Life in the Bus Lane

Well- it's official- I'm back on the chain gang and out in the UK workforce, and I'm going to need to get used to life in the bus lane.

My first supply teaching job took place on Tuesday, which was a half-day in the city's South, at St. Matthew's Church of England school. It didn't take me long to get out to Surbiton and up a large hill to the school, and I ended up arriving much earlier than I had anticipated. Given that there wasn't really any places to hang about (and return a few missed calls), for first time in my life I went to the pub before school! Mind you, I only stopped in at the Prince of Wales on Upper-Brighton road for a cheeky diet Pepsi, but still... I imagined myself hanging out in a pub in Deer Park before work, and had a bit of a lone-chuckle.

The afternoon was surprisingly chilled, the staff and kids were great (one grade six girl even told a boy who was giving her the irrits to "shut your rotten face"- I loved it!) and it was an all round pleasant experience. Even better than the teaching itself though, was the fact that I made it home in under forty minutes, which is excellent time for travel in this city! Just call me Ange Costanza!

Today's work 'experience' was slightly different- I was posted at Robin Hood Primary School, out around the Wimbledon boondocks, and the kids were pretty full on. The fact that most of the children are sent to school without something to eat at their morning tea break might give you an insight into the nature of the school and the surrounding community- it may just be customary here, but I don't think so. I guess what I found even curiouser, was when I expressed my surprise about this to the teacher whose grade I was teaching in first, and she didn't think it was odd! Then again, she did mention she'd recently come from a little village school in Yorkshire, and this was her first job in London, and had been finding it quite a big adjustment. Hmmm.

Travelling back and forth on the trains has been a joy, largely because Nick Drake is predominantley in my head phones. I've always adored his music, but Bryter Layter just sounds so right here- with the trees rushing by, and the quirky lines of Victorian-esque cottages and their little orange chimneys, it's like a perfect soundtrack for the South London scenary. It's blisssssssss.