1. Frank- bw 2, 2. Champagne, 3. Bridal Docs, 4. Ring

Then get through Peter’s post-poned birthday and Halloween.

This week I was going to get my diet and excercise back on track, start sorting, cleaning and organising- so that Christmas and the lead up to the holidays wasn’t so scary.
That was before the fever and sore throat turned up on Sunday, so I took Monday off- just to make sure I didn’t get too run down. This morning I wake up and can’t walk on my left leg- I hadn’t tripped, fallen or banged it, so it freaked me right out. The doctor thinks it’s my Achilles tendon and prescribed rest, minimal weight- bearing movement, ic packs and ibuprofen.

Instead of using the time at home to catch up on work- I spent yesterday swapping wardrobes (no where near close to getting rid of my far too many clothes) and today watching strange movies and sorting through a backlog of deviant watches.

If I get back to work tomorrow it will be hectic and the next few weeks are socially and professionally manic. So I anticipate a lack of blog posts, photo processing and general catching up- which I know will send me spare. You have been warned.

I found this out after a phone call from work at 11am on a Sunday.

Up until then, my weekend was going swimmingly. Saturday had been nice, going to the markets with BMB, getting new comics, sorting out wedding stuff with Frank and a smashing bout at Beenleigh.

I was planning to spend a lot of today processing photos and stuff. Instead I’ve felt sick, stressed and generally depressed because there’s a problem I can do nothing about and my commitment should be at my current position.

What have I got to lose?

In other work related news, I’ve started training for my new position as a mentor- which has been overwhelming, interesting and outstandingly cool all at the same time. I really want to work in online learning, not just one day a week.

In Christmas related news- while I have bought all my pressies, they are pretty much all sorted and should be done by next week at the latest. I’ve tried to make it simple and straightforward, as drama free as possible, because that’s how Christmas should be

a)rushed off my ass

b) enjoying the little moments of calm and time to myself before I’m rushed off my ass again in the rush to get to the end of the year.

My grade 12s graduated this week- which has been exciting and a bit teary. I’ve felt a bit like a rock star, with kids wanting to hug me, have their photo taken with me and telling me how I’ve changed their life. Of course, I’m not letting it go to my head. It’s been nice- I love this class, so it’s nice to know they feel the same about me. They had their formal on Wednesday night and looked gorgeous. I, on the other hand, felt fat, silly and the do I got looked wrong. My fabulous dress was a bit too small and my hair looked like orphan Annie. I’d love to show you how gorgeous some of the girls looked, but they’re not really photos I should be publishing without their permission.

Friday was the graduation- more hugs and tears. I only then realised how much I adore this group and want really good things. So if any of you, my gorgeous 12s have stumbled onto my blog (God forbid!)- Good luck!

Saturday was Rock the vote. BMB and I volunteered on the ground crew and worked the gate for a few hours. For a few bizarre minutes I acosted Steve Cannane , who was recording a story there, and went into fawning fangirl mode. That’s be me- I go for the journos, not the rockstars. Then there was the Resin Dogs, a few beers and the token weirdo. Frank and Oreon got there just in time for Spiderbait. We were also amazed at how short Andrew from the Chaser was- but pleased to see him. I didn’t get a pic, as I thought I’d been too much of a fangirl for one day.
Later, we hung out and watched Butterfly Effect and Shihad from our “old people’s seat” on picnic tables on the grass.

But we got up and boogied for You Am I- the last band. I forgete just how much effort they put into a show. It’s a physically extreme effort, and Tim looked exhausted be the end, but I got some ok pics and some dogy video I might put on You tube. I’ve already put the pics up to a (private) picasa gallery- email if you’d like to have a look.
Sunday, we had a traditional Gymp brekky at
Sunnybank and went to see the Prestige, which was great. It was so good catching up with Frank- she’s had a crap couple of months and it was good to let her know there’s a life and love for her outside of all that. Busy weekend- tiring, but good.
I’ll blog sooner next time- promise.

I’m not writing much- not that I don’t have anything to say, but my mind is so muddled it is difficult to get them into coherent sentences that anyone would want to read. Then what I write is mainyl unreadable because it’s me bitching about life. Mainly I’m frustrated with work and a general lack of me tie- which is because of my complete lack of organisational skills. There’s seems to be so much to do and I’m not getting it done. Enough of a whinge for today- I might come back and make it a little more readable if my head is less foggy later.

While you are waiting, please admire and congraulate the ripped paper effect for the post box. It’s a little design nerdy, I know- but I’ve been wanting something like this for ages. I’mquite ahppy with it, even if it looks a  little dodgy in IE. Still a few things to go, but I’m happy with it. So at least I’m happy with something.

We go the back way around, hoping we can get into our driveway. The cops are just past it and let us in. I’m shaking, but releived. I’m also upset and worried. I know most of the families on our part of the street and I’m concerned about the family that lives in the house on the corner that is still surrounded by fireys.
I see one of the little boys, but not his grandfather who is a fixture of the street. There is an ambulance with a stretcher near the house. I’m worried what or who the firefighters are going to bring out. I scan the groups of people on the street watching the house still burning. There he is, with the rest of his family- watching. Their car was parked outside our house.

My life might be bad- but yesterday I didn’t watch my home and belongings go up in smoke.

