Noises off

It sounds like its trying to rain outside. This would be a good thing - we haven't had much rain for weeks now and could do with a nice heavy downpour to fill up our irrigation tanks. It might also help to dampen the enthusiasm of the party goers attending a very rhythmic event that started last night somewhere in the neighbourhood. As I sit typing in my room it sounds like the noise is coming from the field to my left but I know that when I stand outside it sounds like it's coming from the opposite direction. Whatever the 'celebration' is in aid of its obviously raking in a good attendance and will probably last all week-end. If I didn't know better I'd say the noise frequently sounds like the kind of drumming that usually leads to bad things in old movies.

Half-term seems to have flown past this week. We will soon be back in the thick of term two, starting off with exams for our two oldest primary school classes. Our manager Mary told me yesterday that we had missed a meeting of the local headteachers to confirm the arrangements for the exams. Its a serious business. All the primary schools in our zone (about 25 altogether) sit this exam and a league table is eventually compiled to 'encourage' us all. The last one was a bit chaotic so I'm hoping that this one will go a bit better. I'm not really convinced that this cycle of exams is especially helpful a the moment but we don't get much choice about them. When I called the headteacher responsible for convening the meeting to explain that we hadn't received any information about it he was very helpful and apologized for not informing us. I've become more philosophical about these communication problems and am working hard at building bridges with my colleagues in the area.

We have some good events to look forward to in the coming half-term. Once the exams have been completed we'll be trying a three day practical project, combining science, maths and social studies in a problem solving activity. The pupils will be given the task of finding out how long we could continue to run all of our activities if our borehole suddenly packed up. (It's actually quite a scary thought). Our primary school teachers are very positive about it and I'm hoping that it will build on our previous encouraging experience with a special maths project. Being in a position to take bold steps with our teaching and learning makes me feel very privileged. It's very exciting being able to drop the normal timetable and do something different. At the risk of sounding a bit corny it's what I first went into teaching for. Any similarly motivated teachers would be welcome to join us.

The drumming has picked up a bit now and the rain noises have stopped - looks like being another hot, noisy night. At least the 'music' has stepped up a gear - it sounds more like the rhythm section of a Santana concert now.

If you'd like to watch a Santana concert follow the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI3z5cFgmMk