Watch out! - for the little things

I’m into week three of my induction period after joining an NHS acute trust. These days we’re all in a uniform of some kind or mufti; a big change since I was last working in such an environment is being bare below the elbows. Brought in as we became more conscious of infection risks ties have largely gone too.

So after several decades of wearing a wrist watch that habit has had to change too. “You can get the time from your phone” I hear you exclaim; but I’ve worn a wrist watch for much longer that digital timepieces were available, when analogue meant winding up the watch or clock yourself. And to get time from the phone meant dialling the speaking clock.

Why is this worthy of mention? The watch I’ve worn for some years now belonged to my late dad, and it was given to him after many years work as a teacher and head teacher in inner London. It’s served as a reminder of his commitment to education and those in his care; whose learning and development were so important.

It’s also reminded me of him as a person and father and of his love of public service and doing good things through that service. It’s been a little disconcerting not to have it handy to refer to. It’s meant I’ve had to develop a new ‘check my phone for the time’ thing though I still go to my wrist and wonder why there’s a gap. It’s made me reflect on loss and grief; another step away from him. It’s chipped at the inspiration the watch has provided as well as a sense of time. I always like to be just a little early and a watch is a quick way to check times progress. Now I have to rely on my phone, or the occasional wall clock, to be sure I’m timely.

Not having the watch has been a distinct loss that I wanted to mark through speaking up about it; it’s about the difference little things can mean to people. This was emphasised to me again this week listening to Chris Pointon speak about Dr Kate Granger and the build up and progress of the #HelloMyNameIs campaign. Do look the campaign up if you’ve not heard of it; even if you know about it, remember little things when left out or ignored can have an impact much bigger than we can ever realise.

Long time since school, the teachers influence remains

Over the last year I've joined the school reunion site on Facebook; a closed group that refers to Southfields School in SW London. It's an academy now too though it appears not to have lost its community feel.
Joining the group have been some of the teachers I studied with (more or less successfully on my part) and one, Gill Goldenberg is now in Uganda for a month teaching English. 
I've added a link to her blog to my own page here or follow this link. 
It's worth the read to see what conditions are like where Gill is.

The educational experience of so many around the world is so different to that we experienced at Southfields that I'm reminded how fortunate we were to have had the physical and human resources we experienced. I was able to witness what life is like in some township and the contrasting private schools in South Africa in 2015 & 2017. 
All around I believe teachers and support staff make the places work for better or worse and I remain grateful for all the time and energy the likes of Gill, Pat Bedford, and a host of others put into helping me learn and develop. I still think of myself as work in progress and that too is a testament to the importance the teachers I came across gave to continuing learning. 

The view from behind

A while ago I did one of those Facebook things, something about a motto for life. The answer I was given said essentially I should drop the past, forget it and move on, looking forward. Had I been 20ish, I might not have thought so much about it. 
Of course I shouldn't take that kind of thing literally; it has however given me something to consider that has to be written out loud now.

My concern when that was said was that I was engaged in looking back. First as I begin to consider planning in advance for retirement there's what has work been about and what options are there for the future. Then via a closed group on Facebook (last mention) of friends who went to Southfields School in SW London the idea of a reunion grew into a reality that happened on the 13th May, just gone. If that's not looking back I'm not sure what is. 
Alongside that the fabulous #twitterdisco held once a month has helped me rediscover music and its associated memories. Yes, flared trousers, longish hair and collars and lapels that needed wide load warnings; standing on platform shoes nervously wondering if a girl would like a dance, if only I could attract one away from the lure of the handbag mound mid-floor.

Then there has been my consideration of my performance at work driven partly through the benefit of excellent coaching over the last few months. This led to looking backwards at how I've performed in the past, digging out evidence of 360 degree feedback and repeating the exercise. So there's been lots of ‘rear view mirror’ work.
For me the benefit of ignoring the ‘forget the past, live for now and look forward’ would be to miss out rich sources of information that can help the future.

