Whoops, I never meant to go this long without writing but alas here we are…. 4 months away and I am back… I hope.
Tomorrow, 2019 will have come to an end and 2020 will be upon us. Another year done, with another lot of hurdles faced, solved, and cleared successfully. What a year it has been!!
Around this time of year, I usually look backwards at what has been before, and wondering what is going to come along in the upcoming year; asking so many questions and not yet finding many answers. With looking back, I’ve been reading my ‘Three Cheers for New Years’ blog (https://mywhatamidoing.blog/2018/12/29/three-cheers-for-new-years/) from last year (In my short hiatus, my blog turned 1 yippee…) and I wanted to look back, and see what has been achieved and what there is I am still working on.
I made 3 resolutions last year:
- Get home earlier.
- Start running again.
- Chill out and spend time with those closest.
Since writing last, I have moved year groups. I am no longer the Year 1 class teacher, I am now the Year 5 class teacher, and bloody hell what a shift that has been! It has been tricky changing my mindset from teaching 5-6 years olds phonics, and how to get on with one another, all the way up to 9-10 year olds, who can write, verbalise and explain things so well that I have found myself on many occasions standing in the middle of the classroom in awe of these brilliant children who I have been lucky enough to get for my first year both in KS2, and as a junior teacher. I am settled now and happier with where I’m at, and where I need to be. Everything considered, I didn’t think I would ever be able to do it, but with support from those who are all around me, we’ve muddled through and the longest (probably most stressful term) is complete and we are moving on up.
Resolution 1:
However… this brings me to my first resolution. Last year I was beating my resolution regularly, and was so proud of myself. But since beginning this year, I have gone downhill ridiculously! I now leave between half 6 and 7 on a good day and on a bad day it can be anything up to half 8-9- not cool! Burning the candle at both ends really caught up with my literally on the last day of Christmas…. my body literally shut down and I found myself in bed for hours on end, aching, with a bad case of the flu and a head cold from the day we broke up, all the way to Christmas Day. I couldn’t move, let alone think about work or all the other things I needed to get done. Not Achieved.
Resolution 2:
Running has always been able to clear my head and help me think. I mean there’s literally to much else to do is there? Running endlessly is good physically but also mentally I find. Whenever I feel twitchy or need to figure something out, doing something active is always the way to go! With that, I have started running again… kind of. From last New Year until summer I would get up early early in the morning; around 5, shove my running clothes on and head out the door and run. This gave me a chance to wake up, think about the day ahead and get in some training before anyone else was even up and starting their days. There is something oddly peaceful and lovely about running around the streets and through the park early morning with only the birds and the odd dog walker around. By doing this I was set up for the day, I wouldn’t have it hanging over me all day, waiting for me when got home. All in all I felt great and was so proud that I was motivated to do it. But as with all things, this came to a break eventually as on the 1st August I had my operation which meant that all physical activity including running were stopped and I was on rest for over 10 weeks… not cool. After the 10 weeks were up, I returned to Trampolining and Athletics but running has remained on the back burner. But this will be a resolution that I am carrying forward and I am determined to continue the work I started last year. Achieved Partially.
Resolution 3:
This brings me onto Resolution 3- Chill out and spend more time with those closest. I can safely say I have done this, this year and boy am I proud that I have! Ok so as I have already touched on- maybe this resolution hasn’t been met completely during my first term in Year 5 but the rest of the year from January to September it really was. I realised that things can wait and I made sure that I was conscious of what was going on around me. Each weekend I would ask the people around me what they were doing in the following week just so I could make sure that if they were in chilling at home, or going out for dinner where I could join, I was there doing that and not at school, or elsewhere doing other things. To them, this may have been (and still might be) irritating and sometimes the standard answer of “You do what you want to do…” would be thrown out, but to me knowing that the one night they are in that week, I am able to spend that with them made all the difference to me. I spent more time with friends, I went to more shows and I even went to New York; something I didn’t think I would or could ever do!! Spending more time for myself, my friends and my family this year has made me so very happy and therefore I am sticking to it that this resolution has been Achieved.
I want to say that I have invented new resolutions and that they will be all brilliant but no, my resolutions will stay more or less the same as the year that has just passed us by:
- Leave work earlier- things can wait!
- Run, Run, Run- perhaps I will give myself a target…
- Keep up chilling with the people closest- don’t become overwhelmed by the machine that is work and school.
Finally I want to give myself a 4th Resolution…. Write!
I absolutely adore writing… I’m not sure I’m very good at it but doing it makes me feel good and free and so, for this year I would like to write more and therefore my aim (which I may live to regret…) is to write at least 1 blog a month about anything and everything and see where it gets me. Who knows, I may find that I actually write something of some value, if not to anyone else, for me.
So there we are 2019 is ending and 2020 is beginning… a new year, with new challenges and (almost) new resolutions to keep to. Who knows what next year will bring, but I for one am I hoping it’ll be quiet and mostly uneventful!
Have a good one whatever you are doing and see you all on the other side!!
Sinead xxx
What Am I Doing? 