A couple of my lovely year 10 girls surprised me with a beautiful Christmas gift today. The best part of the gift was not the HUGE box of chocolates [YUM!!], it was not the lovely engraved pen [WOW, it is really gorgeous], the best bit was the card where they said thank you, and said I was a role model for them. That's why we teach folks. To make the lives of kids better. To make OUR lives better. I know some days can be real downers, and then something like this happens. Funny thing is, these two kids always seem to pick the day I need it most to do something nice for me. Makes you believe that angels are everywhere, giving us all a hand or a nudge when we need it most. Thanks girls, you make me want to be someone you can look up to, someone my own daughter can look up to.

Well, once again my students have made me proud. I asked the school to get involved with the Christmas Shoebox Appeal this year, and in 5 days we filled 25 boxes and raised over $200 for freight. Everyone pitched in, generosity surprising us at every turn. Teachers and students alike gave what they could, and with almost no notice, i think we did a fabulous job. My team of girls and I were walking on sunshine after packing the last box on Friday afternoon, tying a bit of tinsel around and labelling our small gifts of love to a child we will never see. "Share the love" was our catchphrase for the week. And it is so true.

The Shoebox Appeal started many years ago in Romania, after the revolution and those pictures of orphans flashed around the world. I was an aide worker for a short time back then in Romania and know for a fact what a difference that small gift can make to a child who has less than nothing. I know how precious the gift of their own toothbrush or underwear can be. I know how they treasure a card written in a language they can't understand from another child they will never meet.

I know the Romania is no longer in the dire straits it was, but now other countries are opening their arms for help. How can we refuse, when they ask so little? I know all the pseudo-liberal idealogies against such types of charitable gift giving. Indeed even our own illustrious (?) pollies mostly believe that the poor of the world have only themselves to blame. But for heaven's sake, for the children's sake, for my own sake, I hope I will always want to give that something extra. I hope I can always feel the joy that it brings me to share my bounty. I hope that my children will know and understand the power of love for all children. And I hope that you too can "share the love".

Wow, massive thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes for the musical. It's wonderful how many people are full of good will.

The show went well both nights, despite me doing a lot of improvising in the lead role - bestowed upon me at the last minute by the illness of one of the girls.

The final night was standing room only, and everyone had lots of fun. I was so impressed to see the way the kids grew together and supported each other throughout this process. It is because of their dedication that we could turn a disaster completely around, rewrite in a week and have a successful show.

Two weeks ago, we were all swearing that we would never do another school musical ever again. "That's it! I've had it with these kids! Never again!" etc. Of course, now I'm quite looking forward to the next time, and the kids have all signed up for the drama eisteddfod in October - we all need something to do with our lunch hours I guess!

Well, what a comedy of errors, insanity, frustration and fun! It has taken half the year, but the musical is finally going on tomorrow night! From a cast of over 40, I have 18 left. The musicians are also the actors, the script was completely rewritten by me and one of my Year 12 boys, and it has virtually no resemblance to the show we started with in Feb.

However, we have retained most of the costumes, some of the songs and a lot of the good vibrations. The kids that are left helped to build the plot as it is now through some hasty workshops, and they picked the music we kept, so I think we will all enjoy the show - even if it's not the most brilliant thing any of us have done! *Touch Wood*

End of Term, final assessments, drama performances all day long. A lot of pleasant surprises! It makes the months of torture almost worthwhile when they do something fabulous and gget great marks. My seniors made me cry with their piece on peer pressure, the juniors made me laugh with their surprisingly tight sitcoms and the musical crew are so nice to hang out with. Some days are really good.

I am preparing a submission portfolio to gain my "ICT Pedagogical Licence". Sounds fancy doesn't it? The reality is that I have an incredible tight, almost rigid neck, shoulder, right arm, and my right (mouse) hand is shaped like a claw. I'm resigned to getting arthritis in my hands one day - as my mother and her mother. So I'm sitting here wringing my claw wondering if this is the beginning of the end!

The hardest part of this portfolio is trying to refine my personal philosophy of teaching and learning into pseudo-academic jargon that will get a tick next to all the criteria. I've left behind fancy talk years ago. I like to say things fairly clearly and plainly - avoid misunderstanding and also avoid over-inflating yourself.

Anyhoo.... it's all about applying ICTs productively and appropriately in the class room, and as I'm a drama teacher, we don't exactly have a bank of computers in the classroom. We only just got our lights up! A pity that stage lighting and sound is not really considered "technology" for this course. I think that stage technology is a communication technology - we are communicating information to an audience afterall!

Well, the best day this week. Apart from it being a Friday, YAY, with a long weekend ahead of me, my new lighting bars and cans were finally installed today! The kids are so excited! me too!!!!!

A fabulous budget upgrade from my fabulous principal allowed us to replace old broken sets and equipment to make a shiny new drama room, just in time for the kids Didactic Theatre Performances next week. New stage rostra, 2 new lighting bars, 20 lights, 6 double freestanding stage flats - all smelling of fresh paint and newness. I can't wait to use them.