WOW... things carry on....

I'm still here! I'm posting a lot more on instagram these days (kimberleyatk).

It's the school holidays - the "holidays" every 10 weeks or so save me as a teacher! From this Monday, I've only 9 weeks left of my first school year teaching! (New Zealand schools start the school year from January 29 this year and finish anywhere from Dec 12 - my school - to December 20 - each school makes its own decision!). It has been the most incredible journey and i've learnt a TON! I do love the NZ system - I'm in a single cell classroom (becoming uncommon as walls are disappearing across classrooms and there can be any number of students in a huge space with multiple teachers teaching - team teaching) and have my own group of students and do our own thing. I can pretty much teach how and what I want ( there is a curriculum, but how I choose to teach it is up to me and my students too, as they get a say as well!). It is awesome. It is HARD! It is the HARDEST thing I've ever done in my life. 60-70 hour weeks are a killer - I'm working on getting that down - I'm glad I've teenagers/one adult "kid", as crikey, how any teacher with their own young children does it, is beyond me! It is your LIFE! It seems like it is your ENTIRE life!

I'm not looking forward to the 9 weeks with testing and reporting and my own assessment stuff... I got up to 24 students, but am down to 15 now, which is awesome, but I am constantly thinking how to move them up (lots of our students come in at a 3 year old verbal/ developmental age, low social skills etc) - there has been MAJOR progress, but still not where they should be. But then I also think, why on earth are we making 5 year olds read and write?! It is crazy! European students don't start till they are 7 and they end up at the same place as our kids.... sigh. I have to do my job...

This is my classroom which I re-set up 2 days ago....

There has been a TON of knitting since June... not a lot done before that while I got my brain around teaching and the massive career change I had made... This is my northeasterly blanket using odds and ends of 4 ply...

 hats for a winter trip over the seas coming up...

 a cowl....

 another hat...

 me in my Tongan clothing and mu newly finished Flax jersey...

 Another flax on a hospital floor - yeah- we've had quite the year with the 18 year old DAMN lucky to be alive after SEPSIS and appendicitus....

I'll do my best to keep blogging again.... hope all is well with all....