Well this week started well.  All the children were in on Monday and still no tears - even after the weekend!  I felt quite chuffed and thought that I must be doing something right!

I should have known better!  On Tuesday the day started with Katie crying when her mummy left - still she had had the last two days of last week off sick, and had been quite clingy all along, so I wasn't too surprised, and she stopped almost immediately.  Anyway it being Tuesday, I decided to go mad and do 'proper' PE - i.e. we would do a full change of clothes - i figured the changing would take up most of the lesson anyway - so just a few circle games would do it.  I don't know if I have a wrong impression of children starting school, or what it is, but when your child starts school, isn't getting all the uniform together and naming it all, part of the build up?  I'm sure it always has been... anyway I had no fewer than SEVEN out of the 16 with no PE kit, and of the 9 that did have it, one had pink shorts, and another had brand new kit, in a carrier bag, with the price tags still on it and unnamed!  This all led to a drama because one of the children that didn't have PE kit thought that she was going to be left behind and her friend taken off without her!  So by the time we got to the hall, we had Katie and Bethan both in tears!  One clinging to me and one to the TA.  By then I was beginning to regret the idea of doing PE at all!!  David, Edward, and Harry proceeded to charge manically round the hall practising their skids!  I (barely) managed to gain control of the situation, and  it was a quick game of pretend you're a lion, kangaroo etc, followed by an even quicker and a very controlled blast of the okey cokey, and then back to class! The rest of the morning passed in a haze, but in the afternoon I was having my new interactive whiteboard fitted - so I explained it as best I could to the children and stressed that they must NEVER draw on it with anything other than the 'special' pens.  At home time I had a little moan to the parents about PE kits!

Wednesday was better!  I had to take Katie by the hand when mummy went, but she didn't cry.  We spent ages on the carpet finding out what we could do with the new whiteboard- the children were fascinated- some of them even turned down the chance to go out and play on the bikes!  The only thing is we need to find some sort of a step for them to stand on, because they can only reach about a third of the way up.   

On Thursday everyone came in happily and I had parents asking me what the new 'giant computer' on the wall was all about - apparently a  lot of the children had gone home full of it!  Well before the children had come in I had switched it on and put all of the children's names into the 'marquee' screen saver - so they were scrolling round as the children came in. They loved it - guessing whose name would be next and working out from the initial letter whose name it might be and then waiting to see the rest of it to check. A couple of them have very similar names so we had to wait for nearly the whole name before we knew which it was.  At playtime we had a major breakthrough - with a little coaxing, Katie went off to play with Catherine and her ball.  The first time she had felt secure enough not to be with an adult.  I was just feeling chuffed with that, when one of the bigger boys brought Edward to me, with a grazed nose and bumped forehead.  I asked him what he'd done and he said 'I tripped on the patio' ( meaning the playground!!) He was duly washed and cold compressed and brought back to class with his bumped head note!

Friday and tears from Andrew this morning, so mum hung around, but I'm not convinced that didn't make him worse, as when she eventually went he was stopped within 5 minutes!  Bethan's mum had a quiet word with me to say Bethan had had a bad night, but was really keen to come to school, so if she wasn't right, then ring mum and she would come and get her.  The novelty of the new whiteboard had still not worn off, but unfortunately the laptop, which I had just got back from being 'mended' gave up the ghost!  The keyboard on it had gone totally weird, and it kept switching programs, or turning them off for no reason - so we gave it up as a bad job!  No playtime injuries today, and Katie went straight off to play with George - they were so sweet holding hands! Towards the end of playtime Bethan decided she wasn't feeling too good and wanted her mummy, and "mummy said if i'm poorly you would phone her."  I explained to her that when we went indoors we were going to go to the library and choose a book for her to take home and read with mummy.  She then went off and played happily with Alice until the end of playtime, and didn't mention it again!  After playtime and fruit we made our way to the library, I carefully explained to the children that in school when we go upstairs, we always hold on to the bannister with just one hand and walk sensibly, and they were brill!  Far better than most of the bigger kids in school!  All of the children chose a book, and helped me 'zap' them with the barcode reader, and then it was back to class.  Bethan was beginning to look tired out, so I went to the secretary and asked her to phone mum and just get her to come 10 mins early.  As I walked back into the classroom, Bethan and Alice were just having a little dispute, and Bethan burst into tears.  Five minutes sat on my lap and she bounced back, and by the time her mum got there she was busy playing and didn't want to go!  Typical!

Never mind - from Monday they will be in ALL DAY and on Tuesday I have to go on a training day so they have a supply teacher in.  I feel so torn - if I could get out of it I would, but it's really important - I so hate leaving them when they are still so 'new'!