Killer Teacher!

So...for the past few days waves of terror have washed over me in regards to my teaching appointment on Friday. It is completely irrational as I have 27 years teaching experience but it is mostly to do with the fact that I have been out of a classroom for more than two years and that this is a completely different country, and therefore I surmise, a completely different education system.It goes to show, somewhat, the level of my commitment in that in those two or more years I have not been bothered to even find out about the Australian Education system but that's me for you.I doubt my blood pressure has been perfect the last two days.Maree and I passed the morning in Stanthorpe at the laundrette,"I'm gonna wash that dirt right outa my pants, I'm gonna wash that dirt right outa my pants, I'm gonna wash that dirt right outa my pants and hang them on a line."...which took my mind off the fact that I was visiting the school this afternoon.Back at Frogknot I ironed a shirt and used up all the power doing so, then cleaned my canvas shoes with carpet cleaner. I ate lunch even though I didn't feel hungry and set off at 2.15 pm.I wanted to spend the whole afternoon in the class before tomorrow, mainly to check out classroom routines and especially to prepare the children for a day with a big, fat, bald man, but I was asked this morning if I could come 10 minutes before the end of school...i.e 2.50 pm.I was full of dread and brimming with inadequacy as I headed into Stanthorpe in Roxy and then I ran over a rabbit that leapt out in front of me. There was a sickening thud underneath the car and I saw it somersaulting across the road in the rear view mirror before it lay motionless upon the road.I immediately worried it was an omen.I arrived at the school at 2.40 and noticed the Prep Department was completely separate from the school across the road. It looked massive and I sweated a bit more. I called in at Administration and met Lisa who is the Business Service Manager (?!) and who was the one who had emailed me about the cover. She took me over the road to the class.I was relieved that no one screamed as I walked in, including me, in fact some children even came up to me and showed me their pictures that they had just finished. It was a big room and there were only 18 children. That fact made my mood level rise a little.Watching them gather on the carpet it was obvious that these children have only been in school for just over 2 weeks. My mood level jittered.They were all wearing name tags which was helpful. The teacher introduced me and then it was time for them to go. I would have liked a bit longer to chat but it was not possible. The teacher asked for their names tags back and said they could give them to me. She got 15 and I got 3.Lots of them left say they were going to miss her tomorrow but I said,"But I'll be here!" They didn't seem convinced that that was a good thing.Jen, the teacher knows Will when he used to work at the school years ago and we had met once before by the eggs in SuperIGA.She got her planning out for tomorrow."Be kind to me," I begged.She was.I feel so much better now I know what I am doing and it is pretty much straightforward and much of the day is based around the letter 'A'...I am the embodiment of that!Art in the afternoon was collaging an apple template with sticky paper but I suggested fingerpainting and said I would take in apples for them to copy and to show them how they are not all red and green but a mixture of the two colours.I drove home feeling much more relaxed about the whole thing. I can do it. I CAN do it. I even had a smile on my face until I drove over the rabbit I had killed earlier again.