Even after all these years I still remember some of my school teachers, a few for happy reasons, others less-positively. In this last respect there was, for instance, an English master who regularly responded to bad behaviour in the back row of his classroom with an energetically-lobbed blackboard rubber.
The jury was out on whether or not he was a good shot, as the chalky missile invariably thudded into the wall rather than the pupil, but I rather suspect this was fully intended - a kind of shock and awe approach rather than downright physical violence.
I suppose the fact that I now spend a great deal of my days writing may be testament to the fact that he obviously did me some good, but it may have simply been because I tended to avoid sitting in the back row.
Fortunately other teachers made their mark for less combative reasons. One who taught Geography, for instance, was a genius at making the subject interesting and compelling, especially when it came to physical geography. To this day, I'm always on the look-out for a good terminal moraine when I'm on a train journey.
He had one little technique that I especially admired, which was that at the end of each well-paced lesson he'd provide his class with a short teaser about what would be coming next time we met. I'm sure he believed that this way we'd be keenly anticipating the next instalment of the curriculum. He was right.
It's always good to have things to look forward to, but there are sure to be less-positive times in life when, unless you plan things yourself, it can seem as if the future is pretty devoid of goals and anticipation. And that's never more so than when your mood is low.
At times like this you're unlikely to be planning anything ambitious, but it's definitely worth trying to set yourself some modest goals. Get through the morning and treat yourself to something tasty and healthy at lunchtime. Make it through the afternoon, then read a chapter of a good book, do a crossword puzzle, walk round the block or make a phone call.
You owe it to yourself to have one or two simple things to look forward to, even if you need to create them out of nothing.
hi. i sipped on the snow yesterday in the midst of a snowball fight. i never did get my intended target. instead i spent the afternoon in a and e getting a broken wrist sorted. very painful procedure. i am typing with my left hand.
ReplyDeletemoral of this story is that you never know what is going to happen to you. jon, you could think of a clever way of using this in a future email. not my broken wrist but, the fact that one can start the day with certain expectations and end it in a very different place. i might have won the lottery so it can work both ways!
i am now looking forward to having my cast removed and getting the use of my right hand back.
Ouch. Horrible thing to happen and hope it doesn't take too long to heal. You're already an incredibly good left-handed typist though. Just think how much better you'll be in a few weeks' time.
DeleteVery bad luck Julia, and congrats on a very positive attitude.
ReplyDeleteI HARDLY DARE SAY IT but I have never broken a bone...it must be
awful.
thank you! i hope you never do. first time for me. it is forcing me to take it easy for a while so maybe good will come out of it. but none of us needs to break a bone in order to take stock or let others help you. anyway thank you anonymous.
DeleteCommiserations also, Julia. I think your positive attitude is terrific and thanks for sharing it with us. Hope the pain is not too bad and the cast comes off soon. A great thing to look forward to!
ReplyDelete