2025 is just around the corner

Photo by Anna Louise
“One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.”
John Burroughs
Have you ever been caught up in something that started as a little thing but then exploded, overrunning the day? Schools are an organisation of many little things; many moving parts, assessment, reporting and data entry. Teachers, school leaders and students carry little things through the school gate every day. Getting home and trying to process all the little things of the day is part of the job that teachers and schools must manage.
The complexity of teaching and leading the school is often overlooked, rarely acknowledged in the media, and undervalued in the community. Working amid that complexity presents unique opportunities for personal and professional growth. The art of a teacher catching the time to balance daily priorities is dynamic, resourceful and well-planned. The strategic thinking and ability to process the near constant flow of emails, while ensuring the continuous improvement of the school can be observed in many school leaders.
Each school is unique and works in that context of their community. This reflects the unique challenges that teachers and school leaders manage. End of year functions, school reports, interviews combined with a race to enter data, tick boxes and plan for 2025. The small things start to roll into one.
Congratulations to teachers and school leaders who have walked out the school gate and into retirement. It is never too early to start planning for your retirement! It would be interesting to research the perspective of recent retirees of the small things from school days. Decreasing prevalence or effect of small things?
As 2025 starts to bloom into January, the new school year is within sight. This would be the time to start planning how you will better manage the small things or reframe your view of what small things can be folded together. It will not be easy. We all can fall into the swirling pool of little things. Taking a few moments to plan is like swimming between the flags. You are looking for the things that rip into your time, or the tasks that will sweep you away from your work.
Have a wonderful summer break – you deserve it!