Chrimbo woo hoo

Well am into the break now, the turkey is all gone, all teaching standards have been signed off and thoughts turn to the assignment due in 10 days or so.
Now this assignment is a bit of a strange one in that I don't have to pass it as it has no refection on my qualification. The University states that I only have "to engage with the module". In real terms this means I can write 4000 words of crap, wasting my time, the time of people in School who assisted me with it, the markers time and possibly an external markers time. Surely common sense would have made the module optional then the really keen students could have taken it and I could have put my feet up, safe in the knowledge that participation had been avoided. Still, you have to admire them, preparing us to jump through needless hoops can only be of benefit in our careers as teachers.
My first week back is spent at University, as you would expect a busy week no doubt filled with sessions on looking at my first teaching practice and equipping me with a range of strategies to take into my second . Er, no a total of 6 hours of generic lectures (3 1/2 spent on finding my first job) and one 15 minute session to review the last placement. Needless to say the 15 minute review takes place on a day I'm not in Uni, timed to finish in rush hour so do I spend £6 to get there and an hour to get home for a 15 minute chat that you know will be useless and just a ticky box session for somebody somewhere.
Having moaned about of of that my second placement is in what is termed a 'challenging' secondary school and I can't wait. No really, I'm looking forward to starting, if I can teach their I can teach anywhere me thinks.
Well I'll bid you all a happy new year, raise a glass to drinking irresponsibly if thats your thing and to 2009...bring it on!