Teachers LOVE writing reports -not!

It's that time of year again that teachers hate - Report Writing!  If you are living in the Northern Hemisphere it is summer and the sun is shining and you are inside working on reports.  Aaaarrrggghhhh!
How to write end of year school reports...
How to write end of year reports when the sun is shining, the birds are singing and everybody who is not a teacher is at the beach or relaxing next to a swimming pool.
The correct response is 'with great difficulty.'
Look at me, writing a blog post instead of writing reports.
I am trying to build up some motivation.
How do you try and be subtle in your comments so that the parents know what you mean, but are not too subtle that they miss the point?
That is what I am mulling over in my mind over a coffee or two.  Maybe I should take a break and make breakfast?  But oops, I haven't actually started yet.  So maybe taking a break before you start might be termed procrastination.
And I never procrastinate, ever.  And there goes my nose growing longer by the second!
So here are some subtle ways you can use to inform parents about their child's progress.
Meghan has a beautiful smile which detracts from the vacant look in her eyes as she attempts to come to grips with the content.
William tries hard in everything he does, and especially tries the patience of all around him.
Britney lacks confidence in her own abilities and asks for reassurance every two minutes.
Michael has excellent sensory perception and is confident using the five senses, especially the sense of touch.  He enjoys touching himself while he completes his tasks.
Jessica is not afraid to express herself in class.  She has an extensive vocabulary that would make a sailor proud.
Roberto is a very physical little boy with an exceptional right arm, which he is able to swing with great force and connect with others throughout the day.
Ferdinand has the exceptional ability to sleep with his eyes open.
Maria is a great inquirer and loves to ask questions throughout the school day.  Her goal next year is to expand on her questions and not just ask if it is home time or if she may go to the bathroom.
Felicity excels in all areas except Math, Language, and anything that involves reading, writing and concentration.
Matthew is a lively young man who has the attention span of a retarded ant.
Should Don pay the same attention to his schoolwork as he does his hair, he will achieve a result of which he can feel justly proud.
Although Carla tries her best, she sets very low standards for herself.
Tatiana has learned about body parts and is able to make connections between the body part and its use.  She has inquired into teeth and has discovered that they leave pretty patterns on her peers when she explores their use.
James has found his voice which he uses to maximum benefit whenever things don't go his way.
Now that I have the report comments flowing in my mind, I best get started on the reports.
But first, I might need another coffee and to make breakfast...

Cindy Vine is a teacher and author currently living in Norway.  She has just released a new book called The Freedom Club which is available on Amazon in both ebook and paperback formats.
“We could be anybody and everybody. A group of high school stereotypes with one thing in common. Every one of us has a story.”

Every high school has the bullies, the freaks, and the weird kids that make you feel uneasy. Rourke High has more than their fair share. A few months before the end of their senior year, a group of seemingly mismatched kids get together to form The Freedom Club, hoping that they can support the victims of bullying, before they graduate. As they uncover secrets and lies they plot revenge - and discover love, friendship and truths about themselves, building up to a shocking climax that will leave you reeling.
Are children safe at school?
“We could be anybody and everybody. A group of high school stereotypes with one thing in common. Every one of us has a story.”

