To counter this, I've been thinking about the work/life balance issue. I think I've been dragged down by too much work, and now, this bank holiday weekend is probably the ideal breathing space to work out how to achieve more 'life'.
I aspire to be a fair, enthusiastic, energetic and creative teacher. I want to have the energy and will to try a variety of approaches. I can't do this if I'm worn down by the daily negativity and cynicism; and this expectation that I -not the students- should be the one doing all the work.
So...a balance is needed.
In the long-term I've filled the holidays with travel and adventure. May holiday - mostly full of travel and music; snuck (sneaked?) onto a festival guest list in the summer; summer holiday begins the moment school finishes in July, October's getting busy and the Christmas holiday is going to be an actual overseas holiday. I've decided that I need to stop viewing the holiday as just another opportunity to catch up on school work.
In order to avoid completely 'living for the holidays because that's when I do stuff', I've set myself a challenge.
I'm going to cook my way through Rachel Khoo's 'The Little Paris Kitchen' (a la Julie & Julia, but without the constant blogging. For me it's just a hobby that isn't school.)
This challenge began last weekend with Madeleines
It took a few attempts...
...but they were delicious
This weekend it was Chicken Dumpling Soup, which I wish we'd made today given the grim weather. I would definitely recommend this dish though - it's delicious.
So, while this blog won't just feature pictures of food, there probably will be the occasional update. I'll still mainly focus on education and writing progression
Still, I do feel that I'm getting a handle, just, on not overworking myself. And the pile of marking sitting on my desk is not terrifying. I'm not sitting here feeling guilty that I'm not doing it right now. I want to be a healthy teacher, and that involves doing other things outside of school.
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