Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

I'm sort of hoping that someone might be working on that to make your wish come true...

[giraffe]

Wulfruna do you have an office chair (typist's chair) on wheels? My Mum bought one when she broke her ankle and scooted round the house on that. She was very wobbly on crutches and found the zimmer frame very hard on her hands and wrists.

[Bunnylump]

Maybe a skateboard would work?

[SparkOut]

To induce another fracture?

[Laura]

Nah, to destroy the Christmas tree, obviously!

[Bunnylump]

...Discovering that we have OFSTED coming in tomorrow. Great, just when we were doing things like the Christmas pantomime.

[chazzie]

... Great, just when we were doing things like the Christmas pantomime.

Well what do they think most schools will be doing at this time of year??!! Perhaps they have heard your school's pantomime is one of the ones to see

[LAT]

I would have thought they might enjoy the pantomime. Hope it goes well anyway.

Today I have been at the airport again collecting the final member of the family from her travels though, of course, it isn't quite so long since I've seen her.
And we have brought the tree in and decorated it plus put some more decorations up. Just need to finish writing the cards so I can get stuck into the wrapping next!

[Bunnylump]

I could just do without having OFSTED in when I have my team down by three AND when we were all starting to wind down a little bit before Christmas. Mind you, I'm not preparing anything different to what I normally do. If that isn't good enough, then frankly, tough.

[maisie ladybird]

Hope all goes well Bunny.

...being a very proud mum tonight. Just been to see my youngest son (yes, he of the melon conversation) in his school production. He was playing guitar in the band. In the last 3 months he's had to learn 13 Beatles songs, he's very shy and wouldn't put himself forward to be in the band, but his tutor who's also his music teacher has encouraged and supported him to give it a go. It's done his confidence the world of good.

[Bunnylump]

Aw, that's lovely. And guitar - good choice I say! (That's my instrument, and IMHO the best one! ) Playing music together is really character building and boosts confidence in all kinds of ways. There's nothing else quite like it.

[maisie ladybird]

He's really surprised us. Neither me or his dad are musical, so the only help we can give him is encouragement. He's been having lessons for about 4 years now and he's really coming on. Although, when he puts on his AC/DC album (yes, he's old school ) and turns up his amp, it's enough to induce a migraine!

[giraffe]

That's great Maisie. It's lovely when they start to gain some confidence. Lally has come on in leaps and bounds through residential orchestra courses.

And Bunnylump I can never see why people get in a state over Ofsted. It always amused me when we went in to audit somewhere and they were scurrying around terrified that the auditors were in, when they had done nothing wrong, and so had nothing to worry about. Particularly amusing at the Oxford colleges I used to do, where they were terrifyingly brainy professors, quaking in their boots because I was asking them questions, and I was fresh out of University, with no idea what I was doing, bluffing my way through. One particularly amusing incident springs to mind where I asked for some information and in a panic they flung open the cupboard doors to look for it, only for the contents of the cupboard to pour out in an avalanche of ledgers and printouts and practically bury them. If you carry on as normal all will be fine.

[Bunnylump]

I will carry on as normal. I feel I do a really good job and am perfectly confident in what I do. It's some of the others I'm responsible for that are worrying me, especially as some are rather prone to "saying it how it is." It also sends the teachers into a spin and the stress starts to rub off.

[giraffe]

But why are the teachers stressed? I just don't understand it. Unless they have a guilty conscience over something....?
I have so often heard teachers saying that they are worn to a frazzle worrying over the Ofsted inspection and then the following week they are full of how they have been graded outstanding in every area, so why were they worrying? Makes no sense to me. They should just get on and do their job and let the inspectors do theirs.

[clvrlad]

yep they should
but how would you feel if someone was coming in to asses you?

[giraffe]

It's not very nice being on the other side either. Always in the way, always feared, never welcome...

[Bunnylump]

I don't personally like people watching me work just because it's off putting and I can't have a joke with the kids like I normally do. But I can see why teachers get stressed, they are expected to have SO much in place other than just the teaching. K works the most absurd hours just to keep up with all the assessments and monitoring she has to do, and the senior leadership team put enormous pressure on teachers all the time. Nothing is EVER good enough.

And just imagine the backlash that a teacher would get if their lessons were not judged to be wonderful? Parents expect all singing all dancing, differentiated lessons every day, catering for every ability student, including the gits whose behaviour needs to be managed. There is always the fear that you will be the one who "lets the side down" due to nerves, or children not complying.

[Wulfruna]

Well, my mobility has not improved any, although the good news is that the leg seems to be getting on ok and so the existing plaster has been reinforced with a silicone finish which will hold it more firmly. The entertaining aspect is that the silicone comes in a choice of colours - so I now have a very christmassy red cover on my left leg ! I have to go back on Christmas Eve for another check, but if all is still well then it should heal fully in another 4 weeks after that.
We are hoping to get hold of a wheelchair on loan from the Red Cross (for a "donation") which will hopefully help, as I really can't bear to stand up on one leg for more than a minute or so, since my "good" leg is not strong enough to hold my weight on its own, especially when the other leg is extra heavy!
Mind you, it is doing wonders for my progress in Candy Crush (! ), not to mention Diggy's Adventure, which is even more addictive

[giraffe]

Oh yes, I'm addicted to Diggy's Adventure too! (Just trying to finish the high level bit of the Christmas storyline )

Glad to hear your leg is progressing well.