A Busy Summer

The summer holidays are drawing to a close. My brain is slowly being cranked up to go at a faster speed than I have allowed it to go over the holidays. My alarm is being set earlier and earlier to get me in to the routine of work again. The tsunami of work can be seen on the horizon, tumbling towards me, waiting to engulf me. Yet after a good rest over the summer, I feel ready for it and am looking forward to my new challenges.

The excitement builds as I prepare for my new job, with new people, in a brand new school - 'new' is the key word here. I've been in to the school already. It's very impressive - the whiteboard still has it's plastic protective cover over it, waiting to be used for the first time. People all over the place were unpacking boxes and moving stuff around, making small mountains of stuff for teachers to sort out when they got in to their classrooms. Builders were still around, making finishing touches to their work. Next week, after the bank holiday, we will all be going in to the school together to talk about what we are going to do. All will then be made clear to me....

It has been a great summer holiday. Despite having to sort out a mountain of stuff that I brought home from my last school (you should have seen it - Mount Everest was tiny in comparison!) I spent most of my time away, visiting friends and seeing the sights.

After setting off straight away, the day after finishing school, to the Lake District, to visit the lakes, eat cream teas and climb the fells, I headed down to London to see friends and meet up with members of Wellgate Community Farm to do trustee work.

Coming back to face the mountain of stuff in my room, I worked for days sorting paper, packing away things and throwing way/recycling stuff where-ever I could. It was a mammoth job - it is amazing how much stuff can be collected over 6 years of teaching!

I then went off to West Sussex to see my mother and her collection of dogs. It was great to see them all, even if I was put to work mending, digging and putting up sheds. Still, the long walks are a pleasure to do, around the local countryside and woodlands and to the local Pagham Harbour to sit with a drink by the waterside.

Returning here for a couple of days to catch up with what was happening in Leicester over the summer, I then took off to Devon to see friends and, yup, go for more walks, this time by the sea. This then carried on in Cornwall, where I managed to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan and The Eden Project. To non-plantly people they are great places. To a planty person like me, they are inspirational!

Back to Leicester then off again - another meeting at the Wellgate Farm and then off to Brussells to meet some friends over there. Our main goal, to eat as much good food as we could. And we did - my waistline now proves this!

So now, using my time to visit my new school and going to numerous BBQs and parties (almost everybody seems to have a birthday around this time!) I savour the last few moments of my holiday and wonder what will happen over the next year......

PS - I did find my camera after all. It was in a friend's car, hidden under the seat, unseen for a few weeks. I couldn't remember taking it with me when I went in the car so didn't think of looking there. All's well that ends well.......

Change and Chapters

Well, the news to tell has been told.

The fact has been let out that I will be leaving my current school at the end of this school year to begin another one in the city this August. And the reason - MUCH reduced travel times, and change. I have been at my current school for 6 (six!) years, which by my standards is a really long time. Although I have enjoyed the long time at my present school and learnt loads from being there for so long, a change is a good thing to do, to see new things going on and new perspectives on what I do. But the big thing is that, as it is closer to where I live, I could save up to 7 hours a week in travel. That's loads! I could do so much in that time...

As I finished telling The Sabre-Tooth Tigers (as my class are known) that I was leaving, there was a slight pause and then suddenly the Red Arrows boomed past overhead, low to the ground. I told the Sabres that they were doing a special fly past for me. I'm very sure they didn't believe me, but they cheered and clapped anyway.

I shall miss the school, it's staff and pupils, the garden and the Mini-Garden Hippo, the wildlife (being in a remote mobile allows loads of wildlife to be seen - I started the morning watching 3 green woodpeckers and a squirrel!) and lots of other things which happen in the school. However, the story doesn't end here. It is just beginning to write a new chapter....

Yet even before I think about the next school, we still have a World War II day tomorrow, followed by a sports day next week and......

Wake up and smell the flowers...

The recent rains have been very refreshing, especially as I've seen very few of the previous month's days. Well, that's actually a bit dramatic as I was down at a City Farm in London (Wellgate Community Farm, Romford, Essex) a few weekends ago to move around a few tonnes of soil by wheelbarrow and take part in their Open Day (photos pending). I was also in London again last weekend to meet up with friends and watch Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. Wow! What a show! Utterly brilliant!

