The Exhilerations and Exhaustions of southFEST

So this week has been one of the most exhausting I've had in a while. One of the most amazing I've had in a while, too mind, mostly due to the first ever southFEST variety show we organised for Thursday night. It has meant a massive amount of high-level tension, and very little sleep, due to an apparent inability to switch off at all.

Let me break it down for you...

Monday:
- southFEST meeting at break
- Form assembly (i.e. no lunch time, loud rehearsals and LOTS of questions)
- After school rehearsals
- Home at approx 6pm
- Orchestra 7:30-9:45pm
- Home at approx 10pm
- Lesson planning
- Sleep circa 1:00am

Tuesday:
- Two hour year 13 composition workshop
- Break duty
- Sixth Form choir (i.e. no lunch time)
- After school rehearsals
- Going to Tesco, due to a severe lack of ANY FOOD AT ALL
- Home at approx 6:30pm
- Lesson planning
- Sleep circa 1:45am

Wednesday:
- Teaching after school
- Supervising and helping initial sound equipment set-up
- Home at approx 5:30
- 5:30: a friend arrives for dinner
- Lovely evening of dinnering and being models for aforementioned friend's Make-up Course portfolio
- Friend leaves circa 9:30pm
- Lesson planning
- Sleep circa 12:30am
(I think it was on this day that I found myself thinking "man, I can't wait for the weekend, so I can have time to do all that work I haven't done." That's not what weekends are for! Weekends are for filter coffees, and lazy breakfasts, and walks in the woods and sleeping til midday! Ah well.)


Thursday:
- southFEST DAY!
- Teaching p.1 and 2
- Break spent setting up cover lessons
- p.3 and 4 rehearsing
- Lunchtime spent clearing up and sorting
- Tutor time = form for 15 mins, then FREEDOM (I was given cover, but hadn't realised so went to do my form, who are a bit full of questions and therefore difficult to get away from. So I ran away.)
- p.5 rehearsing
- After school rehearsals
- Faffing and poster-putting-up-ing
- Home at approx 5pm
- Back at school for 6pm
- southFEST 7-9
- Set down
- Home at approx 10pm
- Lesson planning
- Sleep circa 12:00am

Friday:
- Lessons as normal (one free, p.3)
- Choir at lunch
- Home at approx 3:45pm
- Evening spent in an exhausted slump / on Skype.
- It's 20:26 and I'm seriously considering going to bed now.



But then I read things like this... and it puts my week into some perspective. (see also this).

(That child is a super star, and one of the nicest students I've ever taught)



So there you go. A manic, but pretty immense week.


And now I'm going to sleep.