Back to the Grind

Good news, it back to the grind of work for me. I have managed to land a six month contract to keep me going into the new year.

I'm really looking forward to working again. There is nothing more I hate than sitting around and doing nothing. having a job again is going to be great.

That is the end of that.

Well that is the end of that teaching assignment. I must I just say they have been some of the best students I have taught and I wish them all well. Now back to finding more work. I'm going to miss not only the students but the few extra pennies it brought in after the fuel.

Work Work Work

Work is the order of the day and did I get anything done today, well no. It was just one of those days that sailed by. I didn't even get to finish yesterdays blog entry. Oh well there is always tomorrow.

The problem with "there is always tomorrows" is what happens when there are no tomorrows left. Then what do you? It is no good playing games when there are things to get on with that need doing or things that need sorting. Somethings are to important to leave to tomorrow. Nothing gets done on it's own. You have to work at it however hard it is and from this you get your rewards. You have to keep going until you accomplish your task then you can rest and have fun while feeling the rewards of your labour. Thankfully at least for work I had to do today I have another day to do, but for somethings in life it better to do them in the moment rather than sitting around and doing nothing. The approach of doing nothing gets you nowhere. Waiting for another day gets nothing done about anything and at worse can make you rush things and then make mistakes.

So no sitting around waiting for things to happen and work to get done. Take the bull by the horns make things happen. That is the best approach to have and never give up.

Traffic Hell

You know your going to have a bad start to the say as soon as the CD stops playing and the traffic news mentions the A52. It is the main road from the south of Nottingham that most of the traffic uses to enter the city and it is the road I have to take to work.

It would seem todays 4 and a bit mile traffic jam, when I joined the queue, was caused be a Lorry dropping concrete sewage pipes onto the outbound carriageway. Although you wouldn't think that would be too bad given I was inbound the resulting diversions messed up the traffic flows where the A52 is crossed by the A60. 

It was a drivers nightmare, crawling along at 2 to 3 miles per hour at best and stopping every minutes. Nobody was going anywhere fast and even the unmarked police car with it's blue flashing lights was gingerly making it's way through the traffic at a snails pace.

Once you except your fate and you are already late for work a traffic jam can be a nice place to think. At one point while listening to the Peter Bradley Adams track "Song for Viola" I went into a dream world all of my own, it was just a shame reality hit when the traffic started moving. If there was only a way to stay in that world then I would have done. It is all I dream about all the time and seems so beautiful. 

I got to work eventually and on the way home in the afternoon I wondered how much the whole incident had cost. All those people stuck and the money lost because they weren't at work, plus all the fuel used by idle engines. It must have been tens of thousands of pounds if not a lot more. A price was paid for the jam, namely the driver of the lorry was arrested for not securing his load and now will have to face trial so there is some justice in the world of sorts.

Back to Work

Well the summer is over for me and work starts again and with the end of my summer the weather has changed and it feels more like that autumn. I have had a lovely summer with everyone and it has been lots of fun.

There is so many uncertainties in life these days with the way the economy is at the moment. I really thought by now I thought I would know what I was doing by now, but working part time in the public sector is showing me what a mess the banks really made of things. At the end of the academic year I knew what was happening by the start of the next I don't have a clue. It's not totally the college's fault they were messed over by a government agency put in place by the last government. Someone said they could develop the collage, problem was they told lots of colleges the same thing and there wasn't the money. The result for me is I don't know what is happening.

All the same I'm glad to be back. I love the people I work with, the students and the college itself which has so much going for it. I just don't like being messed about. It's not just me that it affects it is my whole family. I want Lucy to see as much as I can and this is just messing everyone about and stopping me making plans for the coming year. 

I hope I can sort it out in the next few days.

The Summer Starts Here!

It that strange time of the year again when work stops and uncertainty returns. Who knows how many hours teaching I will have next year with all the cuts and will I have enough to work to live on.

Working as a sessional lecturer you might have the advantage that you are free of contracts and you can pick when you work, but it has the disadvantage that you don't get paid over the holidays. There is talk of moving us onto fixed term contracts as they are easier to administer and would at least spread the money over the year. I hope they do make the change. Knowing what is coming in each month would make budgeting so much easier.

Anyway the summer is now upon me and the holidays start here....

The End of Another Year.

I always have mixed emotions at the end of any academic year. There is the happiness that the students have passed their course and the sadness that they are moving on and your part in teaching them is over. They have been a great bunch this year, they have done really well and most of them have worked really hard. I hope they all fulfill their dreams and wish them all well in the future.

Back to Work

It always seems strange going back to work after a two week break because of the change from days of doing nothing to days being busy with a capital B.

The speed at which the days pass at work is so much quicker than those spent at home during the holidays. Not that this a downside to the job just a difference in the pace of life. In the classroom life moves at a rapid pace. People calling your name needing help and having solve practical problems on your feet and sometimes personal ones too. It all makes the day pass quicker.

I really love my job but there is a certain apprehension when you go back you won’t be able to do it again. It is like an actor returning to the stage never knowing they can act again. Thankfully we all find we can and you just have to trust yourself.

Being back with the students is always good fun. They really bring a breath of fresh into you life. There is something about teaching and the interaction with people that makes it so special. It has to do with seeing them grow, learn and gain confidence in their abilities. This is especially the case when you teach them year after year.

It is really is a magical job but hard work too. Not many people realise the time you have to put in at home they just see the holidays and say wow that is easy. But at the end of the day the hard work is worth it to see the smiles at the end of a course as the students go on to greater things through your hard work and theirs.

Work for me is a happy but sometimes stressful place with great rewards and at the end of the day a place I’m happy to return to again and again. For everyday is different and brings new challenges and rewards.

I’m glad to be back!