hello song, one little finger, & see you later. 

Lots of smiles & joining in. 

One girl though immediately uses me as a groin-level punchbag. 

Deputy Dog lookalike in the class?

Roped into painting hands and the risk of getting to my next class red/blue/green, but grabbed by Dragon to read a book (What can a Hippopotamus be?)  bilingually - two separate books they have on their library shelf, with them responding 3rd time through with resounding "NO!" Bit of improv & reading from the back of the room :)

Back to lunch with tiddlers - fried tuna & crisps/daikon salad (must be a broccoli & cucumber shortage?)

Where's my Teddy, but no Gruffalo

Cobbled together Jim Time today, "Where's my Teddy?" 

Middle bunch + Fski this morning, cutting out bits to make a teddy. Time consuming but I think fun?! 

Colour after lunch if you want. 

Read the book but very flat response. 

Issue was I couldn't get pcs working in time to sort out The Gruffalo last night at work. Finished wirelessly networking them all at midnight, as well earthquake-proofing the bookcases. Think the books will all still fall out, but at least no one will get clattered by the furniture.

Eyes half closed after lunch; need a nap! Wandered around not connecting anywhere, hid upstairs a bit as no Dragon about. 2nd Jim Time cut bodies of the teddy bears out first, & attached body parts bit by bit to prevent losses. Allan pinch-hitting with me, & much less enjoyable, more 1 to 1 but she notices less. Instead she spends half the time trying to chat with me & I don't have the first clue what she's on about, certainly not when I'm trying get a class done actually monitor the children.

Very hot & sweaty; tons of rubbish to move from our old premises, and the network apparently not working...maybe just the operators, I think.

RIP Rik Mayall; staggering news he's dead at 56.