*warning - it's a long 'un!*

On Tuesday, being the lady of leisure that I am now, I spent the entire day at school. It was great to be around for some different lessons to normal, and I really got a feel for what a whole day is really like. First thing we had the Infant easter assembly, attended by doting parents, and 'my class' did SO well. I know I'm biased, but they really were the best - they spoke into the microphone so clearly, and their little persentations/sketches were really interesting, and well done. At one point, whilst another class was performing, I had to jump to stop one little guy, who decided to wrap the window cord round his neck, from meeting a premature end. Luckily that worked out fine - he was completely ablivious to what he was doing!

After the assembly, and break, I did some reading with individual children, whilst the rest of the class did science - beans! Growing beans was one of my most memorable primary school lessons. back in 1989 or so, we grew our beans in jam jars (as opposed to specially made plastic greenhouses) and we kept a detailed daily diary of the exciting things our bean was getting up to. After some repotting, and a journey home, mine eventually prouduced 4 little beans in a bean pod - and I still have one to this day in my 'important things box'.

After lunch (when I toddled back up to the University to meet Ben) I spent a bit of time in a different class (split year R/1) where they started of watching a video on school 100 years ago - ah, history, my favourite! It was a really good film, although in the ensuing discussion, the kids were so fixated on the fact that in the dramatisation the teacher hit a boy with a cane, that they appeared not to have noticed too much else... but I enjoyed it! One thing I really can't wait to teach is history. Despite my furthest formal qualificaton being an A at GCSE back in 1997, I am a complete history geek - I can't wait to plan exciting lessons on WW2, the victorians, ancient Egyptians! Ah, just thinking about it gets me all dreamy...

After the film, I helped out a group of 8 or so children (mixed year R/1) cutting out pictures of school 'things' and either sticking them on their 'past' page of their literacy book, or the opposite 'present' page. The kids were great - one boy asked me what my name was (I'm really getting used to being 'Miss Butterworth' now) and then introduced himself, and everyone else on the table. I was persuaded to read a bit of a book to some of them when my group finished, which was great fun, as ever. I started off reading to about 4 children, and ended up with 20 or so of them crowding round me, so closely that I struggled to turn the pages! At break time, they managed to drag me outside, where I got involved in teaching a girl how to skip with 2 people holding the rope, and was left holding one of Willow Base's cuddly bunny, whilst she went off to play!

For the last session of the day I was with a group of children who were finishing decorating their easter bunny cards, and had a great time. I think I've written about this before, but one of my favourite things, and something I know I won't get to do half as much as I want to when I'm a 'real teacher', is just chatting to people in the class. I had a great conversation with a couple of them about Busted and McFly, and made the mistake of telling one of them that I found McFly's Red Nose Day song "it's allll about yooooou" really annoying, but couldn't get it out of my head.... so he started singing the opening phrase over and over again at me, with a big grin on his face - arrrggghhhhh! ;)

Although I may go back after easter, Tuesday was my last 'official' day in school, as I may have to temp post-easter, so I made the class a card, and gave it to them at the end of the day. It had flowers on the front, to go with the 'garden centre' theme of their home corner, and they all seemed to really like it. Only a few really realised it could be the last time they see me, so I had a few wonderful limpets stuck to my leg until they were prised away to head home.

I really really enjoyed my afternoons in school. they are an absolutely wonderful bunch, and I will definitely miss them, although hopefully I'll get a chance to go back in the next term. They've helped make me very very sure that my decision to go into teaching is the right one... thinking about having my own class, planning all sorts of fun things (and getting very tired.... but hey...) makes me really very happy. :)