Jude Smith

They have been slating my town again.. this time I am moved to action. Not quite protests in the street but a new blogsite called iloveluton.blogspot.com. You can view it and if you want to join then send me an email (most of you have my email address)... Its time to start talking LUTON up!!! C'mon

Not as profound as the title suggests. I went to find something on my church's website using my school laptop (was looking for a photo to use in a lesson). To my amusement the URL safety thing kicked in telling me that I couldn't access the site because it may obtain large amounts of offensive words/ material. Have they been publishing verbatim minutes of the PCC?

My email server has been down all day. And much as I woudl like to pretend that thats OK, its not. I cant work without it. I use it to keep three jobs all up in the air at the same time. And another thing.. why does my computer (PC, pah) keep overwriting thinsg when I go back to sort out the typos.. is very annoying! You see this is what happens when you take away my email, I start ranting on my blog.. I'll stop now..

Recently I've become aware that nearly everyone I know is a tad addicted to The West Wing. As I watched many many episodes over the weekend I wondered why. This is what I came up with (I'm only in series 1 so forgive me if I'm way off): Nearly all the people I know are idealists at one level or another. I think the notion that someone could become US president who is as likeable and human as Bartlet appeals to our idealism. I think the same thing gives us hope that actually we too could become US president (though clearly we are not eligible!). And I think we would all love to work in a place where there is a team of people who are that committed to the same goal, who look out for each other and have a sense of community I'm sure very few people have in work. Maybe we would all like to have a dedicated team who work with us to achieve a better world.. That said- these people only seem to exist in work. is it really something to aspire to... Hmm.. maybe

Well we made it through. School passed Ofsted, and generally everything went well. This week is interesting though. Everyone is a bit tired. Its really windy (anyone know actually why that sends kids a little wild?). The systems that were holding on skin of their teeth styley last wek have gone th way of all flesh.. This could be a tough one. and there are still five weeks to half term... will we make it.. Yes, of course we will.

... this time its personal! Well what to say, was seen for a lesson and a bit today. Went ok. Have realised that actually I am a perfectionist and therefore am not that happy. My questions is this (strictly speaking are these:) Did my students become less on the ball than usual just for the inspector? (maybe the stuff we have clearly put in the water to help them behave is addling their brains)... Did they deliberately not read my writing on the board, laugh at my jokes, or listen to my instructions, or have I always been illegible, unfunny and irrelevant? Did I completely lose my ability to explain things just for the inspector, or did I never have it and only just noticed? Despite all my rantings it was nearly a good lesson... the inspector was very lovely and lets face it life will go on.. just next time it will go on with my students understanding.. or else!!

have just put some stuff up for the MF prayer site www.marshfarmprayer.blogspot.com Am a little way from Ofsted inspection.. watch this space after lunch!!!

A couple of murmurs (well actually a fully fledged rant!) about the Batman on Buck House thing. First up congrats to the Sun on their headline.. great pun!! (The Times version of same idea.. not funny..) Go to http://news.bbc.co.uk for the full thing! The whole fuss about 'what if it were a terrorist' to me is just bilge. On a slightly facetious note: how many terrorists dress up as camp heroes? On a similar vein but more serious: has no-one noticed that Al-Qaeeda do not appear to have bought into our celebrity obsessed culture. Please do correct me cos I'm not totally certain but I do not believe that they have ever been involved in the deliberate murder of a famous person over and above anyone else. Al-Qaeeda, whilst I do not back their actions in any way, seem to have a far more healthy view of life than any of us. Anyone could be a victim, and whilst that is harsh it doesn't buy into our western world view that one life is more important than another. I

The site agents (or powers that be somewhere) have coned off specific places for the inspectors to park. Can't work out if this is to impress the inspectors or so the kids know which cars to vandalise if it all goes wrong!!

Thought I would whimsically comment on the ongoing ofstedding of my school. Observation 1: all teaching staff look smarter than usual. Haven't worked out if its to look together for the inspector, to look strict for the kids, or to convince ourselves that we are professionals and it will all be OK. Maybe its to look thinner, then the inspectors will think us very together in all areas of life and so most likely to teach well. Maybe we think we can woo and flirt our way to ofsted success (though having seen the nspectors that is a real sacrifice). Maybe because we all woke up early for fear of oversleeping and so had time to carefully colour co-ordinate and iron.. Maybe we feel that we need an occasion to justify haute couture? Whatever the reasoning we all looked lovely, as did school, as did the prefects when they collected the inspectors.. pretty good start by all!

This week has seen a few slightly odd things happen. Nothing to obscure but just vaguely amusing: 1 A Hindu friend of mine sent me an email that was more about Jesus than most I send. 2 I walked past my head of departments room to see him in a toga* 3 I saw a seventy year old lady riding a ride on lawn mower. *I would like to point out that a) he had other clothes on and b) it was in the context of teaching about Greek medicine (Ancient Greek as opposed to Nandrolone!)

Hmm.. I am realising that I am very privileged. Lets put aside the economic bit here.. lets take it as read that I am proper proper blessed to have all the stuff that I have, but I want to blog about people. I started a year long training programme with the interns from a couple of local churches today. We drank a LOT of tea, and heard a wealth of stories. As each person shared their journey I felt like I was being given another piece of fine china to look after, each piece beautifully and uniquely decorated. For a moment (follow the metaphor if you will), I was tempted to get out the plate hooks and prepare a piece of wall.. but I realise now that as unique and precious as this china may be, its made to be eaten off. Its made to have gravy liberally poured on it, to be scraped by knife and fork, to be washed again and made ready for re-use. These young people are not in the programme to be stared at and closely guarded. Their role is essential to God's great feast..

But the body is weak.. Most of you who know me will know that I have been getting more and more poorly recently. I’m now at the point where my ears and throat are painful all the time and I have not quite enough energy to get through the average day (and certainly not enough to do all the things I would like to do!) Before I fall into a huge amount of self pity, its gotten me to thinking: I wonder how often God feels this way. I know he probably doesn’t get ear ache but I wonder how often the spirit is willing but the weakness of the body stops things happening. I wonder if God gets frustrated that all the spirit inspired ideas and plans and dreams stumble when the body (the church) is ill and weak? And I wonder what he does with that- do the dreams just die or do they passed on to someone or something that can do it? I wonder?