a tuesday like a monday

[flaviomatani]

Back in school this week.

At this moment, waiting for a pupil who, by the looks of it and given that we're two thirds into the period, won't turn up.

Bits of piano and other instruments' playing coming in from neighbouring classrooms, it would be an interesting collage ... except I think Berio or Nono have already done something like that.

Have managed to put a tiny bit of guitar practice in those pupil no-show times -two lessons already today. As the day progresses, though, a sort of torpor of being here sets in and it becomes more difficult to use that time productively. Odd that that should be the case..

After this, a couple of errands and just one lesson in the evening. And more guitar practice, I need to get those fingers to un-freeze, to thaw and be able to do what I want them to.

Comments

[kruku.livejournal.com]

Do you get paid for no-shows?

[flavius-m.livejournal.com]

I do... but it is often a struggle. If, for instance, the pupil didn't turn up because of a school activity that I was not informed about, the parents will query it. And so will I, but often the music teacher is the weakest link in the chain. One more thing to thank Mrs Thatcher for -in the old days you were paid by the local education authority and were assigned a number of schools os you really were 'peripatetic'. Now you get paid what the pupils pay; if the parents cannot afford music lessons, in most cases the kid simply has to go without (there are a tiny few exceptions to this). This is the case even if you get paid through the PAYE (in some schools I've worked for you had to invoice the parents and chase them for the payment), which at least eliminates the having to ask little Sharon or whoever on the third week of the term, 'your mum hasn't sent the cheque yet', which I find odious -the kid shouldn't have to deal with that side of things. But it does introduce another layer of complexity and things possibly going wrong -which they from time to time do.

[erming.livejournal.com]

I always find it hard to get anything done when you don't know how much time you have and potentially you could have to drop everything immediately.

I usually find when am between jobs I get far more done in the time between having a definite job offer and starting (which is usually a couple of days) than in the couple of months between leaving the old job and finding I have a new one.

I also found it was really bad when am in an office and have an indeterminate amount of time between stuff as if you aren't careful you just fire up facebook. Before you know it your morning routine is kick off facebook then every 15 mins check for updates, which causes massive problems to get out of the habit when real work comes in.

[flavius-m.livejournal.com]

Well, for me the main element of it is that for the first half of the period or so I'm still expecting the pupil to turn up so I'm a little loath to embark on some other activity. Also, in the case of my school of Tuesdays in particular (that is, the school I teach on those days, not ... well, anyway:) I have to get up at about 5:20 am to be there on time. I'm not a morning person which means I've often slept only four hours or so, which results in my levels of energy being quite low, which compounds the issue. While I'm busy teaching it is not a problem, the having to plot situations and work out how to get the pupil to get to do what we need him to and progress forward in the right way, etc, I'm fired up and keep going, but while I'm just sitting waiting for things to happen and they don't.... I find it much more difficult to summon the energy to do something positive and useful to me with that time.