Tuesday 16^th June, 2020 1820

I have lived through the Covid thingy since late January with very few anger management issues with some of the restrictions. I have ploughed through mountains of assignments at home whilst unable to teach in the classroom and believe me it has left me burnt out. My tank is running on emergency.

So imagine how I felt to be going back to school for a week before exams started. Now, I always ask the question “when should I finish my exams” every term. Any sane person would interpret that in any language to mean “when do I finish for the term” wouldn't they? For nine years in China that has been the case anyway.

I was told Weeks 15 and 16. This is week 16 and I shall complete all exams except one of the bi-weekly classes simply because I won't have seen both halves of their class until next week. Planning everything to the minutest detail took me a morning three weeks ago and I duly sent an email to all concerned outlining my intentions. Not a peep from anywhere so all was well?

Fast forward to this morning when I awoke to an email from the Dean's assistant Sue (the one who told me to do my exams by this week!) saying I will be finished testing the freshmen this week but don't forget there are two more weeks left so I need to teach until 4^th July! And sorry if she never made herself clear.

To say I am absolutely fuming is an understatement. What in God's name was the point of me signalling my intentions and not getting any objections or hold on a minutes?

I replied to that effect and said that if the school required it then I would comply, however I have set the sophomores a written exam which I would never have done had I known because it will take me two weeks to mark the papers. If they want me to teach then I shall (actually, stuff it, I will just show films) but they will have a long wait for the results sheets for the sophomores, even if I do overtime and finish them before, they will not be given them until the 18^th July.

Mistakes and misunderstandings I can handle but three weeks after clearly stating my course of action, I get hit with this? Sheer incompetence and if they think that if I do end up seeing students I said goodbye to once again next week that I will in any way let the kids think it's my fault they are very much mistaken. The pupils will know exactly what happened. Jesus it makes me angry when you ask, comply and then it's oh sorry I meant something else. If they didn't want me to finish until 4^th July I would have started my exams next week! And the written classes would have had oral exams.

I am awaiting a reply to my email. And they will wait for those results.

On a lighter note, I have said many times here about the stick I get for having a stupidphone. Jody came home last night, discovered she had left her charger at school and panicked because she was down to 1% power. It's an iPhone and I have no charger for it. Can I borrow your phone for my alarm at 0630? You mean my dumbphone? Yes. You mean the one I charge every two weeks instead of every day that I just charged up today and will still have power at the end of this month? Yes, somewhat sheepishly.

In the end I gave her Roland's as yet simless Samsung to use, which despite having been despatched from Shanghai fully charged and been turned on for five minutes only, was by that time down to 69% battery charge.

Who's the smart one and who's the dumb one?