Monthly Review: March 2012

I'm pretty glad to see the back of March. It's not been the nicest of months...


Visiting my dad in hospital
My dad has been losing mobility and movement for a number of months. Last month was dreadful and it was a relief when he was taken into hospital to be looked after. He stayed in Salford Royal where I thought they seemed to take good care of him. He had an operation in his back which seemed to go ok. Time will tell if it works. He was moved to Leighton after a couple of months. This is not the right place to air my views about the hospital. I hope he can recover as much as possible over the next few weeks.


Selling LEGO
I have a huge collection of Star Wars LEGO minifigs which I have amassed over the years. But due to a lack of space they've been stored in the loft for ages. Now's the time to sell them and see how much I can get for them. It takes a bit of time to prepare and list items for sale and then pack them to post which has taken a bit of time. You can view any items I have for sale here.


Thinking about Learning Platforms
I will write a blog post in more detail about my decision to abandon our current learning platform and move to Google Apps for Education. I met @andyross75 who demonstrated how they use this in their school and it mad up my mind.


Residential in Burwardsley
We had our residential visit to Burwardsley where we learned about the local village, walked up Willow Hill, learned about the Celts, did some orienteering, weaved willow, did a night walk and had a bonfire. The children loved it. I however felt ill the entire time! I'm hoping to change our residential to York in time for next year.


Reading applications for teaching jobs
We have a few vacancies for teachers and so much of my time has included giving tours of the school and reading over 100 application forms. I think many applicants forget about the importance of creating an impression during a tour of the school. You must go if you possibly can! I've read some amazing application letters and some not so good ones. For advice about applying for jobs read my post here.


Not exactly a great time for our family
Our baby girl was poorly for about four weeks at the end of February and the beginning of this month. She had cold, after cold, bug after bug, chest infection after chest infection. She really wasn't herself. She lost quite a bit of weight which was a bit concerning. The doctor moved her on to soya milk which seemed to help her tummy recover. I'm pleased to say that she's back on top form now. I've been poorly too during March. My wife was in a car accident and so she's not been feeling her best either.


Lead Meet
I've been involved in the organisation of a Lead Meet which was designed to give free training to senior leaders in the Local Authority. We offered five courses and people could attend two of them. They were very well attended and feedback was very positive.


Being out of the classroom
For once reason or another I've been out of the classroom for quite a bit this month.


Deciding to apply for the NPQH
I've decided that I'm going to go for it!!