Still no Hope!

So...I actually had a good night's sleep last night, perhaps the best night I have had since we moved up to Frogknot.We were in bed before 9.00 pm but were both woken at about 1.00 am by a rhythmic tapping sound. It was a 'morse code' mouse caught in the big mouse trap. Will got up and moved it outside and we went back to sleep, he quite quickly, me within an hour. I woke when he got up at 4.00 and heard him go and then went back to sleep until the rat trap clattered at 5.15 with another intruder. I put it outside next to 'morse code' mouse and got back in bed.I didn't go into school as early as I did yesterday. I am only paid from 8.45 until 3.00 so what's the point of getting there at 7.45? I was there for 8.00 though. Heck! That's even earlier than I ever used to get to school.I had learned a lesson about the key so didn't make that mistake again. I got stuff ready and familiarised myself with the day's planning, then went off to get some paper to mount some pictures for a display I wanted to put up.The Business Services Manager is always the friendliest face I see so I went and asked her."Where can I get some black sugar paper to mount some pictures?"She looked blank."Any black paper will do," I said thinking perhaps sugar paper was just British.She directed me to the Teacher Aides room and there I found two in mid gossip."I'm looking for some black paper to mount some pictures for a display."I felt a bit like I was speaking a foreign language. One of the ladies led me to another room where she pulled out some sheets of black paper that were rolled up."Will this do?"It wasn't what I wanted but I said "Yes, that will do.""How much do you want?" She asked."Oh, enough to back 22 A4 size pictures," I said.She actually went pale and clutched the paper closer to herself as if it were the One Ring to bind them all."Could you cut strips of it ?" She asked."Look, it doesn't matter. I will just edge the papers in black like I did the labels last night. I couldn't find any coloured pencils either. Where are the pencils?"" Oh, the teachers buy them themselves.""The teachers have to buy their own colouring pencils? " I said, incredulously. "Do you know at the last school I worked in in the UK I had everything I needed and wanted?""It used to be like that here...but not any more," she said.I did find some pencils secreted away in one of the teachers draws so got them out to use. The teacher had written her name on each one of the pencils.I had been told to keep the door closed until the bell went otherwise the children will be in far too early, so I did but this morning there was a knock at the door.It was Fidget's mum.'Oh, heck!' I thought 'perhaps he had gone home and said how I made him cry.'I opened the door."Can we put his glasses on his desk?""Of course you can, " I said perhaps a little too effusively.I closed the door after them and there was another knock. This time it was A, the one with separation anxiety. He was the one the teacher was most worried about, not Toerag and Fidget. A came in perfectly yesterday and was clever, polite and well behaved and now here he was wanting to show me his puppy, a Jack Russell called Charlie. I was very pleased to meet him and was especially pleased that A liked me enough after one day to want to show him to me.The bell went and the rabble came in....except Toerag. For a few brief moments I was filled with hope that he might not be in today....but on calling the 'roll' there still was no Hope...and Toerag appeared at the end of it.The day on the whole was much better than yesterday. Toerag and Fidget played up a bit in the second hour...but let's face it they are six and have to sit on chairs at desks working for hours....It's not what I would make them do...but it is what I had yo make them do.I had taken all manner of plastic animals that adorn the 'Frogknot' pole from home and handed them out to those people who were being sensible. Toerag got to hold Fred the fly and Fidget held Lizzie the Lizard and it worked beautifully for an hour or so.At morning tea I didn't know I was to send someone to the Tuck Shop to collect the things that some of the children had brought in money for until a child came and said  "Where's my Tuck Shop snack?" so I rushed off to the only friendly face I knew, the Business Services Manager to ask what to do. She was taking me to the Tuck Shop when we met a woman who had just delivered all the stuff I was looking for to the correct children. I apologised and thanked her.We were walking back when the Business Services Manager said,"Do you want to work full time?""What do you mean?" I asked."Well, next year we might lose some graduates and would you be interested in a full time job?""Nah!" I said after a quick think, "I am happy doing supply. We need time to build a house. I would do a week or so if someone was sick but am not interested in working full time.""Oh well, that's OK," she said.She left me to go back to the classroom and I couldn't quite believe what had just happened. I'd only been there two and bit days.After break the reading session was better than yesterday as all the helpers turned up and I was able to give Toerag and Fidget to someone else....well, for about 10 minutes before they were sent away from their group and made to sit apart on the floor by the teacher aide.I collected them and set my two groups off on an independent task and worked with Toerag and Fidget again!For Science we went out for a walk looking at habitats....The grounds were dull, grass and more grass but we found some trees and I told them the amusing tale of when a squirrel ran up my leg looking for nuts in a London park. We saw three birds, plovers and a Willie Wagtail and then I spotted a lovely stand of trees in the distance so headed towards them Toerag was holding my hand and Fred the fly and Fidget was behind with Lizzie the Lizard. It turned out that the trees were out of the school grounds so we couldn't get to hem so we headed back. A woman was coming towards us and asked if she could take M...she could have been anybody but she was holding a clipboard so I gave her M.We just had time for another game of hangman before lunch...they beat me this time.I was sending them out for lunch when someone said "What about Tuck hop?"'Doh!' I sent two boys quickly to collect the box and they came back and I gave the things out....but E hadn't got her ice cream just a bag on which I had written in the morning that she had wanted an ice cream and I had sent it with her money in and here it was back empty and someone had written on it,'For lunch!'I took her to the Tuck Shop to sort it out and was told that ice creams were given out ;ater when they rang a bell."Oh, I'm sorry" I said, "I am just new here and I am learning so much.""It's OK" said the Tuck Shop ladies.On my way back I had the feeling I was being followed and I was, by a big burly man who looked like a wrestler. He actually said, as I turned round to look,"Yes, I am following you."He pushed past and showed me how to lock one of the doors that I'd had trouble with the day before. It was so simple that I felt quite a fool."I'm sorry," I said. "I'm new to all this.""It's OK." he said.I spent lunchtime sticking work in books and then the bell went.The last hour or so had been left up to me to do my own thing. I had bought them all a little fluffy easter chick and as I handed them out they had to name them then we went out and spent a good 45 minutes making homes for them in a small garden area. They absolutely loved it and I never once had to speak to Toerag or Fidget other than to say "That looks great, Well done".As we were walking back in little, bespectacled E looked at me and said"You're the best teacher.""I know." I said.They beat me again at hangman before hometime and I booed and hissed at them as they cheered."Listen" I said, "if you know your teacher is ever going to be away again say to her 'please can we have Mr Allen again?'""We might want Miss Schnitzel" said a cocky B.I can be cocky too..."You might but she won't be as good as me," I smiled.I actually got a hug from one of the boys on the way out...but it wasn't Toerag or Fidget.I was on Bus duty again."You shouldn't be doing this," said the teacher who also came to do it. "You only get paid until 3.00""Well, I haven't done any other duties," I said."Well, you're good," she said.After bus duty I put up the first display of children's work for  8 weeks in the class and left at 4.30.I like doing displays. I didn't do it for me....to look good. I did it for them. It wasn't one of my best but under the circumstances with no backing paper of decent pencils it will do.And now the weekend is here.....peace and quiet?.......No!........six ladies from the choir Will used to run in Brisbane are coming to camp for the weekend....with ukuleles!!!!!