From the moment you cross the threshold to the second you leave - and often beyond that! - the job consumes you.
With my new position of responsibility comes even more demands on my time.
"Can you just look at this...?"
"Could you just speak to...?"
"Would you just...?"
Sigh.
However, in the middle of the day I tried something new. I put a small notice up in the library that I would be holding a reading club to anyone who wanted to JUST come and read.
Five nervous girls arrived at 12.
I smiled, jotted their names down in my special register and they settled with a book and read. Just read.
They didn't talk. Didn't fidget. Just read.
And so did I.
Bliss!
They vanished with smiles at half past to eat their lunch and I got called to "Just..." some more!
Then they arrived back after they'd eaten.
"Can we read again?"
Are there sweeter words?
"Of course."
And the numbers swelled.
This could catch on. I may even get a boy to read if I just advertise it.
You know, I might just do that.
My question: you have an hour in the middle of a busy week to just read - to model to pupils that adults read, sometimes just for fun; what would you read?
(Today I read a book about "accidental teaching".)