Time for a Catch-Up

It seems like an age since I sat down and added a post. Actually, it's been only a few days, but such a lot has happened and it's been wuite difficult to find five minutes to sit down with my laptop. I've had a pretty good week at work - the usual French carousel on Monday, G4 at my regular school on Tuesday, G2 at another school on Wednesday, a new school on Thursday and finally a very local gig (5 minute trip) on Friday. Last night I watched Mia's school production of The Wedding Singer, and I can honestly say that it was of a high enough standard to have stood up on its own on the London West End! What an outstanding performance from high school students! It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and the standing ovation was totally deserved. After the show, Mia and the rest of the cast descended on Frankie and Benny's for a post-production party. Tired as I was, I didn't mind waiting up to drive down to collect her afterwards. And today, more celebration in Wales, as the Boys (the national team) won the RBS Six Nations Tournament in grand style, by also taking the Grand Slam (winning all their matches). Well done boys!

Back to school matters. I wasn't much looking forward to my day on Thursday. The school (where I hadn't taught before) was in a suburb of Cardiff, our capital, and I didn't much fancy the drive into the city (no sat nav either...) When I got to the school it was great! A very multicultural affair - a real melting pot of ethnic origins. The children were a dream and I really enjoyed the day. It got me to thinking about the rich diversity of backgrounds we enjoy here in Wales. With a population of just 3 million, Wales is a relatively small country, but in the large cities of Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and a few up north, the is such a wonderful mixture of cultures. It's a real privilege to learn about other cultures at first hand. Across the rest of Wales, we tend not to see such diversity. I really enjoy bringing in lots of new dimensions into the classroom. I love to do things multilingually, with lots of signage, displays and pictures. I think I can feel a packet coming on....

So, for the rest of tonight and most of tomorrow, I will be preparing some goodies for y'all. Tomorrow is Mothers' Day (I know you have to wait until May in USA), so I'll be putting together some treats that you can use in the classroom. I hope you enjoy.

Enjoy the rest of the evening.