March 2021 - a normal week

 Good morning wonderful family, 

Work this week has had a focus on recruitment, a part of my job I really enjoy. This year I am leading on the lesson observations and so that combines figuring out if people are great teachers in a one off lesson and then a chat to see if they are likely to fit in. 

We had some really good training this week on Sex and relationships teaching, my word there were so many stories I could have told, mainly about mum and her 'going to college for sex once a week' I'm sure you've all heard those stories. It was so lucky that an expert happened to be in Malawi, she will be going back to the UK in a couple of months. I'm still doing lots of other stuff but all things I like so I'm in a very happy, if not busy place. We had Wednesday off for a public holiday, and I had to work most of it so that I could keep on top of my work. B April it will have all calmed down and I'll be back to 'normal' I can't even imagine how I'd be coping right now if we still had to do a school show, which would have been on next week, so there are some advantages to COVID. 

The highlight of my working week has to be the assembly our Head girl has put together for International Women's Day. We have had a few chats about it and I sent her some links and ideas, but wow, what she produced moved me to tears. SO powerful and full of balance and fact. It was a welcome reminder of the privilege of being a teacher and having an impact on lives. And rather than some old woman banging on about it, the rest of the school will hear someone they know and is their own age giving an honest and clear message. She got a number of other 6th formers, including boys, to say why feminism is so important. 

A has had a mixed week, some lessons she has felt so confident in, drama and ICT being some of her highlights but she had a horrible week in maths. Too many tests. I have to be careful not to march in as SLT and make a fuss, so bigA did! well he sent an email, a stern and very clear one. The teacher concerned, later in the week asked to speak with me about a plan to improve maths across the whole department. He's not stupid - it had better happen! 

BigA is working hard, he's working so much more for his business, so much so I had to cook dinner yesterday, which was a rather unimaginative pasta in tomato sauce and salad. 

The cat has taken to biting A, I told her she did that once to me when she was little and I threw her off the sofa. I felt terrible at the time, it was an instinctive reaction, but she didn't bite me again. A says she won't be so cruel with her cat.  He in fact bit me this morning and I yelped. He's left a rather nasty mark. 

I'm mindful that UK schools open next week - masks and all that. Best of luck to E and C, I hope they feel safe there. 

The weather has been unseasonably cold over the last week, despite this the COVID numbers continue to fall. 7 day average around 100 new cases and 4 deaths. 

Love you all so much, 

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