R is for Racing Rodents

 

Racing Rodents, Rock-like Reptiles

Required Responsibility, Respect, Regard

so helping to nurture and train kinder, thoughtful children.

I was lucky that I grew up in school classrooms that had animals there to be cared for by us as pupils. Now days many classrooms are devoid of "pets" for health and safety reasons and I think this lessens the ability for children to understand how as "superior" beings we should look after the other animals on the planet.  There is also the well documented phenomena of may of our most challenging pupils being very caring and quiet around animals especially when given the responsibility of taking care of them.

Did you have classroom "pets"?  Do you think animals should be in a classroom environment? Were you the animal monitor?  Did you ever get to look after the class pet during the holidays?  Leave a comment below because I sure would like to know :)

Q is for Quixotic Quidditch

 Quivering Quintains, Quixotic Quidditch,

Quiz Questions, Quality Quiche

All occur in the school hall.

School halls are normally the place where daily assembly takes place, school dinners are eaten or indoor gym class goes on. But they are also the place where school gathers for exciting events; to see entertaining visitors maybe from centuries long ago, watch a class perform to see what they have been learning that half term, to cheer on their school quiz panel or have a cookery demonstration.

What can you remember taking place in your school hall that was exciting?  Did you enjoy indoor gym?  Were you on the quiz team?

P is for Popular People

Popular People Perhaps Practice Perfectionism?

Possibly Perceiving Potential Participants' Problems

so Prohibiting Peer Panel Procurement?

I can't say I was ever a popular pupil with my peers - I was trustworthy - I was helpful - I was kind but these things normally do not lead to winning a place on the popular girls' table.  It seemed to me to be more about how you looked, what you wore and who you had your eye on and those things had to be Perfect!  

Even as a teacher surveying a class it is easy to spot the popular children - the ones others fight to sit next to, to play with, to share with and often it is not those children that a teacher would hold up as models of behaviour but still they hold court and there is little anyone else can do about it.

Were you a Queen Bee or a Superior Male?  If so, what was it like and did you use your powers for good? If you weren't, did you want to be part of the gang or couldn't care less?  Leave a comment below and let me know :)

O is for Options

Ordinarily One Oscillates

Opening Onward Options

Until One realises you’ve become a teacher!

I was never going to become a teacher!!  Despite how many people said it at various stages of my life - I knew I wouldn't be in a classroom teaching children.  There were far too many other things I wanted to have a future in.  I had Options of being a librarian (my love of books and reading), an author (my love of books and writing), a designer (my love of books and illustrations), an accountant (my love of books of maths...I quickly found out this career is not really anything to do with maths!) But in the end it was teaching that got me. I reckon mainly because of what those books, throughout my early life, had taught me and I passionately wanted to pass on that teaching to others and share my love of books and I have had the enormous pleasure of doing just that :)

Now it's your turn - what options did you pursue when you were at those important crossroads of life?  Did your job end up being the one you thought it would be ... or not?  Have you managed to take a passion into your work life?  Leave a comment below because I sure would like to know :)

N is for Nobody Notices

If nobody notices nothing is nice,

Non-observed neglect nurtures notions of

A No-hoper, a non-entity, a Nobody’s Child.

Need I say more?

M is for Maddening, Melancholic Misgivings

Mindfulness meandering

moves maddening, melancholic, misgivings

Marching them away and leaving peace.

As I am also now a "teacher" of Nordic walking, I thought I should include something in my A-Z to reflect this and half way through seems an appropriate time to do just that.  It's been lovely learning that just by walking outdoors that this is helping so many people not just physically but in their mental well-being too :)

How do you chase your demons away?  Does being outdoors give you that feel good factor too? Leave me a comment below because you know I'd love to know :)

L is for a Little Laughter

A Little Laughter Lifts and Lightens

Lessens, Loosens, Leaving

Us free from our worries and fears.

via GIPHY

L could also have been for "Lending your Laptop" to your oldest child - which is why this post is Late because said Laptop was not returned until today!!

When was the last time you had a good laugh? Was it because of something you read? A joke someone told? A cat video you watched?  Leave me a comment below and let us all know :)