A strange and sad day as schools around the country waved farewell to their students - children, teenagers and young adults who make up a huge part of our lives. Today I had to hold an assembly for Years 12,13 and 14 to say goodbye to most of them for the foreseeable. Many have elevated medical risks and for others, our amazing parents have freed up essential spaces within our now skeleton staffing system to allow the most vulnerable young people and key worker's children to stay in school. When I first said that schools would be closed on Monday, there were some who said "yesssss" and others who whooped. A few seemed a bit baffled. "School on Tuesday then?" said one lad. "No school on Tuesday." Friday then? But we'll be back before Easter? No? After Easter then? "Abbie," said one of the staff team, gesturing to a young man. "We were talking earlier and he was wondering if you could explain what 'indefinite' means....
Attempting to write a blog post about What Really Matters in a world where Coronavirus is less infectious than panic and dried white pasta is more important to people (when facing a bug that attacks the immune system) than tinned tomatoes, is a challenge. This virus is exposing SO MUCH about what really matters that it's a bit overwhelming to summarise any one part of it. So here's my first thought - how we engage as individuals with the story of this pandemic really matters. And I mean it REALLY MATTERS on a physical and tangible level. Important uses for toilet paper #3212 The Telegraph recently encouraged us to say farewell to our elderly relatives as they enter some sort of socially isolated virus free zone. The BBC is updating us every few minutes about how many folk are being infected or dying from this novel virus. The infection rate turns into some sort of death toll as it greets our lizard brain-fight-or-flight anxiety hub and we are filled with the desire t...