Words of Wisdom

Youth is wasted on the young.

Friday 21 March 2008

Random Thoughts From the End of the Week

1) Weather

This from the Official Meteorology website.

Persistent high pressure system triggers southern heat wave

Much of southern Australia has just experienced an exceptional and prolonged heat wave, the result of a persistent high-pressure system in the southern Tasman Sea, according to a Special Climate Statement issued by the Bureau’s National Climate Centre.

Many centres, particularly in South Australia, set records for the most consecutive days with high temperatures.

Adelaide had 15 consecutive days above 35 °C and 13 consecutive days above 37.8 °C (100°F), breaking the previous records of 8 and 7 days respectively. These represent new records for any Australian capital city. Also breaking consecutive day records were Ceduna which had 12 days over 35°C, Mildura which had 14 days over 35 °C, and Kyancutta which had 13 days over 40°C.

Now for Chris and Sinead who are moving here soon (ohboyohboy) here are the winter rainfall statistics for the last few years.

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/season/sa/archive/200708.adelaide.shtml

http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/media_releases/sa/20060901.shtml

(and scroll down past the pastoral stuff to Adelaide rainfall....)

so......not sure the raincover for the stroller was the most essential purchase Sinead but reaaaalllly hoping I am wrong and you are bringing some Irish luck, and weather, with you.

Today, Good Friday, is the most glorious day you could imagine but as you can see from our withered landscape, we could use a little rain.
Dotted around Adelaide are green spots of gardens with pointed signs on the gates and fences;

THIS PROPERTY USES BORE WATER.

Who knew there were so many bores in Adelaide (yuk yuk yuk).

Our garden is not one of these little green spots. It is more of a brown, spiky, dusty, patchy spot, with sticks. Here is our cat with one of the sticks.
I think it has fewer green leaves since this photo was taken two Thursdays ago. (Rats: missed another Theme Thursday)

2) School.

It has not been a good week in Special Ed. One of our Asperger's students was expelled after enormous amounts of input and heartache on the part of my lovely colleague. My very best friend E lost the plot completely and had a go at me (literally). I am still talking to mental health professionals about her. And finally, the test I left for my Year 9 Maths class to do while I was on a Conference was a complete disaster with only two of them passing >:-(.
This, I think, was my biggest disappointment.

I have been attending lots of courses on maths for themiddle years and all 'best practice' would suggest the use of concrete materials and rich activities as the most effective style of learning for not only
Sp Ed kids but most pupils. If however, I get out the fraction kits for Y9, they greet me with groans and 'this is primary school' and 'you treat us like preschoolers'. They then switch off and end up building houses with the fraction kits, or throwing them across the room at each other. Therefore, I went back to worksheets and explanations which they all worked through happily....and then only 2 passed the test. *sigh* Back to the drawing board.

On a positive note, of the two who passed, one got her highest mark ever with 98% and the other is one of my most disaffected learners who rarely passes anything :-D. So I suppose every cloud has a silver lining.

So Easter is a chance to rest and recuperate and regroup for the next big offensive. (We've been doing WWI in History) Plan, plan, plan is going to be my approach. And blog when I am bored with planning.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heat wave? Wisconsin is getting 12 inches of snow as I type. Thank God I'm in sunny Florida for one more blissful day....

(sorry about your tough day/s at school.) :(

Anonymous said...

I stand by my decision to buy a rain cover for the pram! It rained nearly 16cm! What if I was taking Zach for a walk during the storm?? :)

Andi said...

1. Here's hoping you get some much needed rain! After our state of crisis drought last summer(water bans and NO outside watering, etc.)we FINALLY have had several really long rainstorms that should help, but who knows what it will be like when summer offically comes. I hope the severe heat stays away for you. I honestly could not imagine teaching classes with such hot temps. At least here, I am at home suffreing when the heat climbs...
2. Oh, the joys of middle school learners! I have no suggestions for math, as I am sort of number-phobic, which is why I teach English/Language Arts (literature, grammar, reading and writing). I do know that I sometimes manage to reach mine through the use of art. I just earned a master's degree in "Integrated Teaching through the Arts" and I am often found making points with painting assignments or getting them to express story elements through drama enactments. I am not sure how effective this would be for math. The math teacher in my cluster rarely lectures, and is always having the kids create things with their hands. Your students just might not be used to that. Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you...
Have a wonderful Easter weekend. Get some much needed rest and good luck planning for the coming weeks! You do exactly what I do- blog when you get bored with working on school stuff! LOL.

A Free Man said...

gotta say that hot still sounds good after 3.5 years in Britain. My attitude will very likely change after the first summer in Australia.

Arizaphale said...

No, you're right Chris. That's why I moved back too. I just enjoy a whinge like most good Poms.:-D