So when retirement comes I'll have what I've enjoyed doing recreationally to fall back on as well as new things to learn. Friendships that have endured since school will still exist as we plan road trips and travel to see those across the globe. The writing and drawing that sustained me in school are becoming more important now. My love of listening to music will remain strong and be a source of relaxation and inspiration. More immediate is the feedback I've been given in the last week. It shows a lot of reassuring positives as well as identifying things to work on. Even the worst times of early schooling, pre Southfields, have an importance in showing how good the now and future look.
For me then, without looking back I'd have a poorer future, and certainly a very dull present. I therefore recommend looking back on occasion, you may see something afresh just as useful as what's in front of you. 

Ten years on

Reflections on a learning experience 

I know I tend to hoard what I'd call resources to do with work, be it books, papers, certificates and bits of card. "It'll all be useful one day" is my internal mantra. I've been cutting down on books by allowing them to be more widely available at work; that in itself has been liberating as in recent times I've gone back to more 'hands on' hard copy reading.

Whilst preparing this week for a session on resilience I went to my cupboard and found amongst other things the workbook from the excellent St Christopher's multi professional week I attended in May 2006. I recall thinking the whole experience had been exciting and stimulating. Do they still do it? Yes, see http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/education/diary and one is coming up soon.

The attendees came from across the world and we were truly multi professional, adding further texture to the week.

The opportunity to learn from David Oliviere, Malcolm Payne, Nigel Sykes, Barbara Monroe, Nigel Hartley, Avril Jackson, amongst other talented colleagues was so invigorating.

I still remember much of what was said and done; from giving instructions on making tea, digital pebbles, spirituality, teamwork and with role play thrown in the international participants were challenged to think, act and learn.

So what's brought this all about? I'm still teaching on occasion so a dive into the resources led to me think about the workbook. I was sure there were pearls of wisdom to find and was right (on managing stress and teamwork). So ten years later I can hold the pages and how that itself has changed. Hospice UK can put entire conference abstracts, posters and videos on line - an example of the revolution in the way we communicate and produce materials. I wonder what those who will attend my session will recall of the session next week, and in 10 years time. How will they access our presentation, will a virtual channel have the same physical and intellectual resonance as my purple covered booklet? 

Maybe the physical presence of thoughts, ideas and reflections last longer in the memory? I need an educationalist to confirm that; may be though that the way that week was organised and led has left this influential mark. It's a  been a powerful experience revisiting these materials; reflection and development distilling an enervating week in one afternoon.

Extraordinary times

We hear today of the death of one man at the hands of a nation state who wanted him dead. The news of Osama Bin Laden's death fills me with unease as do the accompanying pictures of celebrations outside the White House. Was this justice? It does not feel like that - yes his death is symbolic given the aftermath of the Sept 11th and July 7th bombings; I am not convinced it is that simple and in time we may come to rue his passing without a process of some kind having been held. I am not advocating judicially sanctioned death either - the USA is one place it can take place so we must be realistic about that as a possibility.
Perhaps having clear evidence was a problem for the USA? As Bin Laden claimed responsibility for terrorist deeds I assume there was no felt need for a judicial process.
I am not an American so may have a greater detachment from the emotions behind Sept 11th; July 7th was closer to home - and indeed friends nearby, though even then it had not filled me with a desire to see another person killed. It reminds me of the circle of violence often referred to in Northern Ireland that has for the majority now been broken, bringing an end to violent actions motivated by revenge. Many veteran soldiers of both World Wars have in my hearing adovcated not going to war as the best policy.
Humans do seem to have a capacity for retribution that gets in the way of thinking in the long term; surely finding other ways to address injustice and intolerance are vital. Answers are not easy to come by and cleverer people than I struggle to find these.
I cannot celebrate the news of this death - there will be many others who die today - without remark when other actions by nation sates might have prevented their deaths through action on poverty, ill health and education. I would prefer those actions as worth mentioning on the news and celebrating the lives saved, to what we have heard today.