Melting into a puddle of stress .....

Hi all ....

As the holidays loom even closer and the teachers and pupils are winding down .... my work load seems to be winding UP! All of the end of year paperwork, forms, audits, plans etc etc etc ..... and to top it all off my boss is away all week leaving the work to land on my office desk!

Teachers and pupils are reaching the end of their tether a little quicker than earlier in the year ... but mind you .. after teaching 30 kids ALL year or being stuck in a class with the same teacher all year .. I can't blame some of them!

The complaints that get brought to me are classic ... you can tell people need their holidays ...."Someone is leaving the teaspoons unwashed in the sink" cried one teacher throwing her hands up in despair .... "GET A LIFE" was the thought that came into my head .... "Oh dear .. let me speak to everyone" were the actual words to come out of my mouth!

It is a happy and sad time of year in school. The oldest kids are leaving to go to secondary school - some will NOT be missed .. others (most of whom spend a large portion of their time being sent to my office) WILL be missed, even though they don't believe me. Spending a huge amount of my time talking to and calming down some very angry, disaffected and deeply troubled kids gives me a great insight into their chaotic lives - some of these guys have gone through more in their 12 years of life than I have in my 33. It brings a tear to a hardened heart ... but I make time for everyone of them to show that they CAN rely on someone who isn't going to let them down. Some of the hardest and most troubled kids come to speak to me and safely inside my office (where their playground status doesn't matter) burst into tears and pour their hearts out. When people say teachers have an easy life of 9am - 3pm it makes my blood boil! I find it really hard to switch off from some of the heart breaking life stories that some of these inner city school kids have.

BUT ... it is also a time of celebration and welcoming in the new nursery kids and primary 1 kids. They are full of energy and enthusiasm and lighten my mood every time I go to their classrooms to visit. A chorus of "Good morning Mr ......" welcomes me all around the school ... and yes ... said in that great melodic way that kids in school have.

You can probably tell that I love my job ... a lot .... I wouldn't change it for the world! Some folks think I am totally mad but when you work with kids and have a chance to make a difference and shape the future ... no job could be better. The kids in my school today are going to be the decision makers in 20 years time and they need all the encouragement, love, care and attention that can be lavished upon them. Yes my school is in a fairly deprived area, families with little money and kids eating unhealthy food ... and for some of them they don't even have a clue who their real mum or dad is .... but why should that disadvantage them?

Jeezo ... this has turned out to be a bit of a right 'humdinger' of a post. I lost the thread as you can probably tell ... but .. get me going on a subject I am passionate about and I'll rant for ages!

God bless all the great kids leaving the school for secondary and beyond this Wednesday .. I'll be thinking of you all and watching your progress. One of you has to become famous and when it happens ....just remember your favourite depute head :o)

Love you all ... best wishes ..X