Yesterday we tested the kids on it, some general knowledge and short answer responses to three scenarios. It wasn’t too easy, one student was finished in a quarter of the hour we had allotted, but when you can hardly read the information and form a written answer, it must seem difficult. Being an exam and to seem fair to the other students, I didn’t offer a lot of support, but did tell her she only needed to answer the questions to one story.
Part way through the exam – her friend left to go to the sick room (“nausea”, she said, but I think it was brought on by nerves). Not too soon after, I find this girl staring into space. I ask how she is going and she starts to make this hiccuping noise, gulping for air. She’s not ok. She says she feels sick in the stomach, but the welling tears in her eyes tell me something else. She hiccups again and puts her head on the desk. I feel like the worst human in the world, definitely the worst teacher. I put my hand on her braided hair for a moment, reassuring her, silently apologising- there’s nothing else I can do.
I call up the most sympathetic, sensible student I can find and ask her to take this girl to the sick room. I also give her some tissues and say she may want a drink on the way. “Let her take her time.
What are we testing her on that she doesn’t already know? That the world is an awful place and we should do what we can to stop it. That bad things happen to nice people. That a child’s innocence doesn’t always guarantee their protection. It seems melodramatic, but really what am I assessing. She knows more than I would ever want to know.

I had a lovely pre- birthday Sunday, brunch and a movie with the Gymps. It’s nice to hang out and be generally nerdy with my oldest friends. I finally got Frank her other Christmas present- cos I’m slack and I like giving presents around my birthday.
Had a lovely birthday Monday, BMB got me some great stuff, including Carnivale Season 1. There was cake at work, even if Tanya and I were the only people who ate it! Damn diet nazis!
Dinner at the Norman than night with Dad, my Bro, Stepmum, BMB and various gymps. Even Mel and Matt made it. Gorgeous steaks, too much beer and some good pressies. Can’t wait to spend the JB voucher.

Tuesday I had work thingy to meet parents. I was really hoping it would only be an hour and a half, as I had to pick up BMB from the uni. Instead, I was over 30 mins late leaving, got lost at UQ and was driving aimlessly for another 30 mins. Meanwhile the lecture finished early, so my DH was waiting a veeeeery looooong time to get home.
Wednesday was a work day, work, work, work.
Thursday I was flat chat getting stuff: BMB’s anniversary present, gym assessment, getting pressie from Nat.

Friday was the worst day of the week. I went back to the doc. It seems the anti- bio-tics didn’t work, so now he’s convinced I’ve got a parasitic infection. (After some research, I’m not so convinced- it’s only caught if you walk around in unsanitated areas, like remote communities or in parts of South East Asia- I’ve been to neither place). Rather than test me, he’s stuck me on two short courses of some strong anti- parasitics, no unlike those you give to your pets. I’ve got to take four this week and another four in a month- then another blood test and we’ll see if it works. I’m not so sure this is the best way to go about things. Surely you should confirm that I have an infection before giving me drugs for it. It seems very hit and miss. It doesn’t help his new receptionist is flat out being civil to the patients and was quite rude to me. I miss the chirpy previous receptionist.
I left the doctors and by the time I got to BMB in the shopping center I was in tears. This has made me angry. I don’t want to be sick again. I’m frustrated that my body has been medicalised for all this time. I don’t like thinking that there’s something else wrong with me- I was almost fixed. Very pissed off.

Friday, was also the best day of the week, it was our anniversary. Shared some presents and went out to dinner, after 12 years it doesn’t really need to be a big deal. We were going to do a movie too, but I was so tired. Luckily it ended so nicely.

He says “Too often it is taught without any sense of structured narrative, replaced by a fragmented stew of themes and issues.” Mr Howard believes that this is leading to a lack of national identity. He’d like strong emphasis on pivotal dates and events such as the Battle of Hastings and the European discovery of Australia. He also makes some cursory mention of teaching Indigenous history, but doesn’t mention what parts (the stolen generation perhaps?)

Of course, being the leader of our nation, he’d be the expert on what is being taught in our schools and what students know. This is clearly a statement from a man in his later life, who’d like things to be like the “good old days” when he was at school. He has no idea how to keep a teenager’s attention when teaching something that is not as enticing as WWF or a PSP. He doesn’t understand how we have to prepare students for jobs that have not been thought of yet. In his brave new Workchoices world, knowing dates will not be important, but knowing how to access and process information will.

He says he came to this conclusion by ‘talking to people’, and he came to an understand that many young people can’t remember the details of Australia history. My first response would be: maybe because these young people don’t see them as relevant to their experience and my second response would be that many of my students can’t remember their books, it’s useless asking them when we landed at Gallipoli.

In my 8 years as a teacher I’ ve seen $$$ thrown at outcomes, values education and the celebration of Federation. I agree with Barista to a certain extent, there is some value in learning our history, and being able to place events in a national story. However, in my classroom, the focus on Australian history is, because of a curriculum focus, above that of a world perspective, I see this as narrow and short sighted. Surely in an increasingly globalised world, we should not be so introspective.

I see this “root and branch reform” (there’s some management jargon for you) as going deeper than extend acedemic rigor or national identity. In stepping backwards in the way we teach history, a narrative with no connecitons or reflection on the reason and consequence, students are losing vital skills. They will not be able to make value judgments on events or political policy, and they will not be able to create ’cause and effect’ conclusions about them. Bring on the dumbing down of a workchoices workforce.

I resent Mr Howard’s insinuation that teachers like me do not teach Australian history. This has been endemic in this government, as a way of continuing to undermine the role and importance of teachers, particularly those of ‘soft’ subjects, English and humanities.

Full text of the PM’s speech here