The first 100,000 words: Writings on Education by a Teacher

  Whilst it must be noted that our Prime Minister is notable for his many gaffs and for doing little to counteract the perception that he’s a marketing expert who is more ‘influencer’ than leader.  The key takeaway from our pandemic years ought to be not limited only to these facts. Just as students now understand what a Pandemic is, what a Premier (and a Chief Health Officer) does, what Federalism means in a catastrophe and many other things besides. We as teachers, as professionals should have one clear take-away around politics and how it interacts with our work and how it’s managed. Our Prime Minister’s actions are not an accident, he is THE figurehead for our neoliberal capitalist economy.  Broadly speaking, Neoliberalism is the reduction of Government influence, sometimes called ‘small Government’. It’s personal responsibility as mantra; it’s limited handouts and small or no Government owned structures and infrastructure. It’s economy first, everything else second....

  Reading this New York Times article ( https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/well/mind/word-of-year-2022.html  )  got me thinking, should I choose a word for the year? Something to guide my actions and thoughts - yeah why not. I firmly believe that things happen for a reason and that there’s some plan guiding things out for me and everyone. Having said that, the key is always one’s reactions to things that happen to them. As such, a word of the year seems of utility.   My word is balance, for me, in this moment, at this time, it seems most fitting. As per my previous blog that reviewed 2021, it seems highly improbable that I will be able to achieve anything as remarkable as my year of many firsts. So, as a result, I’ll seek balance. Runner-up word of the year for me would be connection, but this seems like a risky endeavour to set my year to, as it depends upon restrictions around COVID and so many more things. Connections online aren’t really the goal this time around...

My memories and recollections of 2021 reveal the nature of memory; so bound to locations and images; that it is a strain to recall what occurred. With much of it being bound to the interior of my home. As a resident of the inauspiciously longest lockdown-ed city in the world there was no other choice. Yet from within the confines of my home I found time and space, between baby cuddles and play time, to explore new ideas and new possibilities. It was a year of firsts, but not the first year of its kind. Each moment of commute and administrivia that would otherwise have been wasted became a moment for reflection and consideration.   I realise now, that much of my energy within a standard day of teaching is employed to drive and manage my own excitement and joy at sharing a love of learning and new knowledge. Whereas teaching online requires a certain burst of energy to start anew each session. For me this type of energy use is all too familiar, a practice trained and honed throu...