I love Strictly Come Dancing! I love the whole thing, every glittery minute of the dancing, costumes and music. I tend to record it though so I can watch it without the blethering bits – I just want the glamour and the sparkle. I also envy the talents of the professional dancers – they make it look so easy. Being of the larger type and totally uncoordinated not to mention a total lack of any kind of sequencing ability you can see how this is pure escapism for me. The other thing is, which ties into my theme song is I like Sophie Ellis Bextor’s music and have a selection of it playing as I write this. It makes me want to dance (take not of my previous comments regarding my shortcomings in this field) and I tend to have her singing away while I am doing stuff around the house (out of sight of the public as husband and son never fail to comment). Not that I think she should win…but that’s another story.
Anyway, although upbeat and with a totally different story line, the song playing as I sat down to write this was Take Me Home. The title struck me because I have been thinking about home, family, friends and Christmas quite a lot this last week. In school we are going into our in-service week so it is a three day week for the children and we staff have two days of working in school and with colleagues in and around the authority. It is a busy two days and usually we get a lot done. It gives us time to debate, discuss and also chat and relax together – and that is important. The programme is hectic and varied and we know that for us, when the children return Christmas will be in full swing! The nativity rehearsals are in full swing and there is glitter and tinsel beginning to appear. The P1s were rehearsing their spotlight dance and actually Murder on the Dance Floor may have been more apt – but it will be alright on the night as they say! On a personal note an older, much loved friend has been unwell and is now facing a fairly major operation. This brought home to me how much I depended on her friendship over thirty years and how, I had always taken it for granted that she would be in my life. I have every confidence that when the surgery is completed and successful she will return to full health again but it rocked my stability and made me think about all I hold dear.
I love Christmas, I love the time spent with friends and family. I also realise that I take this for granted, as do most. For some young people their excitement is tinged with uncertainty; who will they spend Christmas with? What will happen at Christmas? Will Santa know where they are? These are all questions that I have been asked by children on occasion and it always brings me up short every time. In our learning community we take time to get to know our young people and their families. We work with an ever growing number of professionals in order to ensure that our young people are as safe, secure and achieving as fully as possible. This is what we do. Sometimes, for me at least, spending time on developing learning and teaching at a purely curricular development level can take a back seat compared to the social and emotional supports we are involved in. I know we are not alone; this is the story, I am sure, in every school the length and breadth of the country. We are a people based work place and all our people are important. Sometimes things at home or in school bring circumstances sharply into focus and as we prepare for this truly magical time in school I do take time, as do other adults in our team, to be extra supportive where its need, to whomever needs it.
Back to Sophie and Take Me Home – home is where the heart is – for most of us but, in reality home can be where the doubt and uncertainty is, and we need to be aware of that at this time more than ever. So when we all set off next week to our annual whole school outing to the pantomime I will, as always, look at all the excited faces, cover my ears to screams, boos and shrieks and not pay the slightest attention the awfully clever DHT who volunteers for permanent toilet duty so he doesn’t have to be in the auditorium (bah humbug and the memory of being the recipient of the Dame’s attentions one year!). I’ll just enjoy the magic of children enjoying the magic.