‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’
Sunday: The seventeenth COVID blog.
This week sees the beginning of the school summer holidays: As I reflect on this time last year, it seems incredulous that so very much has happened.
Last year was such a wonderful and exciting time, my youngest Daughter was about to get married the weather was glorious and I was about to travel solo to distant climes and enter the world of blogging. The world had not yet been plagued with COVID 19.
The end of this academic year has been the most bizarre we have ever faced and it is difficult not to remember that in between, there have been times of joy.
This week I received an email that informed me I was one of a team of people, who was the recipient of a gift waiting in our school reception.
A parent of one of our students had immortalised us in knitting! Every one of her Son’s teachers, complete with lanyards bearing our initials, our school ID.
It is strange that despite the fact I do not teach Spanish, I am dressed as a Flamenco Dancer this being something I actually wore last year on my Daughter’s Hen Weekend, as the theme was travel and we were asked to represent a country for one of our evenings.
This gift is something I will treasure, memories of a unique student who looks at the world through different eyes and whom I had the privilege to watch and change and grow.
I also think there is an uncanny likeness and I know it will always, make me smile.
The end of our school year ended in a training session for the new academic year in September. Essential plans to prepare for the eventuality of a local lockdown or national lockdown. A variation of ‘Virtual Teaching.’
We sat in social distanced rows with personal laptops and various technological devices whilst being shown how to engage and teach virtually.
When I looked around, a chilling memory of my own schooldays haunted me and ironically that of my English Class and our reading of ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ George Orwell’s dystopian novel of a controlling state and students taught through TV screens. It all felt too close for comfort.
Thankfully it ended in a socially distanced BBQ on our school field and became a little reminiscent of past times. Except for the goodbyes, not being able to hug the people I care about felt sad and thoughtless.
There will not be the adventure I planned this year. I have booked myself a little trip, it will be a different adventure but one I am looking forward to.
The prospect of ignoring my computer screen for a while is currently making my soul sing.
I am looking forward to spending time with my family and catching up albeit socially distanced, with friends. I have DIY projects in mind and I desperately need to resume my running which has very much wained over the last few weeks.
I also cannot wait, to sit in solitude (which I am hoping to do each evening on my little holiday) and read. I have a pile of books which have been beckoning me for some time and now, I have the time to finally wrap and immerse myself in their magical pages.
As long as ‘Big Brother’ isn’t watching!
Stay Safe,
Joy xxx