So it hasn't all been nose to the grindstone, but the rest of the time has been. However the teacher's working silly season has almost past, and now they are all ticking off the end-of-year jobs and tying up all of their loose odds and ends, as indeed I am doing.

So I visited the Garden again, just to check that all was ok and to have a good old chat with the Mini-Garden Hippo to catch up on all of the garden gossip. In fact, I go there most Thursday evenings with the after school Gardening Club, where we have been busy planting and weeding. Mrs A. has also been there too and is looking forward to taking over the Garden next year. The Runner Beans, Sweetcorn, Carrots and Cabbages are all planted, but have suffered from relentless slug and snail attack (and possibly the birds too?). However, the weeds are doing very well... The beans are just about in flower so they should produce lots of beans for the autumn.

There haven't been many photos recently, partly due to the fact that I am not sure where my camera is (my trusty friend, with over 8600 photos to its name and was still going strong!) If you see a camera in a black leather case, with rechargeable batteries in the pouch, do let me know. I have bought a new one (I needed an upgrade anyway) so the SonicMattC Media HQ is back in business, but I still hope to find the old one again.

In school we have been learning about World War II, and have had one visitor already to tell us about his experiences. Another person will be coming in soon to tell us more. In addition to this, we will soon be off to the Leicester Botanic Gardens to look at differents Habitats for science. It's a great place to visit - if you haven't been there, I recommend you go. It's free and such a peaceful place to walk around. I was there this evening to check it out in time for our visit. I could easily have stayed there, perhaps sleeping in one of the glasshouses...

As for now, I need a good sleep this weekend. I wish you one too.

Until very soon.

The Aardvark Speaks...

It's a busy time down at the SonicMattC headquarters. It is May, the month that most teachers do not remember as they struggle to swim above the reports, tests, etc. that come flooding their way. However, after a solid 3 days of staring at my computer screen writing about the cherubs in my class, it was time to take time out and get this web site going again. Thank you to one of the very keen in my class who asked me when I was going to put the Aardvark Mnemonics on the site. She'll make a great teacher.

Well, they're here! Click on to Matt in Education and the Aardvark will be ready to speak to you!

Other news - the garden is shooting up and turning green and all sorts of colours. Mrs A. came to join us last Thursday evening when we were watering and weeding to see what we were doing. She was so impressed that she wanted to help, so she'll be joining us next half term. In fact, she'll she taking over the garden next school year - luckily the Garden Volunteers are very well trained so they will be able to help her out.

This was done after a long talk with the Mini-Garden Hippo. He is very pleased that Mrs A will be coming. He is very accepting of changes - he has lived through many, far more than any one at the school will be able to remember.

But, like myself, the Mini-Garden Hippo will tell news when it is ready to be told.

It's back...

Just as you thought it was safe to switch the computer back on...

After a LONG abscence, due to technical difficulties (all thanks to company that used to provide me with an internet service, who then didn't, and carried on not doing so, so I had to find another company who would - etc. Long story. I'll save it for the camp fire....) all is well and happy and back where it should be.

Things are moving fast. It's May already. Lots of walks have been done. The garden is growing. The ideas are still flowing.

The website will hopefully reflect some of this as and when I get time to spend on it.

As for the future... more to come on that as and when the time is right.

Let it snow...whilst gardening and considering your intelligences!

Winter has arrived...again. Snow has caused chaos all over the country and it sent the younglings in our school a bit wild too! I think it's still snowing as I write, after a day of snowy showers. The cold is settling back in and so it should all be nice and icy by tomorrow morning.

Having looked at the garden buried under its winter blanket, the thought of filling it with fresh veg and flowers came again in to my mind and so I put a note in to the 'Snify' (the school newsletter) that the Gardening Club will be starting again in March as an after school club. I've invited adults to come along who would be able to help out too. I hope that there will be a few green fingers out there...

