Alternative Curriculum Week is over!

And it was fun, but tiring. I tend to take on a lot, then wonder why I do that . . . getting ready for the macrame was a full day's work in itself -- handouts with the knots/illustrations, then 'knotting stations' around the room with posters and ropes for them to practise their knots before starting projects, then of course helping each of them do whatever project they dreamed up. Very, very busy day. Ditto the jewellery making, except I had fewer girls (it was a more expensive course, so probably to be expected).

So yes, I taught two all-day classes: jewellery making, and macrame. Just finished printing out photos of each one of the girls doing their creations (brought my digital camera, of course, to save the memories), which they can pick up tomorrow in my room. In addition to the bracelets, owls, hat-bands, belts, and what-not, they'll have a glossy photo themselves to keep.

Macrame pics . . .

Update: Less than 24 hours after I hatched the plan and put them together, all 100 bracelets have sold. And we made £30 more than we should have (raised £138.50). I think Mr. O's tutor group is now going to give the same thing a try.

Next day: Made another hundred, purple and green wavy lines this time, and sold 60 already. Mr. O. needed help, so I printed him some polka-dotted paper, and now he has his started, and plans to be ready to sell on Monday, as he is a typical man who needs a woman to get him started (kidding, TJ, if you're reading this!).

Final update: All 200 bracelets sold, made £240 for the charity. I'll repeat this one again -- it really worked well.

Fundraiser . . .

Right now we're raising money as a school to send a Shelterbox wherever it's currently needed. In case you don't know, it's a big box which includes a 10-person tent, water purification system, cooking (stove, cookware) and more. It will support 10 people for 6 months. The cost is £490 for each Shelterbox, and our school would like to raise enough to pay for one.

So, tutor group by tutor group, we all hold fundraisers of various sorts and see what we can contribute. The usual food sales go on (chocolate, crisps, biscuits), but not much else. Today I got the idea to make and sell just 100 bracelets (wristbands) for this, and included in the price is a mufti day for students who buy/wear these (that means they don't have to wear uniform for a day). First-come, first served. I printed them up first hour, laminated and cut them second, punched holes third, and by fourth, I had a few students who had finished their work helping me tie the bracelets together. By the end of the day, we had even sold our first 2 dozen! The bracelets say, "I'm 1 in 100 -- one of just 100 students who are wearing mufti on 27th JUNE, to help buy a Shelterbox for people who have lost their home due to natural disaster. My £1.08 donation will shelter 4 people for a day, and our 'Group-of-100' will shelter 10 people for 40 days. To learn more, go to http://www.shelterbox.org "

I hand-numbered each bracelet, and by having a small(ish) group, it makes it sort of an elite thing, special, something not all of them will have (the mufti especially). And they can (hopefully) see the impact that their pound (and 8 pence) will make in the world, when put together. And it's all profit. (When we sell chocolates, we're lucky to clear 15 or 20 quid.)

One of the kids asked if I arrived at such an odd fee because I teach in room 108. No, the website says that it costs 27 pence per person per day to have a Shelterbox. I figured roughly a quid would be a good donation, hence 1.08 for 4 people for a day.

Gluten-free biscuits from Natalie . . . (Thank you again, Natalie, and no, I won't share them!)

Alternative Curriculum (and the last half-term) in upper schools . . .

I will miss this at middle school. At upper schools, the 11's and 13's are long gone, and that frees up a lot of hours. Today I only had 2 lessons, tomorrow I have just one . . .

So after third lesson today I signed out to get ready for Alternative Curriculum Week for year 9's (it will happen while the 10's are off on their two weeks work experience -- the school will be like a ghost town then).

What's Alternative Curriculum? For a whole week, we discard the regular Year 9 schedule and do other stuff. Fun stuff. Could be something artsy, or sporty, or even mildly academic. For example, some of the English department are working together to produce a newspaper, others have a cycling day, some do scrap-booking, one is leading a group in making their own comic books, another will create board games. And one day that week, when the year 8's come up for Transfer Day (to meet their new teachers and form tutors, but since I'm leaving I don't have to attend that), we take the Year 9's off on trips. I'm signed up to help out on a trip to a nearby amusement park (Wicksteed).

