It's my birthday. The first time I think I've been grounded on my birthday and can't go and be with friends or do anything. So I worked. Online as usual. Then made a cake. Yum. My lovely son and daughter had a nice dinner with me then I watched TV. Exciting. Not really. It made me think about birthdays though. The expectations we have of what they should or shouldn't be. My brother called me today, one of the few times he has remembered my birthday since we were kids. He was totally honest and said he only remembered because he knew the 4 weeks of lockdown finished on the 22nd so he knew the date today. Normally he doesn't need to know dates and so doesn't think about them. It is quite reasonable and I've never been worried about people remembering my birthday or not. It's another day, another year and only a few thousand days to go until retirement! I'm not good at remembering them for others either -apart from my nephew, a second cousin and 2 friends who share the same day as me! So why do we put so much emphasis on them? I think it's great when children are celebrating but I do think we put far too much worry into that next decade or 5 years as we get older. Each day goes by. It's another day. I was sort of glad my children couldn't buy me a present - saves money. They were here for dinner - that was the best present.
Anyway. That was Thursday.
Friday 24 Apr
I was working on an infographic today (I was trying out some skills learnt in my last MIE call) and thinking about strengths of different people. How our skills and abilities affect us and those around us. I did the VIA Character test last month as part of the Wellbeing course I am doing (Ah yes, need to type that up too - another day...) and thinking about how those things shape the way we work and relating to others. I had 11 online calls today and I just felt I was full on all day. Need to take some time to sit back and catch my breath. Been a very reflective day.
I was watching the news and seeing how people were thinking about takeaways next week. It's been good to not have any - apart from saving money, I think I have been quite healthy. I have managed to not put any weight on - after my great loss over Christmas, so I'm a happy person and can do without the takeaway culture. Well maybe one or two now and then - I do like hamburgers... oh and Kentucky Fried mashed potato and coleslaw (not so much the chicken!).
Watched the Repair Shop on TV tonight - I quite like it for some reason. Watching them restore items that mean a lot to others. Really nice and it can be quite emotional. I had a few moments of melancholy today - feeling a bit isolated and alone , even though I have my children, it's not the same. I crave total alone time which we don't get being in the house all day, but then want people time and conversations. A strange sensation. I'll make more of an effort over the weekend to reach out to others I think.
Saturday 25 Apr
Up at 6am this morning for ANZAC Day. My son and I stood at the end of the drive and he played The Last Post. Listening to the trumpet in the silence was quite eerie and very moving. More so than being in a big group I think. There was no one else out on the street, but I think a few probably heard us!!Finally finished my MIE blog and posted it, then caught up on this one. I have a small pile of papers next to my chair that I am working through - need a few things done over the weekend. School is very consuming and tiring at the moment.
Some good family time today - playing Blood Rage with my children. I keep forgetting how much I really love playing board games and cards. Wow - flashback just then - back to a friend of mine with whom I used to play cards all the time. We played 500, were partners for Bridge and spent many evenings and weekends playing cards. Sadly she died far too young and now and then I get flashbacks to our time together. Always with great fondness and always with some sadness that she is no longer here.
Sunday 26 Apr
Did some more fun looking at infographics today. I've learnt so much playing around in Powerpoint. My presentations are going to look quite cool from here on - well, not quite so boring anyway!
I had a pretty quiet day today. I read in the sun, finished another jigsaw and pottered in the garden for a while. I haven't been quite as productive as I thought I might be over lockdown. I found that being online so much is very tiring so it takes me a day or two to get myself into a place where I feel like doing lots. I ran out of books from the library to read (did pretty well to get this far) so am re-reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I have the series here so it should keep me going for a few weeks.
I had a conversation online with a colleague today and we were talking about how weird it is that we have gone back to writing on paper while on a call on Zoom. Because I am on a screen I am using paper to write my notes, whereas before I would be writing my notes on a computer while chatting with someone. It's strange. I have handwritten more notes while teaching than I have for a very long time.Had an email about the show I am currently meant to be rehearsing - West Side Story for Kirwee Players. I wonder how long it will be before we are able to do live theatre again? At what level of lockdown can we rehearse, but also then have audiences? Will people actually go to performances for a while or will they be too nervous to go out to large gatherings? So many questions and no idea what the answers are. It's an interesting thing to think about though.
I've just realised what it is about the supermarket that is so weird - apart from the social distancing. It's the lack of noise. No one is talking because we all went by ourselves. There is no chat in the aisles, you can hear the music. I'll take more notice this week and see if that's the main thing that's different. Wonder if there will be more people there this week? Maybe I'll shop tomorrow so I can avoid the crowds!!!
I'm pleased we have a 3 day weekend. It will give me a chance to do all the things tomorrow that I thought I'd do on Saturday and today. Nice to have some down time though, and time off a computer for most of the day.
Monday 27 Apr
ANZAC Day holiday. A day that I took to do very little. I walked, read, did some jigsaw puzzle, spent some time on blogs and emails and then decided I really didn't feel like doing much. A needed day of rest I think. I did have conversations with a few teachers I know around the country. It was good to reflect on what we are all doing and how we are doing it differently. What's working, what's not and how we feel about it.I think one thing that strikes me is that we don't share resources as much as we should. All the teachers in the country are flat out writing resources right now. Why? We could pool everything and just adapt for our own situation and ākonga. I have always been of the view that we should share everything and have battled getting others to share sometimes. I understand the reluctance. Some people feel that their resources aren't "good enough". Some want to sell them for financial reasons. Some are just not sure how to get them out there. Maybe it's something we need to think about in the future. More collaboration across kura, not just inside.
Me, personally, I believe in sharing everything I can. I like that my kura has a Creative Commons License on our work - I know for some, their kura owns all of their resources. I also know that some people don't know that! It's an interesting one, and always a question when a teacher leaves one place and goes to another - what can they legally take with them? I think this is a tricky one for some.
Tuesday 28 Apr
Down to Level 3!!!
Back to work. Having a Teacher Only Day has been really helpful. Time to get some resources sorted and lots of admin done. I had some good conversations with colleagues and also managed to get my walk in over lunchtime.
After school/work/whatever you call it - I went out to collect some groceries. The roads were a bit busier but the supermarket was very quiet - talking to the checkout operator she said it had been quiet all day - maybe everyone is counting on takeaways all week!! I might think about them in a week or two - really don't need them for now :)
Time to post this again - hope you are enjoying my days! It's nice to keep track of how they are going to be honest. Interesting for later down the track and even as a week goes by there is a difference of feelings and thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment