It’s been a long time since I’ve opened up my blog, especially with a view to writing something! Things are always so busy, and there are always so many demands on my time that writing in order to share it always lands at the very bottom of my priorities list. Still, there is a sizeableContinue reading “All the things I didn’t say”
Tag Archives: mental health
Does Anybody Have a Map?
I celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday a few days ago, and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how strange a time this is: Covid aside, being at the crossover of early and mid-twenties is honestly bizarre! Some people are still studying, some are early in their careers, and some are lucky enough to be fairlyContinue reading “Does Anybody Have a Map?”
Why I won’t be adding to my series revisiting my NQT year
Apologies for the clickbaity title! My very first blog, published on April 1st 2020, was as good a beginning to a blog by a teacher as I could have come up with. September was a fluffy, upbeat, optimistic account of that first month in the classroom, reflecting how I felt about it at the timeContinue reading “Why I won’t be adding to my series revisiting my NQT year”
Holding out for a hero – Representation at just the right time
I’ve been totally obsessed with Vigil for its whole duration. It’s no secret that I love a good police procedural drama, with my past viewing history including Inspector Morse, Lewis, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Sherlock, Death in Paradise and the first two series (so far) of Line of Duty. I was drawn intoContinue reading “Holding out for a hero – Representation at just the right time”
When It’s Not “Just” Blue Monday
“Blue Monday” is the name given to the third Monday of the year, the day dubbed the most depressing on the entire calendar. In other words, it’s one of the few days of the year when it’s socially acceptable, cool, even, to use the word depression to describe how you’re feeling. For those of usContinue reading “When It’s Not “Just” Blue Monday”
Don’t Call Me Fragile
This blog post has been a very long time coming. I’ve hesitated, paused, rethought and rewritten, always afraid that I would cause offence by publishing it. Because this post is going to call people out, and if I’ve written it right, it might make others uncomfortable with their own language choices around the subject ofContinue reading “Don’t Call Me Fragile”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Compassion
Compassion is seeing a need for help, and helping; it is being thoughtful and kind; it is wanting to help, out of one’s own goodness. Teaching is a compassionate career. There’s no two ways about it: we devote our working lives to improving others, but if you spend any length of time in any school,Continue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Compassion”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Hope
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness Desmond Tutu This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. While I think more is needed than conversation and awareness – perhaps, better access to healthcare, more acceptance of those with mental illness and less stigma around their being among usContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Hope”
November
While this is an addition to my NQT series, it is equally an entry for the #DailyWritingChallenge, under the heading of ‘perseverance.’ November was a long, hard slog for me: not a month I will forget in a hurry for sure. I moved out of my parents’ house, for that first taste of independence andContinue reading “November”
There’s no such thing as a Zero Day
Like many things, the concept of the ‘zero day’ stresses me out. For those who haven’t come across the phrase, a zero day is one during which you get absolutely nothing done, as a result of feeling mentally rubbish. When I first came across the idea, I was in a rough patch. I clung toContinue reading “There’s no such thing as a Zero Day”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Emotions
While the prompt for today is ‘Emotions’, I could easily have titled this entry Everything is up in the air and it’s not much fun. Emotions are raw at the moment, and I’m sure that’s not just the case for me. But what is the case for me, is a huge shift in my emotionsContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Emotions”
Seeking Sunshine
Social Media in the Coronavirus Lockdown I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with social media. On the one hand, it can be hugely anxiety-provoking, because it feeds that part of our brains that can’t help but compare us viciously to those around us. For example: “Oh my goodness, look how lovely she looks on thatContinue reading “Seeking Sunshine”
One Quiet Teacher 