KS2 first impressions

So, the 12th September eventually arrived... At first it seemed like it would never arrive, just a fictional date that I could keep telling those who asked what I would be doing, but then it just seemed to creep up from nowhere. Like most things. So, one day down (and how many to go??). It was a good day actually. Hempland school is an excellent school (from what I've seen so far) and the staff even remember my cousin's son who left there a year ago (it would be difficult to forget the talented and gifted Ashley. Or, as we like to call him, galented and tifted....) My first day was spent with years 1 and 2. They are incredibly sweet!! (It made me wonder why I chose to do secondary though...) Some of them only started school last week - bless - and there were the usual tears during the register. It was pretty funny to be called Miss Atkinson (mainly because none of them could pronounce it at all) and I had to keep reminding myself that that is my new name. I might get them to call me Jenny-sensei instead though (sounds nicer!). Maybe not... So anyway, I got to help them with their work (we were learning about different types of houses) and I got chatting to little Charlie, who wanted desperately to tell me all about Stoke-on-Trent where he was born, and how that is where the original gingerbread man was invented (if I can use the word 'invented') and where, apparently - bit suspicious about this one - they don't know what batter is (ie, batter on fish). I told him that probably he meant that they don't know what scraps are (because each region has its own term for those - like in Devon they say 'gribbles'), but he insisted on the batter thing. Anyway. And he was sitting next to Mustafa, from Turkey, who is adorable... Shame I won't be in that class tomorrow...

I think I will try and write about my classroom experiences, even though they're probably not interesting to anybody who might read this blog, but it's a good record to have. To look back on....