I am an awful person and haven't been keeping up with writing at all.
I suck.
But honestly that is a huge side-effect of my job as a teacher now: lack of time and energy to pursue activities I enjoy that require cognitive participation.
I can just about keep up with my t.v. shows and films, but that's more passive and can be done WHILST working.
So I'll give you a rough outline of my weekly routine so you fully understand my meaning:
Monday - Thursday: Up between 6.15 and 6.45. Out of the shower by 7. Out of the house by 7.40 and at school by 7.50. Sometimes I might have some toasted waffles in the staff room whilst I load up the pc to print and photocopy my morning activities.
8.45 Children arrive in their hoards.
10.30 I get a short break - most of which is spent kicking kids out of the classroom or dealing with misbehaviour and setting up the classroom for the second lesson.
12 - 1: I get lunch break. I try to spend at least half of that eating/sitting/chatting but I'm then clock-watching and getting together my afternoon resources.
3.20: I let the children out to their parents.
3.30-40 I get rid of the children with chronically late parents.
4.00: Planning for the next day / photocopying / printing begins. [Wednesdays is staff meeting day, so the planning is done during the day or afterwards, and it starts around 4 and finishes around 5.30]
6 - 7.30 I arrive home.
7 - 8.30 I have dinner whilst watching a show. Whilst it is cooking I will have been continuing what I started at school
9.30 I shut my laptop and refuse to do any more work.
10.00 I go to bed.
10.15-30 I pass out whilst reading.
Friday: Much the same only I go home by 4.30
Then on Saturday and Sunday:
Wake up anywhere between 7 and 9, depending on how bright the morning is, how hungry I am or how established my body clock is.
I might have the relaxed enough feel to read something. I'll browse tumblr and facebook for about an hour after waking. By 11 I am pottering about doing something - showering, getting ready to go somewhere, browsing for resources to use in my planning...
But Sunday, invariably, I spend at least 3-5 hours putting together stuff for Monday / creating a weekly plan.
Half term: So far this year I have spent my half terms recovering from illnesses and then catching up on my marking and then panicking cause I have 3 days left and I've done shit all RE planning.
Christmas was a bust cause even though you get two weeks, there's loads you have to do and then all the Traditional Holiday stuff you have to put up with and there's always stuff that needs to be done.
Easter was magical. I got a proper rest and whilst I didn't do any of the housework-related things I planned to, I regret nothing.
It was over Easter that I finished a book (and 9 more) for the first time since about August.
It was the first time I felt like keeping a journal again and I've bought one. I haven't written in it since the start of term again (so about 4 days) cause although I had stuff to say, I didn't have the energy or time!
Yep. It sucks.
But there are lots of rewarding moments - which I hope I'll be able to share occasionally.
But I also want to be able to write about my interests again. Cause it's not as though those have died!
