U-turns

It feels like AGES and AGES since I last did a proper post. I'm getting withdrawl symptoms!

But seriously, it's been so manic I haven't really had a chance to catch my breath, until tonight. Tonight G and I are going on a date night. This will be our first in several months (although we did grab a quick cup of coffee about 3 weeks ago...). I'm really looking forward to it.

In between all the manic-ness of Baba Indaba, and work, and Nellie, (and house stuff, and car stuff, and study stuff...) I've found myself reflecting on where I live. In all my years as a teacher, I've never wanted to live near my work. I could think of nothing worse than running into one of my students at the shop, or library, or even just out and about for a walk. I wanted a very clear divide between my job and my private life.

Where we're living at the moment is, however, exactly the sort of place I've never wanted to live in. Not only is it close enough to walk to work (only a 3 minute drive), but because the suburb is more of an over-grown village, there is only a limited number of places to shop/ grab a coffee/ walk, and half the kids at the school live in the same suburb. There is no escaping them.

The first time I realised this, I felt myself shrink in horror from the thought. But somehow, between then and now, I've realised that my thinking has done a 180. Now, I relish seeing my kids, and having them see me in an ordinary life. Why the change? I'm not sure. I've been thinking about it a lot, but I can't really pinpoint the reason, so I think there must be several. So far, what I've managed to come up with is that me seeing them in an ordinary life, and vice versa, is normalising for our relationship in school. There is a hang of a lot to be said for knowing more about the kids than the 45 minutes five times a week I see them. And vice versa - there is a lot to be said for them seeing me as human.

In addition, for the kids I think it's important to see me, because my standards are the same wherever I am. If I see them misbehaving in public, whether or not they're in uniform, and they see me, they know I will walk over and say something. They see, and learn, that the codes of behaviour we subscribe to at the school are not just rules, but a way of life - a moral code that applies to every facet of life, not just the 7 hours a day in school. And that's an important lesson.

It's also a lot more fun than I thought it would be - they're usually polite, and often share a smile. Sometimes I'm able to tease them about something, or make a comment the following day. I'm finding that integration brings a lot more joy to my life than I thought it would.

Maybe it's about the kids I'm teaching now. The kids I taught before (in the UK) were mostly awful, and the last thing I wanted was to spend more time with them - however fleeting! The kids I teach now are an inspiration... they're personable, with a great sense of humour, but generally respectful of boundaries.

So there we are.... who would have thought! Sometimes doing a U-turn on something you believe is the right thing after all!