Stop! Oh wait, wait a minute Mr Postman!

All delivered in one day! Films, magazine, chocolate tasting club letter, stickers and my supply bag!

Hi!

Does anyone else remember that song?! (My blog post title!) I always remember it being sung on SM:TV live in the good old days of Ant, Dec and Cat Deeley. Anyway, I digress.

To get back into the swing of posting, my post today is about post! I have always loved getting post. Silly maybe, but it's the small things right? Back when I was a young teen, I used to get my early post from Swapit shop. Does anyone else remember that website?! It was like an eBay for children where you used points to buy things. Whoa, I seem to be going on a memory lane trip today.

So when I was younger I would wait eagerly for the post. It didn't arrive until gone 12, and it was put in a box on the gate which wasn't right next to our house. I remember rushing out there to check the box for anything. It does sound a little bit sad thinking about it now! But when you live in the middle of nowhere, as a 14 year old girl, the post was a highlight of another British summer day spent sat inside watching TV.

These days I still love getting post. Sure, not all of my post these days is positive. But I do get some nice things in the post. Lovefilms for example. DVDs delivered by post every few days/weeks. What's not to love! I used to have a magazine and beauty box subscription which I loved getting in the post. I have a 12 weekly chocolate box subscription - yum!

The best thing to get in the post are online orders. I buy quite a lot on eBay, so love receiving these. I am a 26 year old girl, so obviously clothes/beauty bits arrive every so often. These can sometimes help to lift my spirits if I have a bad day.

I travel down to Cornwall 3 times a year to see my family, and I'm always a bit sad to come back home again. However one thing I look forward to is knowing I will have a large collection of post waiting for me when I get back. The best time is after xmas if I have ordered things in the sale. Even if I'm not expecting anything, I will always return home to catalogues, letters and films.

So here's my appreciation to the postman who delivers me my goodies each day. Thank you Mr Postman!

Do you like getting post?

Greta xx

2 days late Sunday catch up

So, no Sunday catch up from me this week. And that was really the only post that I was doing well at! Well the reason I didn't do a Sunday post will be explained below.

1. Last Monday I went to London and attended a supply teacher meet up. I was nervous as I am an incredibly shy person. I did enjoy it though. It was nice to talk to other people who are in a similar position to me. I did feel very shy though, and didn't chat as much as some others, but I'm proud of myself for trying something new.

Train selfie! On the way to London.

2. I worked 3 days last week. Tuesday was a lovely day in year 2. It was last minute, and I swear the TA worked harder than me! I had work booked for the rest of the week in the same school. I went there on Wednesday and it was a disaster. I was sat by the office for ages as no one knew which class I was supposed to be in. I got taken to a Reception class, got set up, then just as the kids were coming in I got moved to year 5. 5 minutes later, I got taken back to a different Reception class. Disorganised is the word! Teaching Reception was lovely, but I was only there for 45 minutes, then got put back in year 5. They were an extremely challenging class and I hated it. The final straw was at lunch when another teacher came in and had a go at me because she didn't get given the same worksheet as me! I just about coped in the afternoon, but called my agency in tears asking not to go back there. I was really upset as I've been to 2 schools now in 2 weeks that I hated. And I keep thinking - "It's me. I'm a bad teacher" However both of the schools have been in the same area which has a reputation for being difficult, so I'm trying to put it down to that. On Friday I taught in a year 6 class in a much nicer school, and had a positive day. 2 firsts for me - The first time I had taught year 6 all day, and the first time I had taught top set year 6 maths!

3. I went out with a friend on Friday night. We go out together lots, which keeps me sane! We went to Spoons like we normally do, but only ended up having 2 drinks each! Very unlike us. We ended up in KFC at 11pm and ended up going home early! We then went to Bluewater on Saturday for a bit of shopping. I love having someone to hang out with around here. Moving to a new area and working full time has made it hard to find friends, but I feel like I have a much better social life than I did a year ago.

4. We also went to the cinema on Wednesday to see Lucy. It wasn't very good! I did however help her level some writing samples during the trailers!

5. On Sunday the weather was lovely and me and Paul (my boyfriend) planned on having a picnic. We went to the gym first and god knows how I did it, but I stupidly knocked my glasses on the boot of the car, which scratched them. We were only in the gym for 20 minutes as I was worried about them. All of our plans went out the window and we went to Bluewater to see if they could get rid of the scratch. No luck. So I now have a scratch on my left lens which I just have to put up with until I get new glasses (which wont be for at least a year). Silly G!

I will try to post my Sunday catch up on time next week! It's now Tuesday and I haven't worked this week yet so I'm going to try my hardest to post another blog post on something random!

Greta xx

Weekly write up no.3 (or a reflection on my first week of supply)

Hello!

