Just your normal sunday !

Thats if your normal Sunday consists of grading and inputting the data into the school computer system. Its a great idea but the school don't offer any programmed time for it to be done. It has taken me somewhere close to 2 nights and one whole day to get all 300 odd students grades and comments input. This is one of the main arguments used by the staff here when it comes to being asked to come in early after the Summer or when there was the threat of losing the August week (Which I have a feeling will be gone very shortly anyway). It doesn't matter how much the Junta think teachers work its almost guaranteed they don't take into account the time spent in the evenings and at weekends trying to get lessons prepared or grading and marking done. I am far more fortunate than most as I have 2 days when my teaching load is light and I can get a lot done then but I still had to spend my weekend finishing it off.

I don't really mind working in the evenings it fills in the nights and allows me to fine tune what I am doing or planning to do. I fully expect from the time I finish here in June a lot of my free time will be being taken up with the planning and structure for the new post.

This coming week I have a feeling I am going to lose at least 1 day (We have Earth Day on Tuesday) again given the opportunity to preplan I could have incorporated some technology work around environmental lessons for the day unfortunately like most things out here they make decisions and advise you of changes at the last minute. (Something I definitly want to try and avoid next year.)

As far as the new post is concerned I feel really excited about it. I have to feel I have been very lucky in my teaching career to date (Though to be honest it has all been preplanned and has upto now worked out exactly as I expected - so maybe luck isnt the right word to use.)

I have always thrived on challenge and as far as I can remember always looked for a position that pushed me to the limit and only when I passed that limit did I look for the next challenge. My one regret is that prior to coming into teaching the Computer company I started didn't work out as I had hoped. The day I closed the door for the last time was the most devastating moment in my life, and impossible to express, unless you have experienced it, but at the same time was one of the greatest learning experiences and in effect turned my life in a different direction.

Failure hurts and even now I feel sadness at failing. Being reflective there were many reasons, lack of planning, lack of focus, and misplaced trust. I allowed myself to be distracted and through out failed to see the signs, because I was too close and too involved. However, it taught me that if you step away, put it behind you and refocus you can move on, but its not always easy.

I have a lot of respect for everyone that starts up their own business and makes a success out of it. I know a few very successful people who succeeded where I failed and I have only the highest regard for their dedication and efforts to make their business what mine wasn't. Like teaching, for it to be successful they too have to work a hell of a lot more than the standard 9-5 Monday to Friday.

IBM stated in their advertising from a few years back "We fail more often to succeed sooner" as they believe that every success has had many failures behind it. I prefer not to fail, if I can avoid it now, and instead plan and preplan to the point of distraction, every possible outcome is covered and every possible error pre-empted as much as possible. Only in that way can I say "Failure is not an option".

Yes, I will still fail its a fact of life but it will be a failure instigated by something outwith my control, something I could not pre-empt, and because of that it will teach me something else about how to approach and plan for the future.

To quote Clint Eastwood from Heartbreak Ridge... "you need to Adapt, Improvise and Overcome" (I doubt it was his original quote, but it does epitomise my thought process for any task or job I approach.) and with that thought... Tomorrow is the start of a new week..

Manyana mi amigos.