if you're happy and you know it

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Being back at work following the summer hols is both lovely and horrid. The *horrid* is simply the fact that I'm back and have ten months of madness and chaos looming ahead of me. The *lovely* is knowing that - at least today - I've actually earnt the money that I'll be paid come the end of the month. The nature of my role is very much governed by how my young charges are feeling. Oftentimes it is mind-numbingly dull with a liberal coating of daydreams sprinkled on top. Sometimes I simply feel like a parrot, constantly repeating the same phrase over and over - and over, and over - and over again. I am generally the nagging mother, the bored policewoman, the Jack of all trades, the Mistress of note-taking, and the creepy clown who has a strong desire to inject some form of humour into the monotony of the long and arduous day. But today I was able to do more. One new student with crippling anxiety, autism and mental health issues makes Elizabeth a very happy girly. I got to play at being the mother hen, clucking around, facilitating between student and tutors, making introductions to like-minded students, soothing with calm words and a calm tone, directing to the Safe Space, accompanying to the bus. It was brilliant! I have missed this type of student. You can keep your drama queens, your badly behaved, your lazy and your wouldn't say BOO!!! to a gooses. This is the student I excel at working with, the one I can relate to ... It's been a while ... Of course, I do reserve the right to pop back later in the term and beg for the return of the drama queen, the badly behaved, the lazy and the quiet, but until then I shall simply - and quietly - enjoy this sense of accomplishment. Now I must finish my bath, guzzle my Parma Violet gin and head to the Land of Nod. I do love Nod. {image: my niece drew both my husband and I a picture and popped them in the post ... something lovely to come home to today}