Embedded Files
Writing alongside our students
Katy Haire
Director-General, Education Directorate
Everyone keeps reminding us that we are living in 'unprecedented times' and that this will be a defining moment in our lives.
I loved history when I was at school and university, and one of the things that I loved the most was getting a glimpse into what the world was like at different times. I was fascinated by many historic eras -including the Roman Empire, the middle ages, the gold rush, Australia before white settlement, and WW2.
So thinking about how people in the future will understand what we are living through now has made me think that keeping a journal would be a useful thing to do. It's probably good for me right now to write down my feelings ( we all know that letting feelings out is better than keeping them in!) But I also like to think that contemporaneous accounts of what is happening to us will help people understand and learn from what we are experiencing.
Today is about a month since the seriousness of COVID 19 really hit home in Australia. The first restrictions to gatherings, businesses and work started on around 13 March. The next wave of restrictions came about a week later.
Within 10 days we went from life as usual with a bit of extra handwashing and no handshakes to businesses closing, working from home, and borders closing between states of Australia. In the space of a few days, restrictions went from banning gatherings of 100 people, to 10 people, to no more than two people.
It was that quick!
Now, in 10 days' time, we are going to have the biggest shift in schooling in the ACT since … ever. Most of our students are going to be learning from home, with contact via the internet with the teachers. They'll be doing a mixture of immediate tasks and tasks that can be done at their own pace. This is ground-breaking stuff!
Listen to Katy Haire read her journal entry
Ryan Lindsay
Year 5 Teacher, Executive Teacher, Dungeon Master
It's not just that things have changed lately, it's that everything feels completely different.
Obviously, lots of things are still the same. I haven't started sleeping in my garden or gulping down spaceworms for a delicious breakfast. In fact, my life is probably still over 50% the same as it was before, but it's the little things shifting that have really added up, and upon reflection it was interesting to see what they had added up to: Time.
I have more time on my hands. Or maybe it's just that I have different time on my hands.
My role as teacher has shifted, drastically - it's also twisted, toppled, reformed, elevated, and become like a Phoenix entering the funeral pyre before being reborn. Sounds dramatic, true, but it's been a wild ride, and not one that's helped me save time, alas.
So where have I saved this time?
I don't have to commute to and from work anymore, sitting behind the steering wheel, chatting with my kids, or belting out an old classic with the windows securely up. I don't have to go out onto playground duty, gathering my vest and food before patrolling under the sun. I don't need to fill up my car with petrol, or check that the class chromebooks are charged, or empty the dishwasher in the staff room.
That's time saved, now what about time wasted?
Wandering the shopping centre, looking for retail therapy purchases to absently fill my house: nope. Standing before my pantry, trying to figure out which foods will survive a day in my kids' lunchboxes [apparently just peeling a kiwi fruit the night before and slopping it in next to your sandwich is a recipe for catastrophic disaster]: nah.
There are so many things I cannot do while isolated to my home, but I think I might be able to actually do more because I've got time on my side.
I've read a whole bunch of books [the Hilda comic series is a blessing], built some awesome Lego [I put more than a few hours into a free-build jungle cave with an elephant statue coming out of it], and crafted new stories and monsters so I can take every opportunity to play Dungeons & Dragons [the Living Crystal Minotaur Statue yields a great showdown]. Every meal can become an adventure because I have a bit more time than recess at school would normally allow.
The world around me has changed, and so has the small sphere I call my own, but if I pause and think about it I can find ways its been for the better, and that kind of thinking is going to go a long way in the weeks ahead.
And I know I said I'm not doing anything crazy, but I will admit the other day we popped out some tents, threw our bedding into them, and did indeed sleep out in the garden. It was cold, we got a little messy melting marshmallows, but I didn't mind tidying up the next day. I had plenty of time to take care of it.
Listen to Ryan Linsday read his journal entry
Page updated
Report abuse