March 10th, 2009
I love travelling.
I love seeing new places, experiencing different things, learning new languages. All that jazz.
I am constantly checking out the Ryanair website, to see what new deals they have, and to see where I could fly to, for a day, a weekend, or a week, for as little as possible.
I usually don’t care where I end up, or usually when I fly, so it was “researching” some flights that I came across this:
Fly from Dublin to Frankfurt-Hahn on Firday evening, and return on Sunday evening. Perfect timing, really. No need for me to miss classes, and no need for anyone else who wanted to come along to have to take time off work.
And the cost of these magical flights?
€10 each way, including those horrible taxes and charges. Add in another €10 for booking the flights using a credit card, and you get a weekend in Germany for €30.
So, that’s what I did.
My friend Amy and I flew out to Frankfurt-Hahn, not to be confused with the actual Frankfurt International Airport, on Friday evening last. We had a lovely weekend, and flew back on Sunday evening.
I will post again – make a mini-series out of it, if you will – about what we did over there, but there is the basics of it.
For all their faults, you can’t beat Ryanair for flights that cheap.
Tags: flights, germany, Holidays, Ryanair, Travel
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March 6th, 2009
So, I am heading away on a well-deserved (I think) mini-break this evening.
My friend Amy and I are going to spend the weekend in Trier, in Germany, and the plan is to take a day trip to Luxembourg.
I mean, how many people can say they deliberately visited Luxembourg?
My friend commented, on hearing this, that there may be a reason for people not visiting the place!
I’m sure it will be lovely. I will let you all know when I get back!
Tags: Amy, germany, luxembourg, weekend away
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March 5th, 2009
So, it’s Thursday night.
I wasn’t teaching today, the school was closed for an inservice training day. I didn’t have to go, but the teachers were being given a lecture on Assessment for Learning, and it probably would have been useful to have gone to that.
As it was, I had a nice lie-in, followed by lunch with a friend, then I gave grinds to my cousin, who was off since the school was closed, then did some shopping, and have been sitting here since about half six, thinking about the classes I am teaching tomorrow.
What a productive day!
Tags: Friends, school, Teaching
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March 2nd, 2009
I’m just watching scrubs, Dr Cox is drinking a can of coke.
I have just had a massive craving for coke!
Mmmm…. sugary sweet.
This, on top of the nicotine cravings.
Tags: coke, craving, nicotine, scrubs, smoking
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March 2nd, 2009
So, I have finished my first day of the second week of teaching practice.
I was pretty happy with my progress last Friday, some classes went well, some not so well, but overall I thought the week went well.
Today’s double class with the first years for science has thrown me completely, all over again.
It’s not that the class was totally disruptive. There was nothing more than general chat, and some noise. It was the fact that when asked to be quiet, it took a few attempts, and a few requests to actually get them to stop talking!
I’m getting annoyed all over again just writing about it.
I know that the class was no worse than others, and better (much better) than others I have taught. I don’t know why I’m taking it so badly.
So, this evening, before dinner, I was reading a few blogs about teaching, written by those who seem to really know their stuff. Inspiration, that’s what I’m looking for, I think.
I know I’m waffling on, I’ll stop now.
Tomorrow’s lesson will go better.
Tags: behaviour, first year, science, talking, Teaching, teaching practice
Posted in Learning, Teaching | No Comments »
February 28th, 2009
I have changed the site. Again.
If I have any regular readers, this may annoy you.
I’m sorry.
But I like the new look, and hope to keep this one. For a while anyway. 
The background picture at the moment is a photo of Smerwick Harbour – from half way up Mount Brandon.
Smerwick Harbour from Mount Brandon
Tags: Mount Brandon, photo, site, Smerwick, update
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February 23rd, 2009
I have a 93 year old grandmother, with whom I live during term-time.
Being that old, she has some health issues, she has had a few strokes in the past few years, she has a continuous pain in her head and back, and she is starting to lose her mental clarity a bit too.
All in all, though, she is in pretty good shape for her age.
The problem this evening is with her pains. They are quite bad, to hear her speak of them. Every so often they get bad enough for her to ask to be brought to the doctor, who takes a look at her, and prescribes something for her. What amazing wonder-drug does he suggest to cure her ailments?
Paracetamol.
Now, I don’t know it they are really that good, or not. I’m a codeine kinda guy, and I have my painkillers of choice – not that I take them very often. You know which ones I mean.
I try every so often to suggest that she takes them, but they don’t agree with her, apparently. I have to take her word for it on that one.
I also don’t know if my grandmothers pain is real, or psychosomatic. I suspect the latter, since there is nothing really physically wrong with her, but then, I’m not a trained medical professional.I have to take her word for it on that one too.
In any case, we usually have a stash of paracetamol products of the brand my grandmother swears is the only one that will work. However, it has come to our attention that she is now happily munching her way through two packets a day – each pack contains 12 tablets, each tablet has 500mg paracetamol.
Is that a lot?
I think so. If anyone else reads this, what do you think?
Tags: doctor, drugs, grandmother, pain, paracetamol
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February 22nd, 2009
I’m starting to panic now, I think.
Tomorrow is my first day of teaching practice. I am trying to get a lesson plan done for my double class with the first years. A nice little topic – Separating Mixtures.
Problem is, the teacher has done all the teaching, and all I have to do is to revise the chapter tomorrow. Grand, says you, what is the problem there?
Well, I don’t know if the entire thing has been covered. I don’t know how well the students understand the topic. I don’t know if I do a really quick run through, because they know it all, or if I should spread it out over more than just tomorrow’s lessons.
I do know that you should always underestimate your students when teaching. It’s better to go through it slowly and make sure they all understand, rather than trying to cram too much into a lesson.
I guess I should take it easy. Plan for a certain amount, but don’t expect if you don’t get it covered.
Anyway, I can always ask the teacher in the morning, and revise my lesson plan. Roll on half past two! I’m dying to get started.
Tags: lesson plans, students, teaching practice
Posted in College Life, Learning, Teaching | No Comments »
February 1st, 2009
I’m just watching a late movie on TV – Finding Forrester.
I was struck by something Sean Connery’s character just said:
A bittery disappointed teacher can be either very effective, or very dangerous.
He was referring to a teacher who wrote a novel, which was rejected, and then instead turned to teaching english.
It reminds me of that saying
Those who can, do.
Those who cannot, teach.
I don’t like that saying. It infers that those of us who decide on teaching as a profession couldn’t make it in the ‘real world’. We failed at having a proper job, and so decided to teach in that subject area instead.
This is unfair. I never wanted to work in a laboratory for the rest of my working life. I wanted to actually do something worthwhile with my life. So, I chose to be a teacher.
I had an interview last week for my teaching practice placement, and one of the first questions the principal asked me was why I wanted to be a teacher. Yes, the obvious answer of “June, July and August” sprang to mind, but that isn’t really the whole story.
I had a few good teachers in school, and have had the opportunity to see a few others in action, as well as to see the effect a good teacher has on the students. Especially those who lack motivation, or are otherwise disengaged.
I want to be one of those teachers. I want to have a positive influence on the kids I teach.
And, when I graduate, that’s what I plan on doing.
Tags: films, Finding Forrester, Sean Connery, Teaching, TV
Posted in College Life, General, Teaching, Work | No Comments »