Thursday 17 December
I have just realise that, in just a few days, I will be writing with just ninety days before I end the blog. That means we are about three months away from spring again. And a year of living with this virus in our lives will have passed.
Today we closed the doors to the school for the holidays and I remember the prime minister’s speach back in March. The one where he talked of the gates closing on our schools to start the first nationwide lockdown. We sensed then, of course, that it was a serious matter but if truth be told I wasn’t expecting it to have been this hard.
But even thought the gates have closed there is still lots to do. We still have responsibility to log and report any cases of Covid19 over the weekend and up to the 23rd. We are also awaiting further guidance on our responsibility, when we return in the new year, for rapid testing of pupils on a massive scale. Meanwhile teachers and staff are still expected to keep themselves at the frontline. Too dramatic? The cases are rising amongst 11 to 18 year olds faster than in any other groups.
It has been tough managing so many people’s anxieties and expectations this past nine months, and since September in particular. The constant stream of info shots and bulletins that come from the government is impossible to keep on top of. Regurgitating all of that daily and sharing it with staff, pupils and households has been a challenge. Even one of my refereeing games has cancelled this Sunday because parents are worried about infection.
But….but….now I stop. Slow down. Take a deep breath. I am definitely going to restart my meditation this holiday and probably some running with Adora too. Walking, I so love walking, with Mabel and the family, doing routes we know well and others untried before.
The Bald Birder 