Well there has been a definite lack of posts during the past week! Mainly for 2 main reasons. 1, I have been very busy, and 2, I have been a little bit down. So, to summarise my week -

I worked 3 days of supply this week. And god it has been tough!

So on Tuesday I went to a school I had never heard of in an area I've never really been too. The morning wasn't too bad but the behaviour of the children was more difficult than I expected. But then the afternoon was a disaster. I was put in a year 5 class who haven't had a teacher this year and for part of last year. I tried to teach them the water cycle which I am confident with, however it was such a challenge. 3 tables seemed eager to learn but there were 2 that literally did not listen, spoke over me and fiddled the whole time. And there was no real behaviour system in place for me to follow. I tried waiting, taking minutes off playtime, but they just didn't care. Rewards didn't seem to work either. I felt like the children walked all over me. Luckily, school ended at 3 so I only had 2 hours to cope with. As soon as the kids left I cried. I felt like I had no control and it was a shock to the system. I have been teaching for 4 years, and although I have of course dealt with difficult behaviour before, I at least know the children in my class and can talk to their parents. I don't have this option on supply, and it is bloody difficult to build a relationship with a whole class in the space of a few hours. Relationship = respect = good behaviour. I guess I need to get used to the fact that behaviour is not going to be great while I do supply. But it is tough, as I like to think I can control a class and focus on learning rather than crowd control. I called my agency and asked never to go back. I also spent most of Tuesday evening sobbing and eating maoam and chocolate orange.

On Thursday I got the early morning call to cover a year 5/6 class. It turned out to be a school someone I went to uni with teaches at, so that was nice. The morning went well, and behaviour was fine. But then again the afternoon was a nightmare. There were 6 very challenging pupils in my class. I ended up sending 2 of them out, but it could have easily been 6. I really didn't enjoy my afternoon.

Finally on Friday I went to a school that was just down the road from the school I used to teach at. I was expecting to cover KS2 all day, but when I arrived I was sent to year 2! I haven't taught in KS1 since my first year of teacher training (about 6/7 years ago). But I absolutely loved it! This class seemed to be much more settled than any yet, and had good routines in place. The easiest thing was the school had a brilliant behaviour system in place that was easy for me to follow. We spent the morning doing art and maths. I really enjoyed it. There wasn't any planning for me to follow so I did feel a bit scared but it went well. I would like to be able to work with KS1 more in the future. I guess that's a benefit of doing supply. In the afternoon I was put in UKS2 and had to do a big write with year 6 and maths with year 5. Not the best subjects to leave on a Friday afternoon if I'm honest! Getting year 6 to work silently was a challenge but year 5 were nice, and again the behaviour system was easy to follow. I wasn't sure about marking though. I marked all of the yr2 work and yr5 work, but went back to the yr6 classroom and the teacher had gone home! I didn't really want to mark 30 big writes so did about 10 then left. To be honest I didn't think I should mark them but I know I would have liked it if a supply had marked it for me when I was teaching full time. I really liked this school and would work there full time if I could. The only issue was the staff didn't seem as friendly as the other schools. Maybe I'm being too picky?!

I have been feeling quite down this week. I am starting to wonder if I made the right decision leaving my last school. Sure it had its downsides, but every school does. I have to keep reminding myself that over 20 teachers have left in the past few years, and there are important reasons why I left. However on Tuesday I found out that the head teacher is leaving in April. Typical! I have spent a few days this week feeling really miserable about life and not knowing what I'm doing. I thought I had a great career ahead of me, and after teaching for 4 years I am still not in a school or job that I like, and who knows if and when I'll find that. There are other things making me feel down at the minute, but they all boil down to money/work/housing. Basic things that make me worry. I need to start focusing on the small things as I know I don't any power over the big things at the minute.

So, a very work based post this week but that's all I seem to have focused on this week! I have no bookings yet for the coming week, so who knows what will happen. I am planning a trip to Primark and Thorpe park this week, so those things should make me feel a little happier in amongst the stress of behaviour management.

Do you have any tips for managing behaviour in a supply situation?

Greta xx

Weekly write up no.2

Hello!

Time for another Sunday catch up. I'm not sure where this week has gone - it has gone so quickly despite the fact that I haven't really done much. There have been some ups and downs this week, and I don't particularly feel like I'm in a great place at the moment. Things can only get better right?

1. I feel like I am unemployed at the moment. Yes I am a supply teacher and work is going to be patchy for the next few weeks, but I have gone from working 50 hour weeks to not working at all. And it feels weird. I have managed to do lots of things that I never would have had time for, including starting this blog. I've even done some ironing! I am really hoping that work picks up this week as I am going to have absolutely no money next month. My boyfriend hates his job at the minute and will most likely be leaving soon, so the prospect of having no income whatsoever is a little scary.

