Invigilating's much harder than it looks

This week we’ve just been invigilating in the exams and honestly it’s so much harder than it looks.  I also believe that it’s harder here than it is in Scotland.  Here the kids talk all the time.  If you tell them to be quiet, the wobble their heads, say yes miss but continue to talk.  They’re not just talking, they’re cheating! And not skilfully either, blatantly cheating.  Just handing their papers to their friends across the class, while looking me right in the eye.  I don’t understand!! Is that allowed here?  They have kids from all the years in one room so that they’re not sitting next to people of the same year, but that doesn’t stop them helping the person next to them.  All the time.  Just giving them the answers.  They even walk across the class to cheat! I watch them do it and they seem to not hear me shouting at them to sit down.  It’s frustrating to say the least.  I’m constantly telling them to “be quiet” “don’t talk” “sit down” “why are you cheating?!” “I’ve already told you to be quiet” “I’m pretty sure this isn’t allowed” “please, just stop talking” “give him back his paper” “fine, just ignore everything I’ve said, I’m cool with that”

It’s also so boring.  Invigilating is one of the most boring things ever.  We just sit in the classroom and stare, trying to stop them from cheating.  I wrote so many letters and diary entries, I’ve read five books, (Where She Went, How to be a Woman, Wonder, The Communist Manifesto, and the Great Gastby) and Sarah and I played a huge game of squares.  529 squares to be won.  Because I’ve been so tired it takes all my energy not to fall asleep in the class, it’s awful.  I’m worried that at some point I will actually fall asleep and the kids will draw on me on something.  Yesterday one of the boys actually coloured in the writing on the back of his friend’s t shirt.  I have no idea why.  Another boy, who is 16, made an aeroplane out of his pen and a ruler and shouted “look miss, an aeroplane!  Whooooooosh” He’s 16 and was doing an important exam.  Why did he do that? Who knows.