I had much boiling in my head with regards to the contents of this post, and I echo the sentiments of the colleague sitting opposite me: that it felt as if we'd been working for 30 days instead of 3. The so-called "short" working week was already energy-consuming and draining without proper work and marking, what more when the actual load starts?

It's going to be pure madness.

I actually returned to school yesterday (Saturday) to clear the pending stuff and prepare my lessons for the coming week. Truthfully speaking, I'd never typed a daily lesson plan that spanned more than 4 pages, printed out on single sides. (Equivalent to using 2 pieces of paper if I used duplex printing.) However, the lesson plan for Week 2 alone came out to a whopping 7 pages, which is roughly similar to any of my plans for a lesson observation with people from the management, including annexes and what-nots. Goodness! Thank God I'd printed out the lesson plan using both sides of papers! I don't think I can survive with just 2 given reams of paper per term (all thanks to the Economic Drive).

Oh well, looks like I'm either going to purchase my own paper OR recycle whatever papers there are i.e. make use of the blank sides.

Anyhow, the new batch of kiddies are uber-cute bundles of absent-mindedness. They all look relatively alike, i.e. the boys are of the same height and have fair and rounded faces, while the girls are mostly skinny and sport long, fanciful locks. I couldn't tell them apart for the first 2 days! It was only on Friday that I managed to identify them proper without having to confirm their names repeatedly. (Some of them didn't even seem to remember their own names. Tsk.)

Oh, and one of my girls passed motion on Friday without telling me. Um, wait...she DID tell me, but only AFTER she'd done her business. And that was only because there was a change in periods. Sigh. A huge lump even dropped out and landed on the classroom floor, which prompted stares and covered noses from the other students.

One of the cleaners cleared the lump ASAP but really, that was the first time I'd ever cleaned a primary school-going child up since she didn't have a clue how to. (My former babies had been pretty independent at the same age.) I'm just glad she didn't burst into tears at any point in time. She looked pretty clueless yes, but quite calm and composed at the same time. I just hope she doesn't feel traumatic after the incident.

And speaking about bursting into tears, there's this other girl who breaks into sobs over the slightest things. Initially I was quite perplexed as to why she cried at the most unimaginable times, e.g. sitting down in the hall right after recess. I didn't receive any intelligible reply upon questioning; she merely wailed louder! How maddening is that?

Well, I managed to talk to her mother, who enlightened me on the appropriate course of action should the daughter cry again for no apparent reason. Suffice to say, it seemed to work, but I really, really hope that she stops the bad habit soon. She really has to settle herself into the new environment sooner or later.

2007 just got a wee bit more interesting for me.