The Flu :- (

Wow, I've been neglecting my blog a bit lately, but as I sit here on a school day in bed I am finally catching up. Why am I home on a school day?? The flu of course. And how did I catch the flu? No doubt from one of my little darlings who have been coughing/sneezing/germ spreading for the past few weeks. No matter how much you preach the hygiene message and try and supervise correct tissue disposal, it seems you just can't escape it.

On the topic of the flu though, why is it that parents insist on sending their children to school when they are clearly sick? I know it is frustrating when winter coughs/colds go on for days on end BUT sending your poor child off to school to make the other kids in their class miserable with the same thing is NOT the answer. There is nothing worse than seeing a child obviously dosed with cold medication in the morning gradually becoming more miserable as the day progresses. I think with kids their eyes tell the story and when you are faced with sad, dull eyes you know they are not well.

Book Review No 6: Out of The Blue by Joanna Fincham

I saw this book at Big W and recognised the author as one of the couples from one of my favourite shows The Farmer Wants A Wife. In the mood for a good winter read I grabbed it and read it all in a weekend.

Of all the couples from The Farmer Wants A Wife, I thought that Jo and Rob seemed one of the most genuine true love matches. I think this has something to do with the fact that they were both out of the early/mid 20s demographic and had some life experience and a clear picture of what they wanted in a partner.

Unisex Names

Working with children, I am really aware of the names that are out there right now. One thing that I find really annoying is the continual blurring between male and female names. When I was growing up, there were a few unisex names - Terri/Terry, Kerri/Kerry, Kim/Kym, Peter/Peta and Alexadra/Alexander (Alex) and Christine/Christopher (Chris). Beyond that, you knew a name like Richard could only belong to a boy and Lisa could only belong to a girl. These days, however, lots of people just blatantly use a name that in my opinion is clearly one gender and use it for the other. I will say it is mainly male names being used for female. For example I am aware of girls called Troy, Ryan, Dylan, Shaun, Riley and Reese. I know of a boy called Tayleh and another called Jennah. Where will this stop I wonder?? In a couple of years time will people be calling their daughters Gregory or Benjamin? Or their sons Lucy or Abigail?

Book Review No 5: From Strength to Strength by Sara Henderson

I know this is quite an old book now, but I'd never actually read it. I came across it at my friend's house and after a quick browse I knew that I wanted to finish it. I actually read it pretty fast too (yay for holidays). I enjoy autobiographies, so it was good to get stuck into a classic Australian one.

Sara Henderson grew up in Sydney and had the potential to be a tennis champion in her teen years. However a serious car accident put a hold on that dream. While getting on with her life she met a much older, brash American business man named Charles who turned her world upside down. From Strength to Strength charts the course of their life together, first in The Phillipines (where they lived a relatively privileged life) then to the culture shock of the Australian Outback.

Teachers Holidays

So, it's back to school tomorrow after our first 2 week Easter break (in QLD). And I have to say it's been GREAT to have the 2 weeks rather than 1. Yeah, yeah I know everyone thinks we already get too many holidays, but when you work with children you see them get tired. After 10 weeks (the average term) they are really flagging and they need that time off to regroup (and for a lot of them to catch up on sleep - seriously!!). I worked in several jobs before I became a teacher and I can honestly say it's  not necessarily the most stressful job (in terms of time pressure or even workload) but I really believe we are influenced by the energy of others. And when you have a class of 25-30 kids your energy is seriously drained by the end of a day. I would definitely say it is the most intense job I've ever had. Something you just don't understand until you are actually in a classroom in charge of 25-30 kids five days a week, 40 weeks a year. Here's the thing as well - holidays are part of the job. If you're that intent of wanting 12 weeks holidays a year then become a teacher!