Friday 18 December
This day seemed so far off. The end of term. It is a common line in emails and circulars from Essex County Council officials and the DfE that we have never known a term like it. It’s true.
The summer term was weird and scary. This summer holidays (August) seemed to be pretty managable. But the past three or so months have been an ordeal. I really don’t need anytime to reflect on it. What’s worse is knowing that the spring term, with all of the optimism it usually brings, is likely to be just as tough. But. But, I am (we are) going to try and forget about it all as best we can for a few days at least.
There were a number of work matters that needed sorting today. The kids went to a half day in college and Lisa and I were due to meet them to do some Christmas shopping in town. We decided to come home. It was uncomfortable, and just didn’t seem right. Instead, I got the laptop out and ordered everything online. This pandemic has rung the death toll for the high street shopping experience.
Tomorrow we will take in another walk and head to a local produce market in the morning. Then, it’s off to see Colchester United v Morecambe in the afternoon. Possibly the final game we will see live for a while because I cannot see us getting much into the new year before a further lockdown is initiated or we move into Tier 3. Southern Essex is already there and the news today was that the whole of the East of England is seeing alarmingly high rates of infection.
So, joy that the term has finished and we have kept the virus under control in our school. But it has come at a price. All of the staff involved in keeping a school open and operating are exhausted and bruised by poorly timed government directives and ‘guidance’. We all return on 4th January to chaos around mass rapid testing that was only declared yesterday, less than twenty-four hours before the end of term. Meanwhile, my work phone remains on to log any cases of symptoms developing in our pupils or staff over the next six days.
The Bald Birder 