Cough, splutter. Bloody dust.

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And we’re back slightly early.

It all resumed with the conference last weekend, which was fairly similar to last year’s conference right down to the option events for the old lags to attend. Time for something new.

This year’s big ideas are to impose the philosophy on the InterBac programme beyond its native bounds, and to dole out more homework. The former will soon be forgotten where it doesn’t really belong, and the latter seems to be little more than the sinofication [sic!] of the programme. It reminds me of the old mantra, “Reading is important. Students must do more reading. Writing is important. Students must do more writing. Etc., etc… Everything is important. Students must do more every­thing.” The day is long enough, and our students have TOEFL, SATs, piano practice, and numerous other after-school activities to squeeze into their overfull days. Sometimes homework is necessary, but I’d rather not give it for the sake of giving it.

We’ve been back at school this week, but I’ve achieved nothing so far partly because things have yet to be sorted out properly and partly because I can’t be bothered. I haven’t been entirely idle as I read up about one of the works of English lit. that I’m going to be reading with the HL students this year. I’m reading up about it because I don’t have a copy of the book, and both copies which were in the library are out. In a normal country I could’ve got it from a bookshop, but this isn’t a normal country, and the book isn’t available on Kindle.

On the proper sorting out of things, we know what classes we’re teaching, but don’t have class lists. My InterBac class is going to cause complications because Mr Foucault’s old class has been mingled with Her Ladyship’s. The complication is that he didn’t have time to deal with one of the pieces of English lit., which now falls to me to deal with. Fortunately, there was a copy in the library.

Ms Giggles has landed at the desk in front of me, and is already fussing about keeping the doors shut to keep the cool air in. I fuss the same way, but without the same level of agitation about it.

We still haven’t had the results, which is a rather peculiar state of affairs since by now I’ve normally been sent them in past years. I don’t know why they’re being treated like a state secret, since the official website announced they were out two weeks ago.

I have been trying to do something about the composition of the HL and SL classes to try and clear some of the dross out of the former, if I can. I think, in truth, that nothing will change, and that we’ll be saddled with some right lemons in the HL classes. The content of the course may be largely the same, but the examinations aren’t, and the phrase “sorting out the men from the boys” is relevant.

And so here we go again.

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