Day 53: 25/10/12
I was woken by the phone at 6am. It wasn't a private number so I didn't know what was going on. I answered it but couldn't hear anything again. They rang again and I rang back and couldn't hear anything so I was cursing the phone! I rang back on the Irish phone and it was one of the schools I went to yesterday but she had just given the day subbing to someone else!! Sickening!!! I got up anyway and decided to go straight to the shopping centre to get a new phone. It wasn't open til nine so I thought I'd find how to get to all these Catholic schools and then head. Next thing the phone ran again. I had taken out the battery and the sim card, blown on them and put them back in and thank God I it worked this time! It was the same school again- someone else had just rang in sick. Whoever was ringing reckoned if be pushed for time because of the traffic as they were ringing later than usual. I got a taxi though from Shane's house to there and there was no traffic at all on that route so I was there early! The person who was to sort me out wasn't even on yet!
In this school everyone was really friendly. All the teachers were very helpful- showing me where to go and things. There was an Irish girl on the staff too. She seemed lovely but I only saw her for a few minutes. The teacher had no work left around and there didn't seem to be any books around. The teacher next door also teachers year 4 and she told me two of the books they'd be able to do. Next thing another teacher appeared as she heard there had been no work left for me so she had a reading comprehension sheet that she thought would be helpful. In the last school there was work left, but none of the other teachers really acknowledged me at all. Here they were extremely helpful!
The class were lovely anyway- about 3rd class age. They were a little chatty, but in general every pupil I've seen in any of the schools I passed through is way quieter than any class I've taught in Ireland! Whatever they do with them here the kids know how to behave in class!
The kids had music class to go to in the morning and assembly and football to go to in the evening. So I didn't have much to do at all! I kept them busy out designing a robot and drawing a cartoon about it!! I gave them some puzzles too and they were excellent at them! They've some little geniuses I'd say!
The assembly was something else! All the kids (only senior classes) went to the hall. There are school captains and prefects (6th class pupils) and they were on the stage, introducing everything. Then the principal have a talk about setting goals- long term and short term. I can imagine that speech to a hundred Irish kids- there wasn't a sound in this hall! Then they gave out certificates for a state maths exam- some of the pupils were in the top 1%! They also gave out rewards that the teachers had decided on- being polite all the time, great improvement, trying their best.....about 20 kids from all different years got the rewards. It was all very formal! Nice intentions though but I can't imagine too many schools in Ireland doing it!
The football was rugby league. The coach had no clue what to do with the kids!! The boys ended up arguing and one lad wanted to kill the other- great fun! Thankfully there was only a half hour left in the day so they didn't have time to kill anyone!! In a way I was glad to see the kids were normal enough, comparing to Irish kids!!
There was no one in the office when I was going. I was talking to the receptionist anyway and told her Id be happy to do any day again so well see. The teacher next door said goodbye before she left too and said shed put in a good word for me!
I got a train and a bus back to the shopping centre then and bought a phone to make sure they can get through to me! I spent the evening setting up the phone then and figuring out how to work it! I was wrecked- one days work would kill ya!! (Nothing to do with the late nights sorting Cvs and matching round the city delivering them!)