Debbie does gratitude (badly)

 Today in staff briefing someone made the Oprah-esque suggestion of people sharing motivational comments/thoughts on what they are grateful for. This didn't go down too well. Apparently people like to complain and keep their happy thoughts to themselves. In the interest of spreading joy and sharing my own delight in my job, I'd thought start my 'grateful' list here.

I'm grateful that...

1. Today is the last day with seniors and they go on exam leave tomorrow. I'm really grateful that it is our responsibility to keep them in class for the one extra day and to chase the multitude of truant seniors up when they invariably skip classes.

2. The prize-giving ceremony is on tonight starting at 7.30pm. Large pools of gratitude are flowing from my heart that school is starting at the same as usual time tomorrow so we don't let the predicted late night and lack of sleep cheat us out of any joyful teaching junior classes.

3. I now have an extra week in the term where I don't have to write Senior reports because they moved the Deadline forward a week. Bonus - the reports will have that whole rushed feel as I desperately try to get them finished this week.

4. I have to run the junior referral room two classes a week. I'll get the joy of getting to know all the bad children, not just the ones in my class, as they congregate in one room for 'silent'* time-out.

5. I probably won't have to run the referral room by next week when some accident (see *) forces management to realise that I'm not capable of controlling 30 junior criminal types.

6. My pointing out that having year 10 activity days being separated by gender and being stereotyped activities (girls make cookies and learn how to wrap presents prettily**, boys go to orchard and do physical/problem solving activities) has been interpreted as volunteering for designing and running less sexist activities. More work, hurrah! If they insist on separating boys and girls, they'll regret it. Doily making for the lads and paintball or fencing for the girls.

* As silent as the hysterical laughter in my brain at the thought of me trying to keep 30 of the worst-behaved juniors in school quiet. I'm guessing they will have burnt down the class or killed someone by the end first period. (See 5. on gratitude list)

** I never realised that they actually teach girls to wrap presents. Clearly I missed out on this along with 'ironing your husband's shirts' and 'advanced vacuum cleaning' lessons which is why my Christmas presents look like a three year old has done the wrapping. I can make cookies though.