2. My first afternoon of supply! It was about what I expected. I was very very nervous! The school was only 5 minutes away, and I arrived extremely early. I had to teach RE, which I haven't taught since training! It was RE all afternoon, and being a CE school the children probably knew more about the topic than I did! I tried to be more strict than usual, but an hour into it I felt like they were testing me. The lesson itself was ok, but I got extremely fed up with being asked to go to the toilet or get a drink. When I had my own class I had strict rules about this, but being in someone else's class, I wasn't sure of the routines and didn't want anyone to wet themselves! The kids were also quite noisy but then I guess that's to be expected. I guess I'm focusing on the negatives a lot, which is what I always do! I did enjoy being back in the classroom but it has also made me miss having my own class. I guess I just need to enjoy being free while I can. I'm sure when I'm back with my own class again I will be moaning about having no free time! The nice thing about my afternoon of supply was it took 15 minutes to mark and then I could just leave. I haven't been able to do that in a while! I have a full day booked this week and I'm really hoping I get more than that, so I will see how this week goes.

3. Shopping this week - I ended up at Primark again. Twice. I went on Monday and bought some lovely thin winter jumpers for work (I get hot very easily) and a lovely black pinafore and burgundy hat. Then on Saturday my boyfriend wanted to look for a suit so we ended up there again and I got a pale blue coat, grey bag and some black mules. I needed some backless shoes as I had scuffed up the back of my feet the previous day wearing some uncomfortable River Island shoes. I am totally in love and addicted to Primark. If I go a week without shopping there, I am guaranteed to find something new I love.

4. Last night I went out in London with lots of the people from the school I used to teach in. Overall the night was brilliant. I drank lots of cocktails and felt like I made a new friend who I have a lot in common with. We danced, chatted, ate lovely platter food and had some random conversations outside the club. However, the last hour of the night was not a good time for me. Yes I was drunk, but I sobered up rather quickly. My new Primark shoes turned out to also cut my feet. So with at least 6 cuts on my feet I decided to take them off, which meant walking the streets of London bare foot. I don't really want to go into much detail but I heard something that upset me and the remaining part of the night just wasn't a very nice time for me.
 

This has been a rather long post (again) and at the minute I think I am the only one reading what I'm putting out there, which is probably why I am being quite personal. I am writing these weekly write ups mainly so I can read them in the future. I love reading my old diaries so this is my online version. If anyone is out there reading this, then well done!

Greta xx



 

Just some of the cocktails that were consumed last night!

Last night with 2 wonderful ladies!

Getting to know you... (well, me)

Hello!

Another post from me - yes 2 in one day! Well it has been a boring day - no work today and nothing to keep me entertained. I saw this quiz on another blog and decided to have a go at it myself. I used to do these all the time in the era of myspace! It certainly felt like I was 18 again filling this in! (I wish). If there is anyone out there reading this, this gives a small insight into my life at the moment!

What is your middle name?
Carleen (hence the username!)

What was favourite subject at school?
Geography and Drama

What is your favourite drink?
Lemon Fanta - not the diet stuff though! Or alcoholic drink it would be Brothers Strawberry Cider. Or a cocktail!

What is your favourite song at the moment?
I am loving Arcade Fire at the moment. So either Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains) or No Cars Go.

What is your favourite food?
Chocolate!

What is the last thing you bought?
Some birthday presents for my mum.

Favourite book of all time?
The Harry Potter series, or Flowers in the Attic

Favourite Colour?
Purple and Green (I think!) I don't really have a favourite.

Do you have any pets?

Not myself, but we do have 2 cats in our house.
  Favourite Perfume?
In summer - Estee Lauder, Bronze Goddess. In winter- Vera Wang, Pink Princess

Favourite Holiday?

My favourite from when I was younger was California with my family. More recently though, Mexico was absolutely amazing.
   

Are you married?
Nope - I don't plan on it for a long time yet!

Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?
Yes, lot a few times!

Do you speak any other language?
No :( Even though I learnt French for 5 years, Spanish for 2 years and German for 2 years I can't remember any of it!

How many siblings do you have?
Just one - my ickle brother Karl. Well, not so ickle, he's 24!

What is your favourite shop?
Primark! But I also love River Island, Topshop, New Look and Lush.

Favourite restaurant?
I love going to restaurants, but if I had to pick a favourite it would be Wahaca - amazing Mexican food!

When was the last time you cried?
A few days ago. Things aren't great at the moment!

Favourite Blog?
For fashion, Llymlrs. For everything else, Maddie from http://www.qworterlifecrisis.com/

Favourite Movie?
Shawshank Redemption

Favourite TV show?
Sherlock, Buffy, Angel

PC or Mac?
PC

What phone do you have?
An iPhone (to be honest I'm not sure which one!)

