It’s been very busy at school. I have farewelled my much loved year 9 students. They head off to the senior campus next year. I was immensely touched by the warm good-byes I received from the students and their families. They are amazing young people and the future looks bright for all of us if it’s in their hands.
Today we had the last school day for the year 7’s and 8’s and it was typically energetic. After last nights events with the year 9’s graduation mass and social, tonight I had a farewell dinner for two wonderful women who are retiring from teaching. If it had been anything less than such an important occasion I would have ‘wagged’.
So now I am feeling quite exhausted but immensely satisfied with my working year. I have another week of attending work to get through, yet without students, it tends to be less demanding.
Massage Reflections
Tonight I had my last massage for 2007. It was lovely. This morning in the staff room, many teachers were complaining of sore backs and shoulders from long hours hunched over the computer, writing reports. I went to the chiropractor last night. Two other teachers had been there before me. I feel great, even though I had a pretty busy and demanding day.
I was chatting to the masseur tonight about the many courses I have done in my life. I love learning new things and she does too. She was commenting on how people sometimes think you are crazy to be learning all the time or doing more courses. I have usually done some kind of study at most times of my life. Even when I am not formally attending a school, I have been focused on learning some new skill or practising something new.
Blogging would be in that category. I don’t know everything there is to know about blogging, but I know enough to do it to the level I want to, with ease. I expect to learn more over time, yet at a more gradual pace now. One of my friends commented to me last night, after checking out my blog that I must put a lot of time into it. I have in the past, yet I don’t really now. I would spend around half an hour on a post usually. Occasionally I spend a couple of hours when I want to rearrange or shuffle things about, or have something I really want to write properly about.
What’s the connection between massaging, blogging and learning? Well I realised today that I do all that learning to make the things I want to do quicker and easier. Short term pain, long term gain. I think you are crazy if you don’t try to make your life easier and more effective! Learning is the fastest route I know of.
Girlosophy: The Love Survival Kit by Anthea Paul
I read “The Love Survival Kit” over 2 nights. It’s brilliant. It covers everything I would want to say to my daughter and know for myself. I wish I’d read it when I was 16. I had to learn many of the contents the hands on or rather hearts on way, complete with messy and painful learning experiences. Not that I think a book could have changed it all, yet I feel there are great signposts given in this book. It is reassuring as “The Soul Survival Kit”, it builds self esteem. Even for older girls like myself.
I have loaned this book to a few young women, who have totally raved about it. I am really impressed with Anthea Paul. My son said the other day when I was raving about her to his friends, “Move over Al Gore, mum’s got a new hero!”
I have a couple of her other books ordered, so I ‘ll be sharing more in the future.