Last year I pledged to do yoga every school year. I’m not beating myself up for not achieving 190 yoga sessions but I did manage it relatively frequently. Having just finished Couch to 5km I know running during the school week doesn’t fit into my schedule. I also know that on a typical school day I walk miles in addition to my pre-breakfast dog walk. I do think it’s important though to be fit to do my role therefore this year my #exercise pledge is 2 runs a week. For the past 9 weeks I’ve managed 3 runs a week so dropping to 2 means balancing my commute and long school days with exercise.
Having spent the past 3 years helping to set up a brand new school I am looking forward to year 4. The staffing structure is almost what you would expect in a fully formed school. Most roles will be in place so rather than being so operational it is now time to #learn to find a balance for strategic planning in addition to making sure that layers of leadership support everyone in school. As a new school grows rapidly every year it requires flexibility from those who join/ remain in the team. Every year brings change in schools and this year brings more change than ever before. For me I need to #learn to trust my instincts and to listen to others as much as I can.
One of the things I have written every year has been about needing to find time to be fully present for my family when I am home. Setting up a new school in the first few years has meant long hours when I haven't been physically or emotionally around as much as I think I should have been. Lockdown was a blessing as working from home meant being able to stop and have lunch together. Yes the weeks of late evening government guidance have eaten into family time but on balance time together became the norm. So I need to put work away and be fully present at home to #connect and #notice how my GCSE teen is doing. I predict another roller coaster year when I will need to notice my own emotions to deal with exam decisions/ local lockdowns as they arise.
I have always tried to give back to different organisations such as WomenEd, WLiE coaching and community sport but this year I have had to reduce the time I gave to #volunteer purely because I found that dealing with my first headship in a pandemic meant having a singular focus on doing whatever was needed to make things work at school. This academic year I am supporting some people through new leadership moves and projects. There are ways of being a #volunteer but sometimes doing less better can be useful. #volunteer when I can make a difference is for me this year.
So another pledge, let's see what the year brings. My gran gave me the glass swan above and when I look at it I always remember that it is made of sand heated to really high temperatures to become liquid. When temperatures rise at school this year, due to covid or metaphorically speaking there will be an opportunity to craft something beautiful. It is the next normal and #teacher5aday will guide me through.
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