Welcome 2008? Well, maybe next week!

Stuffed full of turkey? Christmas pud gone to the hips? Smelly cheese upsetting the milk in the fridge? I'm sure that's not the worst of it.

The bins are stuffed full and overflowing. They haven't been emptied for over two weeks. Christmas paper, old advent calenders, broken down cardboard boxes, empty Roses tins, torn stockings (that's Christmas stockings) - I'm not going to moan.

The worst thing for me is the fact that the turn of the New Year brings ever closer the submission date for the latest modules of my Masters degree. I'm sick of reading stuff about behaviour management systems in schools. And when I'm not sick, I'm tired. I am despirate to get the work finished and move on to the next phase. But... I've lost the impetus.

My new year resolution is going to be one of encouragement - I will encourage and encourage and encourage. People will get their work done well before submission date for fear that I will come along and encourage them. Folks will be running for the exits when they see my beaming, smiling face coming towards them with encouraging, heartening words upon my lips. Damn right they'll get their disertation written up. Where am I when I need me?!!

Head down; keep going; sparks flying from the keyboard. And maybe next week I will be in the right frame of mind to say, "Welcome 2008 - Happy New Year everyone!"

Happy New Year, everyone!

Wiki Wheeler

I have gained a nick-name at last! Never having a nick-name at school and even being referred to as 'Chut's' sister (it's hard living under the shadow of a younger brother!), it is comforting to finally feel like I belong to a social group where the others are accepting enough of me to have allocated me another name.

By the way, my brother gained the nick-name 'Chut' from his friends in school because his initials are PK and at the time he used to chew PK chewing gum. Still none the wiser? In the North East chewing gum is called chut. Aah, got it!

That was not the last time I was stripped of my identity. When I married my husband, he was already established as quite a character within our local area. I was new to the area and there was a certain mystery about me in that respect. It didn't last! He was established as a very good musician, an academic and he still travels the world to conferences where other delegated say, "I've read your book" or "I enjoyed reading your paper on 'whatever'." I had no chance of being the bigger personality or establishing a secure identity outside of his. His lager than life personality engulfed mine and I became my husband's wife.

Shortly after, I gave birth to our eldest daughter. Within a few years her personality and identity became established and I found that she was far prettier than me, quick witted and funny. I fast became my daughter's mother! I really didn't mind!

My nick-name came about quite independently of me. As part of my role in setting up the Annual Teaching Assistant Conference, I put together a wiki space www.tacommunity.co.uk/wiki. It has been used to promote the Conference and is/will be used to post the voice of the support worker. Delegates of the conference have been asked to contribute their thoughts, ideas, questions and their 'voice' to ensure the voice of the support worker in teaching is not disregarded. Of course, I needed to promote the space and encouraged, cajoled, begged and dragged delegated to contribute their comments.

The day was a huge success, but by lunch-time I had the feeling I was being talked about! Our Programme Director approached me, giggling. I could see the others snickering in the background! "We've decided to call you 'Wiki Wheeler'."

'Wiki Wheeler'. I played around with it for a while. It certainly had a ring to it. I felt like I belonged to a group, a social network. 30 years after being referred to as my younger brother's sister, 20 years after being referred to as my husband's wife, 10 years after being referred to as my daughter's mother, I'm 'Wiki Wheeler'. I chase you through the conference hallways with pens and post-it notes, insisting you make yourself heard. "Find your voice! Have your say! Post your comments on the wiki!" I'm 'Wiki Wheeler' and I'm quite proud of it!