How tall are you?
5ft 5

Can you cook?
Not at all! I pretty much have 90% of my cooking done for me :) I'm just hopeless at it!

Greta xx

Being a glasses wearer

Hello!

Today's post is something I only thought about writing earlier today, as I was putting on my make up. Or trying to. Yes, stating the obvious, I wear glasses. I have worn them since I was 7 years old. That's almost 20 years. And I don't really remember much of the time before that, so it feels like I've been wearing them my entire life. 

Wearing glasses is a big part of me, but it's one I never really think about. They literally are like a part of my body. The first thing I do when I wake up is put on my glasses, and the last thing I do at night is take them off. If I'm ever not wearing them (rarely) I still try to touch the frames to push them up my face! I don't think I could imagine my life without glasses. When I visit the opticians they ask me about laser eye surgery, but I don't think I would ever do it. For one, I can't even touch my eye to put lenses it, let alone think about having a laser in my eye. If they could do it while I'm unconscious I would consider it! But really if I had a spare few thousand pounds lying around I would be much more likely to get a boob job!

I haven't always liked wearing glasses. When I first got them, I was bullied a lot by girls in my class who have always disliked me (and vice versa!). I got the whole 'four eye' thing and although that would never bother me now, it does knock your confidence as a 9 year old girl. I could also never find a pair of frames that suited me. I remember having these round frames when I was about 12 that made my face look even more round. For a chubby 12 year old, this was not a good look! It was only when I got into my late teens I discovered lens thinning, and I was able to pay hundreds of pounds to get thinner lenses. It meant I could have nicer frames, and for the last 5 years I have had 'bottomless' frames which don't look as obvious on your face as some glasses can look.

One of my main difficulties is actually how blind I am. Some people who wear glasses don't need them all the time, but if I have my glasses off for more than 15 minutes I get a head ache. I literally can not see anything clearly unless it is an inch away from my face. This of course causes problems. Make up being one of them. I'm not the best at applying eye make up, and not being able to see properly is a major hindrance. The amount of times I have poked myself in the eye with mascara because I couldn't see properly! I think I've got eye shadow down, but don't get me started on eye liner! If there was any time I wish I could see properly, it's when I'm putting on make up! When I dye my hair, I literally cant do anything but sit with my phone an inch away from my nose!

Prescription sunglasses

Another downside to wearing glasses is that I have to pay for prescription sunglasses too. Not only are they expensive, but it also limits me to one pair. Oh how I long to buy 5 pairs of sunnies for a holiday!

I have also had problems with buying glasses too. I find that I need new glasses at least every 2 years. And boy they are expensive. I used to go to Specsavers but in the last 5 years they never have any frames that I particularly like. The last 3 pairs I have bought were from Optical Express, which I like a lot, but I have had problems. The last time I got new glasses my prescription had only changed ever so slightly, but with how blind I am, any small change requires new lenses. Unfortunately the optician wrote down my prescription wrong, so I was given new glasses that made everything blurry. I could only wear them for 5 minutes at a time! I persevered with them for 2 weeks as every time I get new glasses it takes me a while to adjust to them. I took them back and they said to keep trying with them, but the second time I took them in they realised their mistake. It was a very stressful 2 weeks!

So, another long rambly post from me, but considering glasses are such a big part of my life I think I have done quite well not to go into more detail! Would I change wearing glasses if I could? Yes, I think I would. Mainly for the cost of buying glasses, the hassle of opticians, not being able to buy sunglasses and the general hassle of wearing them. But I don't think I will ever not wear glasses. Unless I win the lottery and develop less fear, I think my glasses will stay with me for the rest of my life. A scary thought, but I've managed nearly 20 years, I think I can last some more...

Do you wear glasses? 

How do you feel about being a glasses wearer?

Greta xx

Me and my fellow glasses wearer Sophie

 

A risky swap with a stranger - I couldn't see a thing!

The problem with rain and glasses! With my contact wearing brother Karl.

A standard selfie - the glasses are just a part of my life!

Maxfactor clump defy mascara

Hello!

Today I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite mascaras. It's the Maxfactor clump defy black mascara, and I think it's wonderful! 

Maxfactor is probably my favourite 'cheaper' make up brand. The only foundation I use is from Maxfactor, and they also sell my favourite lip products. I normally use a Lancome mascara (to be reviewed soon!) but as a much cheaper alternative this one is amazing. 

I like that it has a plastic wand, as most of my mascaras are fabric, so this is quite different. It is easy to put on, even for me - a girl who is as blind as a bat and always end up poking myself in the eye! I don't think I've found a mascara yet that doesn't clump at all, but this one does a pretty good job of staying clump free. 

This mascara has been with me for at least a year now and I will have no hesitation replacing it when it runs out. Well done Maxfactor!

Do you have a favourite mascara?

Greta xx