Back from Tallinn

Hoorah! The spring break has arrived! Everyone - teachers and students were truly tired, exhausted after a 10-week period full of different events, studies, exams, meetings, etc. We even had some very cold days in February when students stayed at home.Then the teachers' strike...

I just came back from Tallinn.I took a two-day course held by Bill Rogers, a teacher mentor from Australia. He told us about classroom management. He was an excellent lecturer, not a lecturer, a teacher, a mentor, an actor if needed. Everything he told us was familiar, it seemed like there was nothing new, nothing we didn't know before. The question is - if we remember and use it in our everyday job. Probably not always. Lucky us! All participants had a gift, his book which he signed himself.

Thanks to everyone for lovely birthday cards, gifts, nice words. Who celebrates birthdays at my age? OK, I do sometimes! I still have bouquets of flowers in my vases. It was a nice day and a nice week.

HAVE A NICE SPRING HOLIDAY!

The Artist

A week full of strikes! The teachers of Tartu were striking on Wednesday. What a day! My longest at school (7 classes). It was so good to stay home and do nothing I had to. My choice was The Artist!

Actually I wanted to go to the teachers' meeting but I was invited to join the company who went to Elva, a nearby town, to see the local school which was recently redecorated. The building is a copy of ours and  it was good to see what they had done. It looked gorgeous and we got lots of ideas.

More seriously about the strike. Our teachers are tired of listening to different promises given by our ministers of education who change fast and so does their politics. It is exhausting! No dialogue, unreasonable solutions, etc. I haven't seen so many happy faces as I saw on Wednesday for a long time. I met my colleagues from different schools almost everywhere I went to. No one was worried about their duty or students because our students and their parents supported us. Schools and kindergartens were empty, parents left their children home, took them to their offices or grandparents. The weather was beautiful, sunny and cloudless and good for outdoor activities. When I went to purchase movie tickets, I was happily surprised, there was a long queue and the lounge was full of kids and their parents who wanted to go the movies together.

What happened to strikers? No concrete answers, no dialogue yet, just hope we were heard. Were we?

The Artist was great!

A busy week

Oh Gosh! That was a busy week. Mon-Tue I spent on my career studies course, yesterday I had a long day at school: 7 classes plus a meeting. The meeting lasted till 8pm, I was exhausted! Fortunately I was driven home later instead of my usual walking. Hard to believe, but true. Mon-Tue when we had snowstorm I did walk home and I enjoyed it a lot. My coat was soaking wet though but the owner, me, was in the best mood!

Happily back at home tonight. We had the career coordinators' meeting at our school. Disaster! Two of the main organizers were missing, our vice was in Tallinn, and some other people who had promised to help me, were gone also. I was responsible for the room, presentations, food, etc. Well, I survived and we did it! I like my career coordinator's job more and more!

I hope to have a good rest this weekend and "load my battery". The Artist is in the Cinamon. I should go!
Teachers' strike next week, that means no school for us on Wednesday! I do not believe in the positive result of the strike but I'm happy that we have joined and decided to do it!!!

Afterparty

Just kidding! No party at all! I watched the President's reception on TV and that's it because I am extremely busy this weekend. Fortunately there are only me and my faithful Villi at home and I can create new papers and read my students' assignments without any disturbing moments.

I did celebrate a bit last night baking a huge minced pie which means no cooking today.

I liked our President's speech a lot and I enjoyed the concert. No attention to ladies' gowns. All of them are in Delfi today and in our papers and magazines. Want to see them either? Here's the link!

Reception

Happy Independence Day!

Feb 24 is our Independence Day. Happy holiday! I just came back from a glamorous concert in the Vanemuine theatre. Our Prime Minister made a speech. He used to be a mayor of Tartu for several years and he actually still lives in Tartu with his family. We liked him as a mayor. Do we like him as a PM? More and more doubts. Well, I think, he deserves respect! The concert later was great, more like a perfomance given by the choir of our university.

I add a link to our news program which showed the assembly. A very careful watcher may recognize me in the audience.
TV news with a clip with the speech

Yesterday we had an outdoor day. Truly nice! Everybody enjoyed the perfect weather, walking, skiing, skating, sledging...

3 days of busy freedom. I have to prepare my "speech" for the career coordinators conference, get ready for the next part of our course Mon-Tue and a meeting  on Wed. The busier I am the faster the time flies. The end of the term is not far.

The Descendants

What a fantastic film! I went to the cinema last night and I still am influenced by this story. I suggested all of my family, colleagues and friends to go and watch it. I hope they will! I liked the story, scenery, everything! I was a bit afraid that it might turn too sweet, too romantic but fortunately it didn't. It was a true story with realistic people with their feelings, behaviour, etc, under the rough circumstances.

Now I am waiting for The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep! I believe it will be as good or maybe even better. I adore films about Britain and its history and contemporary life.

A good week is coming ahead - outdoor day on Wednesday, a glamorous meeting and concert to honour our Independence Day Feb 24 and 3 days of freedom again! The spring holiday isn't behind the mountains anymore, four weeks to go only. Last days have been very nice - sunny, warm, the spring is in the air.

My new hobby is creating QR codes for my websites and my friends' ones. The only thing I still miss is a new phone that could read those codes. One more thing on my wish-list next to my ebook reader. It's always nice to have a dream... Sounds silly, I know, that's not a real dream. Purchasing new things is more like a disease.

Getting warmer

We are tired of cold! Making fire three times a day to keep our cottage warm, pretty overwhelming. Fortunately it is getting warmer. Cold nights but rather warm daytime already.
 My weekend was pretty busy. We had an English language contest for 5-graders at our school. Lots of organizing, preparation, etc. We were pretty successful, no problems with organization and finally the fifth position in the contest. On Fri-Sat there was a career fair for high school graduates in Tartu. I asked my students to participate and collect fliers and other stuff available on the fair. That meant I also had to go and pick some papers myself! I returned with a big and heavy bag which I'm trying to order somehow and get ready for my next career studies class. I am a big fan of WebQuests now and I made one using materials from the fair.

What a sad news about Whitney Houston! She was such a lovely singer, very talented. I have "The Bodyguard" on DVD. A truly good movie thanks to Whitney Houston with her fantastic songs and Kevin Costner. Worth to watch again and again!

Valentine's Day is approaching, the day after tomorrow.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S, DEAR FRIENDS!