Rooftops

Had a phone call last night, asking me if I could do a day's supply teaching in my wife's school, which I could. "We're desperate, and you've only got thirteen Y4s for the morning, as the Y5 section of the class are going to the local community college for a taster morning. Money for old rope," I was told. That was all well and good. Then came a phone call at about twenty to eight the next morning.

"We've got a problem," came the message. "Another staff member has called in sick. Can you take the Y6s who aren't going on the visit as well as the Y4s?"

So money for old rope became a bit of a nightmare with thirty one children instead of thirteen! Having to introduce an algebra consolidation game to the Y6 children, then leave them to play it while giving the Y4 children a spelling assessment, then get the Y4 children working on a poster, then check on the Y6s whilst the Y4s were busy. Then it was playtime (and I was on duty!)

After play, it was get the Y6s working on an extension to the algebra game, then introduce bar charts to the Y4 children - with a dodgy electronic whiteboard - give me a blackboard and chalk anytime! Then get around the Y6s to make sure they could do the algebra work on the latest game and then the other children returned and the Y4s had to go back to their own classroom with the Y5 section of their class. Then it was lunchtime. Fortunately, I had two excellent TAs, without whom it would have been a lot more difficult.

After lunch was fine, just working with the whole class. It was good to get home - just in time for Andy Murray to turn us into nervous wrecks. After tea, I had to take my daughter to her singing lesson and the photo above was taken while I waited. It shows Tavistack from the top of the old railway viaduct, which is now a footpatch/cyclepath, leading into a nature reserve in a cutting on the old track bed.

Pretty hectic day, on the whole!