Practice Based Attestation - feeling the lack of control

Control over my day to day life:

I'm anchoring a windmill
tilted at right angles,
I'm pegging sheets and clothing,
fighting weighty tangles
and futile bids for freedom -
moored, they flap and slap
together, held enslaved.
Haughty words can't sap
my strength while I'm in charge;
egos wear a gag.
I'm hanging out my laundry,
raising my own flag.
Agendas won't take over,
swallow, or enclose mine,
I'm in control, empowered,
standing at my clothesline.



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it's all too much- just like every other Feb

It's Wednesday night and I'm
a stuffed potato, couched
in weariness and slouched
in stress-related grime.

The TV drones and even though
I stare half-lidded, work
replays and stirs the murk
of stop-gapped overflow.


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Inquiry Learning

Love the questions in your mind.
Wallow in them, Wonder 'Why?'
Answers drift until confined.
Let the questions stretch and sigh.

Wallow in them. Wonder why
your brainstorm only helps you ask.
Let the questions stretch and sigh.
Scratch the itch beneath the mask.

Your brainstorm only helps you ask
more questions - find a place to start.
Scratch the itch beneath the mask:
gather facts. Subdue your heart.

More questions! Find a place to start,
take an open-minded view,
gather facts, subdue your heart.
Questions undermine... renew.

Take an open-minded view,
ignore habitual compromise.
Questions undermine. Renew
your purpose. Let them energise.

Ignore habitual compromise,
answers hide behind knee-jerks.
Your purpose? Let them energise;
between the facts, an answer lurks.

Answers hide behind knee-jerks.
Answers drift until confined
between the facts. An answer lurks:
love the questions in your mind.






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RIP Flossy 14 years old. Died 4 January 2009

Flossy
She was beautiful, our lab of creamy white,
her black-rimmed eyes were trusting, puzzle-bright.
She’d kangaroo through grass in an unmown field,
she’d leap for balls and into cars. I have sealed
those memories in an album behind my eyes
wrapped in re-runs: vet injects and so she dies…


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IWB Interactive Whiteboards

A parody in honour of out ICT contract which finishes at the end of this year:


What the world needs now, is boards, white boards…
Interactive boards, that there’re just too little of!

What the world needs now, is boards, white boards…
No, not just for some, but for everyone!


Lord, we will need another camera…
There are movies and photos, enough to take…
That’s how youtube and google search have
enough to watch,
enough to make,
any old head ache!


What the world needs now, is boards, white boards…
Interactive boards, that there’re just too little of!

What the world needs now, is boards, white boards…
No, not just for some, but for everyone!


Lord, we will need faster broadband…
There are game-type activities enough to teach,
to communicate and problem solve…
enough for thought,
enough for speech…
Nothing’s out of reach!


What the world needs now, is boards, white boards…
Interactive boards, that there’re just too little of!

What the world needs now, is boards, white boards…
No, not just for some, but for everyone!

What the world needs now, is boards, whiteboards…


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PBA Practise based Attestation

Older teachers, like myself, who do not have degrees
are bottle-necked in salary champagne, although we ease
the cork for those with less experience (without receiving fees).
We're treated with respect. We know we're needed. We're the keys
that others use then leave in locks. But now the powers-that-be
have listened to our union voice! We hope that they'll agree
to indicators of our skill, our knowledge... how we please,
so our school leaders can attest that we deserve more G's.



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ULearn conference Chch

My short term memory
is quite as full as it can be.
I found a mac and sat alone
upstairs encased in brick and stone.
So now to process what I've heard...
I can't say any was absurd
although a lot is repetition
but that's all good, prevents attrition.


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School Show

The audience is waiting,
the 'house' lights have been dimmed
our stage of upturned apple crates
is empty, although rimmed
with nervous actors pacing
and whispering their lines,
checking on their head-mikes
and stiffening their spines.

At last! The music heralds
the entry number dance
and rock and rollers rush on,
to swing and pose and prance.
As voices raise the rooftop
and costumes catch the light,
the audience is clapping
and so begins the night...



A hush falls as the spotlight
reveals the set and props
and then the actors move in
and pull out all the stops!
Their actions and their phrases
are overdone so well
that laughter forms the commas
throughout the tale they tell.



Then stars who sing a solo
each steal a heart or two
with melodies of magic:
ovation is their due.
Tomorrow teachers may have
to take them down a peg
but we can safely say they
know how to break a leg!






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broken collarbone

The stairs disappeared,
could I stand?
Not as bad as feared,
but work was canned.







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Danks Sports Ball

An annual event where elegance rules:
a wonderful treat removed from school.




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keen to go, dreading the flight

HONG KONG - Tian Tan Buddha or Giant Buddha at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island in Hong Kong

MACAU - Golden Lotus at Golden Sands Casino

SINGAPORE - Raffles Hotel


The Long Haul


A queue of saggy-jointed puppets slides
in caterpillar catch-ups. Jerked to stand
by red tape strings, each drags a bag, subsides
and meekly waits for wings to flee the land.

The metal gizzard fills. The mustered, hushed
and clutching at credentials, straighten spines
and readjust attire that won't be crushed.
One flustered aura hovers, then reclines.

Suspended emigration, dozing frozen,
packed like export apples; freight, third class.
Their hands are tied as self-restraint is chosen,
limbo-leashed until sweet androids pass
with trays of welcome rations. They distract
the minds that were so eager to be packed.




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Exercise

My preference is for exercising
mind and not my muscles
but getting out to move about
can clear out brain-bound tussles.

I've walked a lot just lately
and although arthritis stalks me,
the feel-good factor is addictive -
I will be less porky.

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Jack and the Beanstalk

The 5 to 8 year olds, years one
to four: our junior school,
will soon begin rehearsals for
a stage performance. Cool
and cute, sweet or brat,
we need to choose the cast.
Then dancers: teams of stars
and clouds. Online, I've spent the last
few nights in search of backing tracks.
As well as pix of folks-
of villagers and peasants too,
Jacks and giants, harps and cloaks,
tights and aprons, jerkins, caps...
since sewing costumes grudgingly
is shared between 2 teachers.
One of whom is me.

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gifted and talented

Our group of local schools will soon
complete our IT contract,
so now we're planning what might work
to build on skills, in fact
we had a meeting of the leaders,
talked about a plan
for setting up a base and satellites
of teaching spaces... can
we apply for funding to equip a place
for talented we'll stretch?
A base with tech equipment, visually superb?
A place imaginations sketch.


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Winter Voki

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broadband

At last! I bit the bullet,
spent the time and money too.
A parcel came: a metal box
called "adsl & router". Phew!
Last night I got my work laptop
going on broadband
Tonight, eventually, my old
laptop connected and
later or tomorrow I'll
do the old pc downstairs.
So now I'm off to Second Life
Hip hooray. 3 cheers.


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voki

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Second Life

I used to spend my leisure hours
here online. Attraction:
ICQ and yahoo too,
msn... the action
with instant messages and webcams
kept me keen those days.
Then that wore off and message boards
took over: my next phase.
Since then I've dabbled with facebook,
feeling old and bored
but second life just might be right
if dial up were more broad (band).





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Visiting my kids

We flew down south and saw our son
and saw his flat and feed him lots.
We saw Da Vinchy models and
we walked and toured tourist spots.
Cadbury's is famous for its
chocolate, factory was great.
We bought our son some underwear
and took his girlfriend on a date.

We flew back north and drove to see
our daughter and her man, we went
to check the business franchise she
has bought. Then viewed the house they'll rent.
They're packing now and plan to move
this weekend. She is so excited.
I hope her business venture works
to make her rich and so, delighted.

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