So, back to Alternative Curriculum . . . to lead a project or activity (every teacher is expected to participate for at least one day that week), you make a plan and tell the coordinator (Head of Year 9) what you're going to do and the cost to students. You buy the supplies after money is collected. You decide on group size (I'll do groups of 10), and you generally have them for the whole day (although there are a few half-day activities). We're now at the point of publishing the schedule so students can start signing up, and we need to put up displays (samples, details, etc). So, that's what I came home to do -- get my display and details ready!

This year I'm doing two activities: jewelry making on Monday, and macrame on Thursday. So, my work for today is to do samples and photographs for my activities. I'm off to the hardware store for cord to do a few macrame samples, and then I just have to get out the jewelry-making supplies and photograph a few pieces I've made, including a few teenage-looking things as well.

Saw the Head of Sixth Form in town today . . .

and asked how his car survived yesterday. He had asked us yesterday to keep an ear out and let him know if we heard anything -- everyone just chuckled! This is the best day of the year! Background: The year 13's, who are leaving now, always have some 'fun' with his car. It's their way of showing their love -- how grateful they are for all of his time and effort through their two years of KS5. Obviously it's is all in good fun (although more fun for them than him). Last year's pictures were great. No damage or anything, but lots of 'decoration.' (He even tried leaving the car home one year, but his wife gave the kids the keys when they showed up! They filled the car with balloons.)

So, this year he left it at a colleague's house nearby, on a back street . . . but they still found it. Moreover, they didn't stop there -- back at school, they took all the furniture from the 6th Form common room (sofas, etc) and put it all out in the courtyard, and brought all the picnic tables inside. And they stole the alarm/bell that the Asst Head had put in (the one meant to startle even the most sound sleepers out of the common room and off to classes).

Anyway, sounds like they had a good day . . . as always!

Year 11's last day . . .

Herbs are growing well on kitchen sill. I now have mint, thyme and basil. African violets in the living room are blooming, and I got a small indoor rosebush and a flowering begonia as well, for the living room sill.

Windows open, smells like summer. Morning air is the best, isn't it? Doesn't get any better. It's like when you're camping and you crawl out of the tent and the air is so gorgeous.

Had a relaxing day today . . .

1) Year 9's start their SATS on Tuesday, so we of course had finished up everything they needed for that -- just needed to encourage them, give a few last tips, then we watched the DVD of Much Ado About Nothing one last time specifically the two set-scenes for the exam. Reviewed, discussed.

2) Tens worked on their last piece of CW, then made some photo-copies for a few who have missed school and needed notes to take home and work from this weekend.

3) Didn't see my 12's this week (only have 4 lessons every other week with them).

4) Elevens -- I had just finished their last poem Thursday, which was the last thing for their GCSE exams. We are done. We'll start going over their mocks next week, so today, I decided to put in a video (Shakespeare) and let them relax. They've earned it. A few went into the computer room to revise on Bite-size, but the rest just sat quietly, a few borrowing some of my revision guides to read. I try to have one of each on hand. Smith's or Waterstone's, 'cheap as chips'.

In contrast to talented teachers (which they think I am!), a year 11 of mine called Tom has been after me to bring my Rubik's Cube to school. I finally remembered it today. He and Sean came up at lunch for what Tom has been telling me is his talent -- no matter how mixed up the Cube is, Tom claims he can solve it in 1 minute and 40 seconds. I have never witnessed anything so amazing. Never. That boy's hands fly over the cube, and although it took him a minute and 45 seconds, he did it. Literally a blur. I want to video-record it and put it on youtube, and on my blog.

EDIT: The next day they told me there are people who can do it in 30 seconds, and some who can look at it, blindfold themselves, and then solve it (in 30 seconds!). Well, Tom stil holds my vote for most-talented.