I have now concluded, after many experiments, that the only way for me as a teacher to enjoy the school holidays is to get away. I'm not talking about jetting off to foreign places as soon as the final bell rings, although of course that is one option that I would love to take. A few days in a different environment is enough to recharge the batteries, however exhausting it turns out to be.
That way, I'm not tempted to sit at my computer surfing the net under the guise of research or work, discovering that there are a thousand different ways to teach one particular lesson, which ultimately makes me feel inadequate and not at all refreshed. And then of course I end up trying to buy some work related books online and get caught up in the online retailers' snares of special offers and free postage and packaging if I spend just a little bit more, and before I know it I'm checking out the top 100 paperbacks and wishing I had more time to read for pleasure... if only I didn't spend so long online...
Discussion boards for teachers are also quite compulsive, especially if I post a response,
because I then feel compelled to check the site every hour just to see if somebody's
responded to my post, and then I wander off onto threads that are completely irrelevant but
sometimes entertaining, mainly comparing how many reports have been written and who has the
worst deal when it comes to work that must be completed during the holidays.
Nope, get away from the computer and the teetering piles of unmarked books is my answer. This half term started out well for me. On Saturday I drove to stay with some relatives who are conveniently placed in a city which can easily be called a complete change of scenery. Okay, it is convenient in the change of scene way, but not in the long and arduous drive way. But the further away from home I got, the less I thought about school. In fact, it was Tuesday before I had my first school-related nightmare.
Being in a different place meant that time took on a different meaning too. The twilight time at the end of the school day became time for a late lunch. I no longer felt it necessary to get ready for bed just after the sun had set, because my routine was already changed. I still woke up early of course, but this was a bonus, because it meant more time to spend doing different things.
It's the delight in the small things that made a difference. Bimbling about in the car,
stopping wherever I fancied, not just doggedly driving from home to school and back again.
Going to see a film in the afternoon, in a cinema devoid of children because they were all
queuing to see the latest hyped-up Harry Potter film. Having time to become immersed in the
melodrama of the film, laughing off its "but why don't they just...?" moments, and raising
my eyebrows to the irony of leaving a film whose message seemed to be that we must act now
to stop global warming leading to the next ice age (The Day After Tomorrow, film
fans), only to wade through the supersized drink and popcorn containers scattered everywhere,
and jump straight back into my car, because it was the only way to leave the
cinema complex. Great message, shame everyone had to add to environmental damage in order to
go to see it! Okay, scoffing oversized popcorn isn't a vital part, I know...
I even visited a tourist attraction and enjoyed it, without getting the urge to count heads or tell a child to remove their fingers from one of the exhibits, although I must confess I did take photos that could be used in a unit of work we have coming up.
But then it's back home, noticing afresh that the housework needs doing, reports need writing,
and that there are only a couple of days left before the holiday is officially over. And of
course I haven't checked my email or the discussion boards so there goes an afternoon (hmmm,
or two) sat in front of the computer, urging myself to clear the desk space to make room for
the school work, but not being able to let go just yet...
added 4/6/04
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