FINDING TIME TO PAUSE

One of the joyful things about being in dialogue together via this blog space is witnessing the rhythms of education, collaboration, children and life from the other side of the world to one another. The seasons we live in are always so very different yet the rhythms are familiar and the connections are lasting.

For Fiona, at the beginning of a short winter break, this means a couple of weeks taking time to reconnect with family and share the joys that come with chilly mid-winter school holidays in Tasmania. Toasting marshmallows on the fire, taking drives with the children at night to see the city lights over the River Derwent, or donning layers to take an exhilarating Sunday morning walk with icy winds at the top of Kunanyi, (the local mountain) to feel the joy of freshly fallen snow between bare hands. 

For Anne, the long-awaited summer break begins with plans of moving to a new house (and no more renovations) and a road trip to Switzerland. Walking familiar trails in the mountains, enjoying the lakes and hanging out with dear friends is on her to do list and so is a weekend in The Netherlands to celebrate a friendship that started 40 years ago in grade 8.

It seems fitting to us, that we take a moment to reflect on what it means to pause, to stop and to replenish oneself.

Teaching is a most honorable profession, a joy and a privilege to be part of the lives of young people as they engage with the world and with life. It is also an incredibly stimulating and fulsome role, requiring an almost never-ending source of energy, hope, wonder, creativity and persistence. Our academic calendars are often characterised by great crescendos of activity, community traditions and important events, but they are also punctuated with moments where we can take the time to stop and replenish. These are the times where we find ourselves processing, connecting and contemplating; with moments of gentle unfolding reflection. They are also times where we can stoke the fires within, the flames of purpose and connection that keep our pedagogy alive and well in the future. 

As we pause for a few weeks to rest and restore ourselves in readiness for the next chapter, we would love to share some beautiful words, written by Judy Brown, as cited in Ann Pelo and Margie Carter’s wonderful new book ‘From Teaching to Thinking’… which, by the way, is a great summer read.

FIRE

What makes a fire burn,

is the space between the logs,

a breathing space.

Too much of a good thing,

too many logs

packed in too tight

can dowse the flames

almost as surely 

as a pail of water would.

So building fires 

requires attention

to the spaces in between

as much as to the wood.

When we are able to build 

open spaces

in the same way

we have learned

to pile on the logs,

then we can come to see how

it is fuel, and the absence of fuel

together, that make the fire possible.

We need only to lay a log

lightly from time to time.

A fire

grows

simply because the space is there,

with openings

in which the flame

that knows just how it wants to burn

can find its way.

Judy Brown in Carter and Pelo (2018)

We wish you all wonderful breaks, wherever they may be, whether shorter wintery ones or long summer sojourns. Take the time to rest and replenish, feed the ‘space between’, re-fuel your bodies and your brains, enjoying all the gifts that these precious moments have to offer.

Take Care,

Anne and Fiona