This week my Word of the Week is:
We have had a normal week, it has been the first ordinary one after the Easter holidays as Ellie had a teachers training day last week and as much as I like a short school week I felt off with the days. I said on my meal plan post that this is the last normal week for a few weeks with all of the bank holidays. We have one this coming Monday, then the kings coronation and another one and I was planning on getting back to normal after that but then I realised the GCSE's start on what would have been a normal week. It is going to be a far from normal for us from now on.
Just writing this I have realised this last week was our last week of our usual normal. It sounds a bit dramatic but everything changes from now. Ellie will never again have a full week of lessons at school. There's either a bank holiday or GCSE exams to do. There has been rumors that the year 11's will leave on the 26th of May, the last day of the half term and then just go into school for their exams. How is it possible that my baby girl will have left school in less than a month and I will no longer be a parent to school children? Ellie is already making plans for her long summer holidays. She is planning on lie in's every day, going out with her friends and joining in with the fun that Becky and I have when she is usually at school. hehehe
It has been nice to have a normal week with no dramas or much to do, well apart from the usual jobs around the house. In fact I have found time this past week to do something I want to do. I signed up to Duolingo, the language learning app. I always thought you had to pay for it until I saw it on Ellie's phone (she's learning German). I am on with learning French and I've learned more in a few days off the app than I ever did in school. I finally understand un and une. The masculine and the feminine words and I am pretty confident that I could string a few sentences together and have a bit of a conversation.
I had a text from one of the learning mentors at school during the week asking if was OK if Ellie and her friend went for an extra visit to college next week. The school are amazing and are trying to do everything they can to make the transition to college easy for those with special needs. Ellie is classed as having a special need because of being deaf in one ear. Most of the previous college visits have been on an evening or when the college is closed to students so it is good that the kids are seeing what a normal day is like at college, when it is busy.
How has your week been? I hope you've had a good one.
I'm so happy for your daughter and her plans for the Summer holidays. I hope the exams go well and she gives them her best shot. This has reminded me so much of my teaching days and chasing students to try to improve their coursework before the exams begin! Have a great week ahead. Oh, I didn't know about Duolingo. I should check it out to improve my Spanish.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with French. It's crazy with gendered languages. Romanian is the same, a snake is masculine while a table is feminine for some reason, and there is neutral too, like chair. :)) It was easier to get the grip with FR because of this, as there are some similarities, but really complicated.
ReplyDeleteThere are some big changes, sending hugs. xx
It takes a while to get used to the new normal once kids finish school life. I’m still getting used to it! All the best to Ellie as she prepares for her exams. The college she is going to sounds very caring and welcoming.
ReplyDeleteWow; that is exciting to think that this is the last week that normal will really apply until you all settle into a new normal! We use/used Duolingo for my boys as part of their foreign language requirement and just listening to Evan with his French lesson has brought back so much of what I learned in high school!
ReplyDeleteA normal week sounds like a good week! I should use Duolingo to learn Spanish! Hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteOh my, I must be in the same boat and I didn't realise it. I didn't spend the last week as normal though. Good luck to Ellie for her exams and I hope you all have a wonderful summer this year. xx
ReplyDeleteI've signed up with a British Sign Language course as I wanted to do something a little different and we do have hearing students born to non hearing parents. I've not had a normal since I had the kids, no idea what a normal week looks like these days. We've got so many bank holidays, strike days etc and then work experience, it feels like only a week left of school.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe that Ellie will soon be leaving school! It only seems five minutes since she was teeny tiny on your blog posts! Hehe. I totally get the transition of Ellie leaving school will be quite emotional. I feel the same about Jayden turning a teenager in a few weeks, I feel like I'm getting left behind!
ReplyDeleteI just know Ellie will still have loads of time for her mum. You will just be doing more fun things like clothes shopping together and going for meals out. It just gets more expensive haha! Sending big hugs. xxx
It’s nice to have a normal week. I’m sure I’m going to be thrown by all the bank holidays over the coming weeks! End of an era for you though with Ellie having had her last normal week at school. Good luck to her with the GCSEs coming up. Duolingo is great – I’ve been using it for a long time. I’m glad you’re finding it helpful. Good luck with learning French. #WotW
ReplyDeleteMy son leaves school for good in July as he's in the last year of Sixth Form.. a very scary thought! We have to make the most of our normal whilst we have it. Karen - Early Rising Mum
ReplyDeleteHave fun with Duolingo! I did French at school but have forgotten most of it. Duolingo helped me prepare for our French exchange student's visit last year, it's really easy to follow :)
ReplyDelete#MMBC
I remember that long summer holiday. If I had known what I know now about work and life and would have enjoyed it even more lol. Well done with learning a new language. I might have to load that app on Little E's ipad. She can be my future translator! I hope the college tour went well. I never found college too busy as we all started at different times #WthW
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