Spring into the Equinox
Image: Dyana Wing So
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
Henri Matisse
Equinoxes are when the sun is directly over the equator. This occurs twice a year, and the length of the day is equal to the length of the night. The Spring Equinox will fall on the 22-23day of September.
Not to be confused with Solstices, deep rooted cultural and spiritual celebrations have evolved around Equinoxes. This winter has brought with it some very cold winds and resurgent coughs, sniffles and long days.
A useful video to explore Solstice and Equinox can be found here:
Classrooms catch and contain every cough and sneeze. Trying to keep students healthy and maintaining a warm cross flow of clean air is another challenge that teachers face. The Sydney Morning Herald reported (11 May 2024) that despite bans on the use of un flued gas heaters in schools, there are 1400 un-flued heaters in NSW schools. It should be noted that the 2021 NSW government made commitments to replace these heaters in classrooms.
This is mind boggling and highlights the chronic underfunding of education. It is important to note that sick leave entitlements are the result of collective action and the Union. Teachers and school leaders work hard, and getting through another winter is a testament to their commitment to their students.
The experience of teachers during the COVID pandemic should have created the change in social attitudes including strategies to reduce the spread of infections such as social distancing, hand washing and wearing of masks. Anyone concerned or opposed to wearing a mask should read about the 1919 ‘Spanish Flu’ Influenza outbreak in Australia. Mask wearing was not an issue – people understood the importance of keeping themselves and other safe!
The National Museum of Australia has created this excellent resource for schools and can be found here:
https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/flu-pandemic-reaches-australia
What are some of the strategies you have to keep yourself healthy and reduce infection in your classroom?
Are Vitamin C, fresh air and drinking water the key to keeping well?
This Equinox could be a time for you to take breath, reflect and refresh.
You deserve it!