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It’s already time for a Round Up of another term. And it’s a hard one to sum up...
All over the show.
Wearing many hats.
Juggling too many things.
Great!
Tiiiiiring.
Energising.
Like Mrs Doubtfire trying to attend two dinners at the same time.
There’s a lot to unpack from the term but, in short, it’s been a hugely positive experience with lots of variety and learning along the way.
Here’s a fast-track through some of my term highlights:
Made it through my first term of part-time secondary school PE teaching in NZ, including all the assessments...woohoo! ⚽
Managed to establish relationships with some ‘tricky’ kids while relief teaching...yuuus!
Started up three after school clubs 💃🎵✍️
Got my two years of London teaching experience recognised in NZ (at last!!)
Wrote a handful of blogs, one of which had been on my to-do list since March 2021 (better late than never, right?)
Lucky enough to get a job running small group literacy acceleration classes in Term 4 - should be rewarding! 👼
And outside of teaching:
Learnt to operate a tyre processing machine (long story) and drive a truck, amongst other work for my parents
Unintentionally kick-started my house-hunting journey which is definitely going to distract me from working on teaching resources now...oops! 🏡
FINALLY got cleared to instruct Pump group fitness classes by myself so now I can be a reliever at the gym as well as school! 🏋️
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So...key thoughts and take-aways? I’m limiting myself to four due to the genuine risk of this reflection exploding into a full-on essay. Here goes:
Do what you love
My biggest highlight this term has been getting stuck into running Musical Theatre clubs which is something I’m truly passionate about. It’s a reminder to myself of how important it is to MAKE TIME to do the things you love because even though they take time and effort, they give you back so much more energy and enthusiasm which you carry through to everything else in your day.
Variety
Having such a variety of work this term has been great; no day has felt the same and for a few weeks, I got into the ‘flow state’ that we all dream about (at least I do) where you’re busy but feel like you’re winning across the board. So I would argue that ‘busy’ doesn’t mean bad; busy can be great.
The downside of juggling many things is the transient nature of that lifestyle. It can feel like you’re in and out too fast and not fully part of any team. I found that making a deliberate effort to connect with people and to be ‘present’ in each of the different settings has been a huge help in decreasing this feeling.
Enjoy the ride
As much as I keep thinking that the ‘perfect balance’ of work/life is some magical stage that I can get to in the future, I’ve had to stop and remind myself of the age old advice that life is about the journey not the destination. All things considered, although my messy bundle of activities this term hasn’t been perfect, it’s had a heck of a lot of ingredients that bring me joy. So it’s about time I allowed myself to enjoy the ride.
Teachers supporting teachers
The last thing that I really want to share in this term Round Up is the profound feeling of camaraderie and support I’ve seen and experienced from other teachers this term. From my perspective, teachers supporting other teachers is THE most important thing keeping us all afloat right now with all of the challenges facing us on the daily. Sharing a resource, watching over someone’s class for a minute, being a shoulder to cry on, acknowledging others’ effort and achievements, or even simply slipping someone a smile in passing. These are the things that make a huge difference. So thank you. Thank you for all the things, big or small, that you do to help out your fellow teachers. ❤️
If you have a minute in the next few days, take the time to reflect on the term. What are the things that filled your tank? What challenges came your way and how do you feel about your response to them? What’s something you’re grateful for and what’s a small way that you can show appreciation for someone who’s helped you through the term?
1 day left team. We’ve got this.
Catch you after the holidays,
Kath
Be purposeful teachers
Who are in control
Feel inspired
And know they've done enough.
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