Life seems to be in fast froward at the moment. I have been working at school three mornings a week, mixed in with a little supply work. I began a creative writing club twice a week, with some trepidation but it seems to have gone down rather well, and I am also trying to plan and finish two books, one for the kids which is planned and half written as well as the follow up to the first novel which is semi-planned and has a first chapter!
I have to say I am beginning to fall back into the routine, I am enjoying the challenges of the classroom, especially the supply work which sees me teaching across year groups and the curriculum. Unless I find a convenient 2/3 days a week or morning job I think I will continue with the supply work in the next academic year. The creative writing group has been great. I was guilty of expecting a gaggle of girls wanting to write about only fairies and such like. I was rewarded instead with a mixture of boys and girls who happily engaged with free writes, planning and character profiles. They have produced excellent work and I am looking forward to doing it all again next term, we may even get around to scripting and filming some of their work. I feel lucky to be able to do a job I am enjoying, especially in the current climate.
Writing itself doesn’t earn a huge amount, unless you are prolific enough to publish more than one title in a year or you are clever enough to write a best seller, I am currently working on two projects, one for children and one for adults as it helps keep both of them fresh! I have plans in the pipe line for future projects but the biggest obstacle is time. Three children and working in a school mean that by the time we have completed the homework and had dinner and then the kids have had a bath and a story and been convinced to go to bed it is nearly time for me to catch some shut eye! However this holiday I have asked them for 1-2 hours per day when we are not out for the whole day to do some writing, Then I might be able to keep up the momentum on the days I am not in school and after lunch on the days I am if I get back in the writing habit!
Talking of job satisfaction my main job, that of being a parent has proven difficult at the moment. The children seem to be going out of their way to be as difficult as possible. Hpops did manage to get a good report across the subjects she studies at school and Pixie and Imp both had lovely work to show me when parents were invited to school to see their books and displays! Outside school their behaviour is not so good. They seem to delight in arguing and fighting with one another, making a mess of the house and moving about as if they can’t see it and generally ignoring everything we say to them or ask them to do! We are battling through and hoping that with a positive reward system such as collecting things they like we will begin to make progress.
It is a shame but due to work I have stopped studying for the moment, I have enjoyed many courses with the Open University in subjects such as creative writing, psychology, philosophy and sociology and I have had fun doing them and hopefully learnt something. Instead I am going to try and read some of the text books without the time pressure keeping to a set schedule or attending tutorials and completing assignments. Instead I can focus my attention on teaching and writing.
Of course we are battling the cold during the Easter holidays. It does seem odd that it is light until nearly 8pm now the clocks have changed to summer time. Apparently we may get some milder air, just in time for the children to go back to school. At the moment the kids have various activities to keep them warm and occupied, riding, football and baking! We are hoping to visit the coast on Friday but I think at least part of the day will be spent inside, and some of it will be spent outside shivering as the kids build sand castles. Mr T and I hit mid thirties this week, this doesn’t really bother me, I am more interested now in having a good time with friends and family and it is odd to think how we change as we age. When you are at the kids ages your birthday is one of the most special days of the year. You expect a party and piles of presents and cards, as we get older this pile of cards and presents dwindles as we collect more of the things we want and need and find it difficult to think of things we desire. Instead a birthday treat is a nice cake and a day out. Anyway hopefully the results of the writing will soon be available for everyone to see and as for the teaching, fingers crossed that the perfect job comes up and I can get it and make a success of it!
