PROUD!

I am very proud today.  Isabella was one of the Head Teacher's two 'Special Persons' this week - for being very kind to others.  When I had a meeting with the Head about various other things this afternoon, she told me she'd been thinking of it for some time as Bella is consistently considerate and kind towards others.  I couldn't help laughing but also feeling really proud of her, as she's not like that with Alex at all!   On the other hand I know she can be a lovely, charming, sweet and kind little girl.

I suppose it makes you think about your children, and whether it's rather easy to focus on the negative at home where you're trying to get them to behave and to fit in with what you want.  Alex is hopeless at doing his homework: he prevaricates, finds it boring, gets down from the table, makes a mess of it.... and yet his form teacher and the Head say he is a bright boy and I get the impression they are as frustrated by him as David and I are!  What will motivate him?  Homework isn't exciting - it often involves repetition of similar sums or sentences.  Would he do better if he had to do a project?  And yet he got bored with the World War II project in which he appeared initially interested in the summer....

I'm also dead chuffed that my 'composer of the month' seems to be going down well.  I have to say that the credit is only partially mine: the Head suggested a composer of the month and then she also has taken what I have written and done more research and presented it to the children (which was the idea of it - that it would inspire teachers to get classical music into the classroom).  Two significant results from this week's composer, Monteverdi, to date: Isabella came home and asked me to put some Monteverdi on; and a difficult pupil apparently said that the music 'made him feel warm inside'.  That latter brought tears to my eyes.

I also have another singing pupil - she's coming for her first trial lesson on Monday!  3 pupils per week would be great - and another 3 even better so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed!  She's coming because one of my other pupils told her about me, so I hope that means I'm not doing too badly.  I'm really looking forward to doing my Grade 8 and then my Licentiate and being an 'official' teacher!

Nearly forgot but important to mention - I had coffee with Jenny today, who I met at Toddler Group.  She used to live in the South West and moved up here in April (I think) along with 3 children - one not much older than Edward - and her husband is a GP at the Brampton surgery.  She seems really nice and it was great to go round to see her - I felt that we were both quite chatty and that there's a lot more I want to ask her and talk to her about!  She and her husband have also both joined 'my' choir, the Solway Singers, and are impressed by it so far.  It will be good to see her regularly via choir.  In addition she also knows Emma, which is good, as Emma is lovely (I must ask her how her interview went).

2012 has started well.