Just Keep Swimming

There are four more days of school left for the year.

FOUR DAYS.

It seems like only a short while back that I was enjoying my last summer holidays; finished with uni, finding out about a six month teaching position that was available while Belinda was off on maternity leave. I remember spending that summer break in panic mode because what on Earth had I agreed to do? Yes, I have a teaching degree now that says my name on it, but I don't know how to teach! What the hell am I doing?

I remember going in on the staff development day having fears that nobody would know who I was or why I was there. I remember asking my poor supervisor fifty thousand questions about anything and everything. I remember not sleeping very well. Not at all.

Then I met the kids - a bunch of super cute little Year 1's. They were very gorgeous, but it all got changed around the next week when the school numbers jumped up and down. I ended up losing half of my class and gaining a batch of Year 2's, who were lovely. My class? 1/2S. Hee. (I still love that I was able to have the class lettered for me, that made it real!)

It hasn't been an easy year, but it has been an interesting one. Not only did I manage to TEACH the kids things (go figure), but I also had fun doing it. I've seen tantrums, bloody noses, vomit, pee on the classroom floor, dummy spits and lots of tears. But, I've also seen laughter and silliness and all the things that kids find fun in.

I've learnt a lot.  About teaching, about kids and about me.

Apparently I still have the humour of a kid - misspelt spelling words (particularly can't, hee) still make me laugh.

I can officially keep a straight face when a kid is spinning around in a tantrum on the floor in front of me (doing a move I've now deemed the Helicopter) with shoes flinging off in all directions.

I have perfected "the look". If you have to ask what "the look" is, it's not worth explaining. In fact, I'll just give you "the look" right now.

Seeing kids fall over makes me giggle. I'm an evil, evil teacher.

And who would have thought I would have the patience for this job, anyway?

So, this will be the end of my first year as a teacher. How crazy is that? We all came out relatively unscathed. At least, so far. There are four more days to test that theory.

I'm dedicating today's post to Belinda and Max. They're the reason I managed to scoop up this position, and how I managed to be offered a job for next year as well! (That's a story for another time.)

This is one baby with a cute face and impeccable shoe taste.

BABY DUNLOP VOLLEYS! I am in love. The boy has taste! (As does his Momma.) My next mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find him some Baby Chuck Taylors...