“Never put off til tomorrow, what you can do today.”
Thomas Jefferson
Hmmmm… thank you, Spidey, for another thought provoking quote.
You see, the thing is, there are so many things I’d love to do, but at the moment, I have no choice but to put off ’til goodness knows when, because of this cursed coronavirus.
Things that I think I’d like to do, then I realise I can’t actually do yet.
It got me thinking a little more…
Bucket lists.
Lots of people make them. But how many people actually action their dreams?
I haven’t really got one, as such, but I have dreams. Things I’d like to achieve, places I’d like to visit, things I’d like to learn.
As I sit inside, coccooned from the outside world, I have signed up to a few online courses to keep me sane. They’ll tick off a few of my hopes. I’ll get a certificate for writing. I’ll try and master calligraphy.
But what of the other things?
Before, they were thoughts, what-ifs and maybes.
Who envisioned that this craziness was around the corner? So many key days in peoples lives have been affected by the global pandemic. People’s weddings postponed, birthday gatherings cancelled, among other events.
But something I have learned already in this first week of lockdown, is that once we are able, we really shouldn’t put off things we really want to do.
If you really want to go somewhere, take the bull by the horns and book your trip (finances pending, of course!) Sign up for that course, learn a new sport.
Seriously, go, ride that dream to fruition!
So… tell me, what do you plan to do, once this is all over?
Have a peaceful Sunday, Peeps And enjoy your week! ❤
March 26, 2020, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story in which a character takes charge. Who is this character, and what situation calls for their action? It can be playful or serious, fantastical, or realistic. Go where the prompt leads!
In Charge Now
“I’m sorry,” she wheezed, as she slowly picked up her bags, after switching off her computer.
“You’re sick. Just go. Don’t worry, we are here. Now remember, you need to rest up for at least seven days, do you hear me?”
I watched the retreating figure of my Headteacher and grabbed a cloth and the. Disinfectant spray. After cleaning her desk, and chair, I sank down on it.
Oh, man, this meant I was in charge of a school, still open, in a pandemic.
Three members of staff, and a clutch of children would be relying on me now…
Ritu 2020
A story inspired by the situation we are living in right now…
It is a truly tough situation for everyone involved. A couple of days ago this Tweet went out… and there has been some interesting debates about it. Are we, as teachers, being FORCED to go into schools, with a higher chance of getting ill? How dare we be made to put our lives at risk?
I thought I’d respond in my own Ritu-style.
Yes, we are being asked to come into school to help with the care of key worker children. Key workers have been asked to try and arrange care at home, if they can, but the option is there for them to bring their child into school so they can go about the essential jobs, such as the medical profession, grocery and provision shop workers, delivery drivers, the emergency services, postal workers, pharmacists etc, all of whom have to keep going to try and keep this country running on a skeleton level at least.
Yes, it is childcare, rather than teaching – some may say glorified babysitting. But I’d rather do that and know that there are enough nurses and doctors out there to help with the huge influxes. I’d rather do that, than see people fighting for even less food because the delivery driver called in to say he or she couldn’t drive today because no one could look after their kids. I’d rather do my bit to allow these other key workers to do these things, so we still function, at some level, as normal (the new normal).
We have been told that the curriculum should not be being taught, at primary at least, as where is the fairness in a handful of children getting that education, when their peers are at home, not getting it? We have been asked to send home age appropriate learning, so the children can reinforce what they should already know and challenge them. We have been told to give parents ideas for other ways they can help their children still learn, while at home. The older ones are getting Google Classroom treatments, with regular lessons and activities posted online.
In school we are embracing the creative curriculum. Lots of arts, crafts, PE, music, reading, story time. (I’m still aching from joining in with t he kids. to. do the daily Joe Wicks work outs!)
No, we haven’t been forced into germ-ridden conditions, or at least, I know my school hasn’t ‘forced’ us to come in.
On the day of lockdown, it was requested that everyone come in on the Monday as no one knew exactly what would be happening. How many children would we be dealing with? Did we need to provide meals for those on the Free School Meal schemes?
