Away Again?

Not long after returning from walking the Pembrokeshire coast and we are off again, this time to Northern Ireland. Nigel had booked travel and hotels.

'Um why are we going away again so soon?'

In fact, Northern Ireland is a trip I've been lobbying for for years. Although in our youth this land was all over our TV screens, torn by violence and civil war, this is a moment of comparative peace, an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful landscape, wildlife and history. 

It turned out Nigel had made the arrangements while I was in grief over the death of my mother as a gift to me.

But why now?

The trip will coincide with our 40th wedding anniversary - a chance to celebrate.

So although I feel a bit sheepish about going way on holiday again, I think I'll just say 'Thank you very much, Nigel.'

Half Term Gift

When I started teaching, I used to hit the end of each half term like a below-par marathon runner, stretching out cramping finger tips to get across the finish line. 

This Autumn, after ten years in teaching I approached the break with my work (mostly) in hand and the feeling I could have gone on for another two or three weeks.  

Time will tell whether I succumb to the well-known teacher phenomenon of being felled by a holiday cold, even though I have resisted armies of virus being exhaled by dozens of students all term. But so far, so good. 

It just shows me how far I've come. One of the pleasures in teaching is that it is a skill which continues to grow over time as there are so many aspects, especially communication and really listening so one can identify exactly at what point a student misunderstood something. 

Having said that, I'm part time, so I have a lighter workload than many. However, I run myself as a peripatetic Latin teaching business and I work for five different schools/education providers, which brings its own burden of admin and communication. 

It's taken me a long time to feel on top of things, and it probably won't last, but I'm certainly going to bask in the moment and enjoy this half term.