this is all so hectic and exhausting. I could be on the verge of exhuberance or total disaster - either way, I'm too tired to see it coming.

On the weekends, I put in 10 hour days on the computer. During the week, I leave home by 7:15, get to school by 7:45 and do all my printing, photocopying, setting up papers and etc. until school starts at 8:30. At 8:30, I start teaching but kids trickle in until after 9:00 and each one wants you to stop and tell them what's going on, while you're in the middle of performing or directing 20 some of their peers.

At 9:45, the kids get a 15 min. break, but they think it's the perfect time to ask you to dig up everything they missed by skipping last class or just peester you about whatever. if your lucky, you might have time to pee or replenish your supply of photocopies, assumign the machines are wroking. Then, another class.

I'm lucky, so this period is a repeat, meaning new set of kids, but roughly the same lesson. Performance time again, with a zillion other distractions - phone ringing, people at the door, kids late, choas, and "Ms. Whi-leee" every ten seconds. At 11:15, silent reading for 20 mins. and you have to model good reading behaviour, taking out a book and reading the same sentence over and over because you get interrupted by kids and are really too busy thinking about your next lesson anyways.

Bell goes. 5 minutes to run across the hall and grab all of the book. papers and etc. for the next class - a different subject. By the time you get to the next classroom, kids are already pilin gin, waving early dismissal notes and "are we gonna have homework" and you have to get them all settled. Review questions on the overhead so you get 5 minutes to get your crap together.

12:55, lunch. Kids needing to be causght up, liasing with the librarian about upcoming projects. With luck, you make it to the caf in time to scarf back a sandwich. Head spinning. Last period - my prep block. Scramble to reduce the sheer pound of marking to be transported home. Track down counsellors to find out about kids who don't show up or etc. Calls home. Meetings with sponsors who have pages of critiques on your lesson. Try to get organized for the next day.

School ends. Meetings, kids, etc. until about 4, then head home. 4:45 Collapse. Only about another 3 or so hours of work to do to get ready for the next day - more if there's extra marking or a new unit beginning. Pause to eat. My diet lately has been so disgusting. Work. Type. Produce. 9:30 quit. Relax for an hour or so. Try to shut the brain down so you can sleep. Bedtime around 11 because tomorrow, you have to wake up by 6 and do it all again.

To top it off, yesterday I went on the grade 11 field trip to the legislature in Victoria to help supervise. Up at 4:15 to be at school for 5:30 (yes, that's am). Crazy busy day, home again around 9pm. I dont' know which way is up, but I do know I need more lessons for tomorrow, or this juggling act won't end well.

For those who'd asked about what it's like, voila. All I have to do this weekend is design an entitre unit, create a test, create a project, mark about 200 various assignments, and plan as many of next week's lessons as I possibly can. May 5th folks, the day this all ends and I sleep for a week.

*twitch* back to work.