Although spending most of the Christmas holidays under the weather (double dose of the Milan flu I’ve been told!) I really enjoyed following the #teacher5adayslowchat hashtag on Twitter (started and perpetuated by Martyn Reah). I peeked over the parapet to post my thoughts and had resolved to post a #teacher5aday pledge before the end of the week. However – I forgot!
To keep my own wellbeing in sharp focus, as well as the development of my students, I pledge to:
#connect – although I already connect a lot digitally I want to try and voice chat (already getting into @voxer)/ video chat with friends and colleagues more in 2016. I also want to take advantage of the short visits home to catch up with as many technophobe friends as possible!
#exercise – take advantage of Milan’s BikeMi service, where you can borrow bikes from areas across the city by swiping your metro card; swim in the lakes as soon as it gets warm enough!
#notice – Explore Milan, find secret places, drink in the artwork and try to slow down in my spare time.
#learn – I was lucky enough to get an electric guitar and iRig for Christmas so I’m currently using Yousician to brush up on some rusty techniques; My Italian could (and will) be better; I also want to continue to learn from my colleagues – both real and virtual!
#volunteer – As well as planning for TeachMeet Milan at the end of the school year I’d like to volunteer outside of the educational sphere. I’ve heard that Italians are some of the most generous and helpful people in the world. There must be a way to lend a hand…
Caffeine Tangent 