TBP

You may have noticed that I haven't been around much. No? Sigh. Oh well.

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Everyone else is looking forward to it because they can then start their holiday. I'm dreading it because I won't (start my holiday, that is). No, instead, I will be giving a workshop to teachers on how to do practicals in Life Sciences. Why? Because I'm an idiot.

Well, right now that's how it feels.

But the real reason is because I love teaching and want to help others to be better teachers. Terrifyingly, there are teachers who never did a single practical while at school, never did a practical while studying to become a teacher, and now have to do practicals with their classes. Ja - like they're really going to do that!

So, I got myself recruited by an organisation called the Teaching Biology Project to run a series of workshops giving teachers the basics. TBP is funded by the Netherlands, so there is a fair whack of money around (which is nice for me) which means that while the SA government takes it time in putting in place the structures it should have done ages ago, this NGO is just getting on with the business of actually doing the stuff.

It's an incredibly exciting venture for me, and may lead to other amazing opportunities. I'm really looking forward to it....

... except that I'm really wishing now I had made this happen at the beginning of next term.

Of course, I know why I didn't, and I know I made the right choice...

... but none of that helps to alleviate the creeping, overwhelming feeling of utter brain and body exhaustion.

I mean, take today as a typical example. Usually, my reports require very few, if any, corrections. They are completed (as much as they can be) by the start of the morning before they get handed out. Today, 5pm, I suddenly realised that I'd FORGOTTEN to do a whole bunch of stuff regarding them. So I was stuck at school until 6.30pm finishing them, because there'll be very little chance to do so tomorrow. In addition, I've had SO many errors corrected that I'm still waiting for 2 reports to be signed off tomorrow morning some time.

It's just SO not like me.

But I know why it's happened. Quite simply - I am seriously sleep deprived. With Nathan being ill for 7 weeks over the new year, then teething for several very long weeks (months?), and then being sick again, and then reacting to his jabs with a different sort of illness, and with Nellie being sick in between all that as well, and me, and G, I honestly don't remember what it is like to have more than about 6hrs a night.

So - if you're the praying type, please pray for us as go on holiday that sometime in the next two weeks we will both be able to sleep and rest and properly restore ourselves.

Despite all the hecticness though, it's been a great term! Very exciting, but very long, and while I am thrilled to be a part of the TBP programme and deliver this workshop on Sat, I am really longing it was over and I could be on holiday already. Sigh!