2004-10-18 - 4:35 p.m.

I seem to have chosen the slowest and most temperamental computer in the department yet again, but I have nothing better to do while waiting for Leanne to text me that she's free and ready to drive me home, so I might as well write an entry anyway.
Actually, I have LOTS better to do. I've just sat through a day of preparation for PP2 (my four-week school placement) and we've had to fill in so many forms, and sign so many bits of paper, that I wouldn't be surprised to get home and find I've signed something that says I'll complete a thesis on the phenomenon of the mancunian yak by Wednesday. Every now and then in class, someone will casually mention an assignement they've sterted, and everyone else will go frantically scuttling through all their files to find out whether they have to do it as well, and when it's in for. You see, they don't tell us about assignments here. They simply give us enormous files of obscure information, with these essential assignments cleverly hidden in random paragraphs, to make sure we read the whole thing. And when I say the whole thing...I really think they must chop down an entire rainforest per PGCE student to have enough paper to fill those files. I now have five hefty ring binders on my shelf that have been given to me by the university - and that doesn't count the other ring binders that I brought with me, which are full of lecture notes, tasks, audits and abandoned practice lesson plans.
So I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, to be honest. They've managed to place me in the school connected to our church, too, so I'm probably going to be teaching the vicar's eldest daughter Joanna. Poor Jo will have to pretend she hardly knows me to make the transition between best-babysitter-sunday-school-teacher-chum to Teacher Who Must Be Obeyed Quietly And Without Argument! So far, she's simply scared me rigid by telling me horrible stories about all the naughty children in her class and how they eat supply teachers for breakfast.
And, oh, help and bother, I've LOST my book report assignment that is in for this week and in all probability is being marked by She of the Iron Bodice (SO much scarier than Freya ever was, Cambridge folk) who practically cooked and ate me at interview.
'All manner of thing shall be most well'...OK Julian of Norwich, I'll just keep saying that...

�

previous - next