As Victor Meldrew would put it: “I cant believe it!!”
We are now at the end of May, the 9th Month of the academic year. Time seems to be flying by as it seems like only yesterday I was posting my reflections on April. I am not sure whether this is a good thing, as in “time flies when you are having fun” or a bad thing in so much as I don’t think I have achieved all the things I had hoped I would achieve by this point. I think I will stick with the optimistic view and put it down to engagement, fun and possibly a bit of flow or my “element” as Ken Robinson would put it.
My previous reflections have all focused on the targets I set my self all that time ago back as the sun went down on 2015. This time month I would like to do something a little different.
Recent weeks have had me reflecting on my time out in the UAE and on all the things I have done while there. Thinking back the various events, dates, items and other very tangible items don’t elicit much of an emotional response. They happened, I remember them but they lack any real richness. The things I really, really, remember are those events to which I have now attached a story. These stories have a rich detail which I happily share when appropriate. They also elicit an emotional response in that I find myself smiling when I think about them, or for some stories it’s possible more likely a grimace than a smile.
So the question is what are the stories which arise from May 2016?
It was my birthday this month and my plan had been to try and get through without any real fuss; to have a quiet one so to speak. That failed as my colleagues became aware of the event and decided that I would look all the more professional leaving the school site with a helium birthday balloon floating above my head. The mug they provided me makes me laugh.
Now am not sure if this means that I should smile more at work or smile less.
My exercise level in May has not improved at all. A perfect piece of evidence for this is the flower bed in my garden.
I might claim that it is like that on purpose as part of a wildlife conservation scheme however I doubt anyone would believe me. Maybe by the time we get to the end of June some effort and work may have been done on this and I may be able to report a greater level of exercise. Time will tell.
I think my reflection on May is the need to consider both the quantitative data and qualitative data in reflections and reviews of life and of progress. I may hit targets I set around social media involvement, courses attended, etc but how important is that if when I look back I have no stories to tell or no rich memories. What are your stories from May?
Technology and Learning