During the course of that day, my head, and her Senior Leadership Team, who are doing amazing things in such a tough time, approached any members of staff with either old, vulnerable or young dependents. They were told they could go home and not come back until schools officially reopened. I could have been classed in this bracket but my kids are a little older, and more self-sufficient, and they have their dad at home as well.
The rest of us were put on a rota to be with the children that have been coming in.
No one is being forced to come in. Those of us who do, all want to do our bit to keep things going for all. My Head is in every day, regardless.
On Monday, I will be on duty with the kids who are coming in. This is probably the riskiest thing to be asked to do, as a teacher, as young children do not understand social distancing, as we have been told we need to maintain. How do you stop a four-year-old from wanting to hug you? How do you keep children two metres apart? The other days I have been in. I have been accessing and completing paperwork that I can’t do at home because of GDPR.
I am a mum too.
This is a tough decision for anyone to make.
The fear that you might just bring that virus back into your own home because you might be mixing with the child of a key worker who has been exposed to the virus.
My family know that when I come home, after a day at school at the moment, I will have been washing my hands constantly, and anti-baccing myself before coming into the house. I will shout a “Hello!” then head to the shower, wash and change into fresh clothes before seeing them.
I am a Key Worker, as a teacher, and as much as I can, I want to do what I can to help out, in this crisis, too.
Apologies in advance, but the rhyming bug has taken a new step, in the form of rewriting song lyrics…
Indulge me if you will… (I’ve tested it out on my 12 year old Lil Princess, and it raised a smile, rather than an “Oh my god, now embarrassing!” stare, so I hope it’s good!
We All Live In Self Isolation
We All Live In Self Isolation - (Yellow Submarine Covid edition...)
In the land where I was born
Came a virus, COVID-19
And it took us all by storm
Something none of us had ever seen
We all live in self isolation
Self isolation, self isolation
We all live in self isolation
Apart from the gits who keep on going out
Whoever a knew a little virus
Could cause such a mess
I go shopping, I have my list
But I always come back with less
We all live in self isolation
Self isolation, self isolation
We all live in self isolation
Apart from the gits who keep buying bog roll
Now they’ve told us to stay in
Keeping your distance from everyone
But you can pop out for a walk
A little bike ride or a run
We all live in self isolation
Self isolation, self isolation
We all live in self isolation
Apart from the gits who’re making their own rules
The quicker we just all take heed
To all the advice that is out there
The sooner we can open schools
And get your kids from out your hair
We all live in self isolation
Self isolation, self isolation
We all live in self isolation
Apart from the gits who thing they know it all
Ritu 2020
I hope you enjoy my moments of silliness. If. I bring a smile to you, my work is done!
Well, hello there everyone! It feels like it is a very different world I am living in, as I type this, compared to last week. Still filled with uncertainty and worry, but more… stark. That is the only way I can describe it.
From this week, I will still be sharing my Chai with you, but these will be my #CoronaDiaries. A view from the eyes of a teacher as well as what is happening in life.
But let’s start with a recap of last week!
On Monday, my colleague and I had a course to go to, so off we trotted, and the course was about changes in the curriculum, but each section was peppered with comments basically saying “If we’re still in school,” or “if we finish this year…”. It was hard to think about changes in next year, when this years education was so up in the air. We got confirmation from our colleagues that the class numbers were 20 and 17 respectively, in our two reception classes, out of a posible 30 in each. This was as a result of people self-isolating, if there were symptoms, as directed by the government. The next day a message was sent to confirm that if you as a parent were concerned, then it was up to you if you wanted to keep your children off. That meant a further drop in numbers. Tuesday mine was 19 the others 13. Wednesday was 12 and 8. Thursday was 7 and 5. Friday was 6 and 5… Whether these were scared parents, or self isolators, it remains to be seen, but if I was a parent, I’d have been trying to send them in, knowing that a closure for a LONG TIME was due…
We did our best, as a team, to keep upbeat. You know me. I’m always up for silliness. We amalgamated the two classes and really let them do fun stuff, alongside learning, then on Wednesday good old BoJo (don’t know why, I always seem to say Bozo, instead of BoJo, and have to correct myself!) announced blanket school closures as of the end of the school day, on Friday. Even more reason to keep the kids we had in, smiling. So on Thursday, some decided they wanted to go trick or treating. They dressed up from my home corner, and went knocking at the tables in the classroom, shouting “Trick or Treat!”. That wasn’t sufficient so the next stage was them asking us teachers to dress up , in costumes designed for kids… well, you have to indulge in these sillinesses, for the kids, don’t you?