Actually, this will be great for people like me who are strong in their 'Naturist' intelligence. On a side note, the Multiple Intelligence Theory is coming to our school in a big way. This theory is that everyone is intelligent (true) but we are not all intelligent in the same way.
This theory was put forward by a guy called Howard Gardener who said that there are many different types of intelligences. These are: Linguistic (words and language); Logical-Mathemetical (numbers and problem solving); Visual-Spatial (visualising things, awareness of space, making models); Bodily-Kinesthetic (movement of the body); Musical (music and rhythm); Interpersonal (relating to other people) and Intrapersonal (awareness of the self). We are all mixtures of these different intelligences.

The Naturist intelligence (relating to nature and the environment) is another that has been added. Just as well, because that's one of my strong intelligences. The numbers one is too, but let's forget that for the moment.

The moral of this writing is: I need to get out in to the garden! Are you going to join me?

Dancing Tudors, Descriptive Snow and Aardvark Mnemonics

It's been an interesting few weeks in the SonicMattC world. Two weeks ago a company called Diversions came in and turned three classes in to well dressed Tudors. Naturally, they all had to dance. Perhaps not quite as naturally but certainly expected, I had to dance too. I don't think any videos were made of the moment to be circulated around on U-Tube... I didn't get to dress up as a Tudor though, not this time. The photo I have of when I did dress up as a Tudor gentleman shall remain safely hidden for now. The Tudor section in MattInEducation will be updated soon - we have loads of questions to answer - I must remember to copy them in to the website.

Last Wednesday was an exciting time. It snowed! (See MattInTheGarden - January - to see the harsh winter snow) I was onbreak duty that day too! I don't think the children understood when I asked them not to throw compacted lumps of ice around the playground, but they did manage to restrain themselves (mostly!) My class settled down that day to write some snow poetry, and did a good job too! I should really publish some of their poems on this website. I'll add that job to the list...

Last Friday, even though we're all doing a round of QCA tests this coming week (a round of cheers and applause ALMOST went up around the classroom) they still got some homework. But it wasn't any ordinary homework. They had to think up some mnemonics for the difficult words we need to spell in our class. The aardvark is in control of all this. You should see the fruits of our labours appearing soon in MattInEducation - Aardvark Mnemonics, with sound recordings of their mnemonics! You don't know what a mnemonic is? Quickly, click on to the website...

The Garden's In Need

Have you ever read 'The Secret Garden' or ever been to The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall? They are both cases of gardens that have been left to their own ways for quite a while, to become overgrown and slowly lost to the known world. It is a bit like the Veg Patch in Mr S.'s garden - it was amazing in its summer growth but has been left for quite a while and unvisited. I have no idea what it looks like at the moment. I think the Mini-Garden Hippo that lives there is having a great holiday though - no humans to stop the work of the Hippo taking place! The new year looks set to be very cold for a while, but in the spring time work must start again to bring the garden back to its former glory.

The idea of an after-school gardening club is being thought about at the moment. Usually work in the garden relies on a speedy trip to the Patch, with a frantic time of pulling up weeds and planting, to then race back to the school when the whistle goes after such a short time. A note will be going out in the next couple of months to see if any adults would be willing to help out. If we could do this, we could do a decent amount of work in the garden.

I was asked by a couple of keen gardeners in my class if we could go out and tackle the garden. As much as I wanted, with the need to make a phone call and the desire to sit down for a moment and eat my lunch, I had to decline. But their willingness is needed. This after-school club must be formed. Watch this space!

A Happy New Year from SonicMattC

A Happy New Year to you all from all of us. All of us? Well myself, the Mini-Garden Hippo, the Aardvark (I'll bet most of you didn't know he had come to join us - you'll be seeing a lot more of him as time goes on!) and whoever will be brought in to work with SonicMattC in the future.

Yes, SonicMattC has gone even further in its technology - adding a Blog to the webpage. Whatever will they think of next? I say 'they' - it's still Mr C doing it all, but slowly and surely other people are getting involved, whether they realise it or not...

So, 2007! Lots to do this year, both on the webpage, in the garden, in the countryside, with the school stuff... The problem is that there are so many ideas to develop that it is difficult to choose which ones to do.

This blog will tell of things that have happened, things happening and things to come. That's covered all the tense possibilities I think.

The Matt in the Wild (Leicestershire Round) part was mentioned in the Leicester Mercury early this year - ok, it won't bring in film deals but it's nice to think that other people can enjoy the sights I saw on my walking.

So, on with 2007, and watch out for that aardvark...