When life changes direction

One day when I am floating towards those Pearly Gates, I can look back and say my life was never boring.  There was always something, some little drama to keep me entertained.  But stay out of it Hollywood because this is my soap opera.  I have earned the copyright.
When I headed back to Cape Town in November 2014, after many years of working overseas, I thought I knew exactly what my future held.  I was going to open a Remedial Centre for children with learning difficulties.  It was going to be a business.  I was going to make money and have a life.
But, like the books I write, there had to be a twist.  And a good twist is one even the characters don't see coming.
Parents approached me to homeschool their children.  The Remedial Centre was only in the afternoons, so there was time in my day to start a a learning/tutor centre in the mornings.  But with word of mouth my learning/tutor centre grew until all my available time was spent teaching and getting resources together.  There was no time left for my writing.  No time to market the Remedial Centre.  No time for family.
It began to feel like I was on a hamster wheel, treading for my life.
My business quickly evolved into a charity with all available funding going back into the learning centre.  I started feeding the children.  During this time I became aware of a huge need for a Family Crisis Centre in Table View, the suburb in which I lived.  Women with children who fell on hard times, had nowhere to go when they got divorced, were being abused...there was no place for them in our area.  Nowhere they could go until they got their lives back on track.  Getting this Family Crisis Centre off the ground and up and running is my current project.  I have applied to register an NGO but our government works at a different pace.  With an excellent team and supportive parents, my learning centre has gone from strength to strength.  We thrive on Ubunthu.
So from wanting to start a business and generate an income to make a living, I have moved onto wanting to make a difference in people's lives.
At night I go to bed tired but excited that I am making a difference.
The late great Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
This of course does mean that I have to sell my house as without an income I cannot afford to keep it.
A year ago I was working in an international school with privileged children, earning a fat salary.  But I was unhappy and heading towards depression.  Who would have thought that a year later I would be loving what I am doing, but too broke to pay attention?
But that doesn't stop me, I am about to change the world, one child at a time.
My life has changed direction and I never saw it coming.
My business evolved into a charity.
Teaching children who don't fit into the one-size-fits-all mold of the South African education system.
Helping children get the specialised education they need when their parents can't afford to pay for it.
Working to get a Family Crisis Centre off the ground.
Meeting other caring people in the community who are also committed to making a difference.
Now that there's an offer on my house, friends and family ask where I'll stay when my house is sold.  I smile and shrug.  "I'll let you know when I find out."
So many twists and turns in this current chapter of my life, I am getting a little dizzy.
If you can help fund our learning centre or Family Crisis Centre in any way, we have a Go Fund Me page.  Every $5 helps.  Food and resources are expensive.  Every month is a struggle.  Please click on the link. http://www.gofundme.com/vawqc8 
Cindy Vine is the author of The Case of Billy B, Not Telling, Defective, C U @ 8 and Hush Baby.  All her books are available on Amazon in kindle and paperback format.
http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Cindy-Vine/e/B002C1D9G2/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Benefactor Needed: Apply within

There are days when you wish you were somebody else.  When the thought of working is enough to make you crawl under the rose bushes and hide.  The years of earning a salary and still having nothing to show for it are wearying.  I’ve worked in education for 26 years, my friend for 33 years.  That’s a couple of lifetimes.  The paperwork we’ve had to complete over those combined years would probably be enough to fill a few rooms.  We reckon we have done our time.

So joking around (as you do when you are wading through paperwork) we decided that what we really want in life is to stop working.  Unfortunately there is that little phrase  ‘no work no pay = no play’  that comes to mind.  Therein lies the rub.  We still want the same salaries.  Both being over fifty we are too old to move in to the playboy mansion.  We are still realistic.  Our marbles are still rattling in our skulls, we haven’t quite lost them yet.  The idea of starting a new career is too daunting.  We need a job where we can relax on a beach.

Therefore we decided that what we actually need is a rich benefactor.  It can be a man or a woman, we are not too fussy.  It would be preferable if we never have to see them or meet them, but they just top up our bank accounts each month.  Think of us as a car needing its petrol tank filled.  Obviously people just don’t hand out money for nothing.  You have to do something to earn it.  After serious discussion and deliberation we have agreed that we would be prepared to keep a photo of our benefactor in the drawer of the bedside cabinet.  That should be worth a few thousand dollars a month.

If you are interested in financing our lifestyles then please apply within.  You will not be required to attend any meetings, make any phone calls or complete any paperwork.

 

Cindy Vine is the author of Not Telling, The Case of Billy B, Defective and C U @ 8. You can buy her books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the Apple iStore.

 

Times you want to live in a cave

I have been attacked!  Whether it is from a plague of microscopic minibeasts or an allergic reaction of some sort, I don't really care at this point.  All I know, is that I am unbearably itchy and itchiness makes me irritable.  When I get irritable, I have a very low tolerance level for annoying people.  In all fairness, the people are probably not deliberately setting out to annoy me, but when my whole body is one itching, burning, fiery mess, then you can expect that whatever you say might annoy me.  So be prepared and think carefully before you speak. 
At the moment I'm like the busy bee that was stung with its own sting.  Frenetic activity, the usual December madness that afflicts everyone involved in education. 

This year I have decided I fancy escaping to a cave in some exotic setting.  I think I can live there quite easily all by myself as long as I have electricity for cable TV and wireless internet.  Oh, and a flush loo with a privacy screen around it.  I don't want monkeys perving at me whilst I perform my ablutions.  A nice firm mattress would be good as well, getting sand stuck in all my crevices would probably be most unpleasant.  And a fridge with some cold coke and chilled white wine.  A cave might have bats, and after my adventures with rats, I might give a cave a miss.  Bring on a luxury beach cottage in an exotic setting, that's probably what I need.  Delicious seafood, okay, my mind is going off on a tangent.
People.  Who needs them?  Pestering, pedantic people.
I guess I do.  It makes life far more interesting.  And the strange thing is you can have a run-in with a long line of pesky people, and one person gives you a compliment or says something nice and all is well with your world.  Now, if only I can get rid of these itches!
Cindy