I think I make a great Spidey carrying Goldilocks!
We have been using the Pirates theme to base our learning around and had things been normal, this Friday coming was to be our dress up as Pirates day. Well that was obviously not happening, so I talked to my team and we decided we would dress up to entertain the kids who turned up at least, on their last day. Kudos to the ladies who work in my class. They know the lengths I would go to and they heartily joined in. The other class, not so much, but at least the children were all going to be together, so they all benefitted from our silliness!
Meet my crew! That is me, Captain Stinky Jo, the Lady Buccaneer, on the left!
But what of these school closures? What was going to happen to us all? Despite the announcements made to the nation on Wednesday, the government still hadn’t cleared up a huge amount of niggly information needed for these closures to take place. He told the world that school was closed for everyone, except the children of keyworkers (detailing only three examples; front line NHS workers, delivery drivers and police), vulnerable children, and those with EHCP plans (children with complex educational needs, who have an agreed plan.) this brought up a quagmire of questions from parents and schools alike; Am I a key worker? If this is social distancing, why are teachers not allowed to stay at home? What are we going to do with our children? Who needs to be in school and who doesn’t? Well, there were no real clear answers until Friday morning, by which time, so many rumours and theories had been thrown around, that no one really knew what was real and what was suggested. To cut a long story short (ish) we are all still going to be in, in our school, as I write this (plans could change at any moment) and four teachers will be with the children who will be allowed to come in. They will be split into two age groups, and there is to be no official curriculum learning happening, more a childcare facility, with more arts, crafts, music, story, PE, creativity. How many children we have will change daily, depending on the shifts people work. It has been made clear that if you have the chance to keep your child at home, it is safer for them, rather than sending them to school, but we are here to support. We will be using the Joe Wicks live streaming PE at 9am every morning, to get the kids going, and I have even got a friend who will be doing three live Learn Bhangra sessions for an alternative physical activity too. May get the kids up and dancing.
As for the rest of the weekend, I was nervously excited because I had my radio interview, didn’t I? But no, it was postponed because the virus talk went on and on. The editor didn’t want to just squeeze me in, so we will be rescheduling. Disappointing, but it makes sense. I comfort ate cake instead!
Right, enough of that… So, the weekend was also Mother’s Day here. The kids hadn’t bought me cards, but Lil Princess painted me a picture, and Lil Man wrote me a card with some of his loose change taped to the back! 😂Then we popped over to see Mum in law to drop off some flowers for her, and came back home, after finally locating some beer for Hubby Dearest (this panic buying led to NO BEER! Tragedy!) We even squeezed a rather windy, brisk family walk to the prom, in the afternoon too! I had a lovely chat with my own mummy too.
I have to be honest. Yesterday was the first time I allowed everything that is happening to get to me. Maybe it was because it was Mother’s Day and I wasn’t able to see my mum. Maybe it was hearing that my best friend’s husband is unwell, suspected Covid-19 and he’s a paramedic. Maybe it’s because I’m scared because I am going to work tomorrow, while my family are safe at home… But I cried. A little. I am going to have to be so much more stringent with everything. We have told my in-laws, categorically, that we won’t be coming round now, unless an absolute emergency. There are two diabetics in that house, a heart patient, an asthma sufferer and one with a weak chest. We’d rather video call them, and see them healthy, rather than risk passing the virus on to them as we are more out than them, especially me. I will have to get in, shower and change my clothes before greeting my own family, with an el-bump, rather than a hug. I am going to miss hugs, from my babes at school, and my friends and family. I live for hugs. I want you all to start air hugging right now. Wrap your arm around yourself, and give yourself a huge squeeze. Imagine, me standing in front of you doing the same. That is my hug to you ALL!
My Hug to you ❤
My final words to you this week, as I prepare myself for what will be a scary, strange week, will be please stay safe, stay at home.
But I Smile Anyway... 