Tag: homeschooling

to do some arts and crafts

shallow focus photo of paint brushes
Photo by Deeana Creates on Pexels.com

I want to cut and shape and glue

With little clips of magazines

Stuck to paper, folded card

And cardboard boxes made into

Aquariums and libraries,

Mountain ranges never seen;

To make a world outside my own

With nothing more than paper hearts

And tissue paper reeds that sway.

I take a Year 7 class for my tutor sessions and I really enjoy their enthusiasm when it comes to things like arts and crafts. I was with the Year 11s last term and they are sixteen and won’t do anything.

But, as refreshing as it is to have kids that are keen, I really miss the fun that you have with primary school kids when it comes to arts and crafts.

When I was deciding what teaching course to do, I really couldn’t make up my mind between primary and secondary. I picked secondary because I knew that I could get a bit more back from that age group. I can really dig into English and push the students and I knew that would keep me from ever getting bored.

However, as I now specialise in my subject, I can’t dabble in all the other fun subjects that I did in the summer. In the summer term I made an aquarium and a volcano out of paper, card and loads of glue.

I’m going to have to click and collect some bits and pieces from Hobbycraft and do some of my own arts and crafts. It won’t be as fun and I don’t know what I’ll do with a volcano, but it should keep me entertained over half term!

Much Love

Rachel xx

don’t go breakin’ my heart

paper heart on light pink background
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

It breaks a little, every day,

Watching the news, the stories plastered

On our internet, the social media

Causing splinters in that muscle,

No longer supple, ready for onslaught.

I cry a little, every day,

For those kids that lost so much,

The family and learning time

That drifted off with summer air,

All gone, with never a chance to claw it back.

I just turned on the news at the end of my day, delivering online lessons to kids that don’t know what to expect from day to day. And once again, I’m faced with more bad news: the UK has surpassed a 100,000 deaths from COVID.

It’s a terrible moment and I’m not normally one for getting all tearful about things that aren’t really closely attached to me, but there have been several occasions over the past few weeks and months when I’ve had a moment bubble up inside.

We’ve lost so many people, and although I’ve been lucky enough to not have to lose anyone really close, I really feel the pain of those that have.

A little closer to home, I find myself upset for the kids. The kids in every year group seem just a little bit younger than they are because they have missed the end of a year. And then there are those that have missed exams, or have uncertainty over whether or not they will be sitting them.

It just feels that every time I turn on the news, or get a moment alone to just sit and reflect, a little piece of my heart feels like it breaks off. And that is a very sad thing to feel. Let’s hope it changes soon.

Much Love

Rachel xx

if i’m not forgotten, i may get lazy

tiger lying on ground
Photo by Tuesday Temptation on Pexels.com

Fold in half, then fold in half again,

You’ll disappear into the void

Within the day and all that’s left

Is writings, pictures, vacant emails too

As what we were is scattered to the wind

Like long lost stardust left behind.

And, just like that, we’re into the next term. But this time, I’m in a new school AND we are in lockdown. I have no idea where I’m supposed to be and when and people are so busy that they don’t answer emails.

I’m sure that once everyone gets into the swing of what they’re doing, they’ll be a bit more communicative. However, for now, I’m a bit lost and I have that feeling that I’m floating off.

It’s the same feeling you get when you watch a space movie and the main character does a space walk outside of the space station when they lose their grip. That feeling of slipping away and not being able to get back.

Of course, I’ve made that really over dramatic, but I have the feeling that if I stayed really quiet, I could have a couple of days extra holiday and nobody would notice. Which leads me onto my next point: it’s going to be very easy to get lazy at this point.

Sometimes being given the opportunity to get away with murder leads to, well….murder.

Much Love

Rachel xx