I hate SATs.

I hate sats.

I really despise them.

I totally resent their existence in my world.

I would rather listen to the European Union debate the straightness and length of bananas in Danish, than I would do sats.

I refuse to capitlise them.


This week we have had mock optional sats. Look at those words. mock (as in pretend) optional (as in don't have to do it) and sats (as in standard assessment tests). Now lets look at what they really mean.

Mock - yes, these are only the pretend ones however they will enable us to start calculating the results for the final ones and so we can look at who needs boosting in the last few weeks and identify weak spots to focus on before we do the test - but lest not teach to the test.........

Optional - no you don't have to do them, but if you don't then you need to have 900million good reasons why not, or else it's a case of "What are you scared of?"

sats - superfluous asinine torture for students. No, really, that's what it means.

Take the reading test on Monday. My children, from rural Ruralshire, had to read and answer a series of ridiculous questions on a story about road racing in Namibia. And then on the Tuesday, they had to write an alternative ending for said road race in Namibia. My children know very little about Namibia. It's not in Geography, so we aren't allowed to teach it. There isn't time. There's no rounding of children's education these days from their exposure to a variety of teachers with a variety of interests.


As you may have gathered, I'm not keen on sats.

From an ASD point of view, I took children out of their usual groups, put them into different rooms and asked them to sit still for 30 minutes and write the answers to questions that they couldn't read about a story that they didn't understand.

I'm going for a cup of tea. And then I'm going to mark the cursed sats.

Ok, so, it's been a while.........

............. but let's face it, it's not like anyone reads this anyway lol!

All of Spectrum have settled into what was a very short half term, although Captains Blue and Magenta had some time off with illness.

Captain Magenta has done particularly well this half term to be honest. I've been off with VLE training and BETT show and so on, Rhapsody Angel has been off as her son wasn't well, and Captain Blue was off sick, but still he coped remarkably well.

Lt Green is completely driving me around the twist at the moment. I know it's just the Aspergers, but there are times when it seems to be a deliberate choice. A small piece of background would be that I have provided Lt. Green with a PDA for use as an electronic visual timetable. It works really well for him, he always knows what is going on, and he can now update it himself. He is responsible for the charging, for the knowing where it is, and so on. I've jsut extended this to another ASD child, Captain Ochre, and whilst he doesn't always use his (his ASD is one of the label-this-child-for-something types IMHO!) it means the two of them can beam things backwards and forwards and so on. However, Lt. Green is now on his 4th PDA, all of which are supplied by ME from eBay. I've paid for them, set them up and so on. The fact he's on his 4th and the others have all died a death due to various injuries, has led me to say, "This PDA does not go into the playground." We've done the social stories, we've gone over the rules, we've talked and roleplayed until we are blue in the face. But still, he wants to take this thing into the playground, and so he determines that he will. He chooses to do this, he hides it from me if he sees me.

However, I will bring it up at parents evening and nothing will happen. So far I have managed to deflect several parents from coming to parent's evening, and had one excuse which I am prepared to accept - baby due on day of parent's evening! I laughingly told the child to say good luck to his mummy and I would see her whenever was convenient, but not to worry at all about his behaviour or progress. I'll send her a note to that effect as well I think.

In my life, the arthritis is playing up big time, I now have Glucosomine to take (which may do nothing!) and 2 big sit on balls to improve my core stability. I have exercises to do, a DVD to improve my back posture and still everything just hurts. *winge* I know it will do, don't get me wrong, I know in fact that it will get worse before it gets better because the muscles have to be retrained. Oh what joy is mine?

And we're discussing a child of our own. I have a lovely son, nearly 5. My OH has a lovely daughter, nearly 6, lives a looooooooooooooooong way away (we're talking continents) so why aren't we just going for it?

Well, one of the reasons is the children. Spectrum children are not reknown for their ability to accept change. Now, supposing I fell pregnant in March, I'd be leaving school around Nov/Dec next year. This lot of Spectrum would have gone up to 5/6 (chortles with evilness!) but there is a whole new legion coming up. Is it fair for children who have just moved school (in 3 situations that are expected) to then change teacher that early? And is it fair on some supply teacher to have to ensure that the systems are kept up to date and in place? Because mat. leave would be the full year (oh yeah!) and these children are not easy to maintain. They are lovely to teach, easy to care for, but the hours of prep are not easy to do.

On the other hand, it's my life and county only own me for 1265 hours a year (again with the cynical, yeah right!)

I would say answers on a postcard please, but as no-one actually reads this except me, there isn't any point! I'm going to go and make clicker grids, and then we're off out to the Sealife Centre!