Fresh Starts

I love the beginning of a new school year and this September is no exception. The clean, white pages of a pristine exercise book (literal and metaphorical) are filled with opportunity, if not with writing. The number of empty pages can appear daunting but with the help of your (new) teachers they will gradually be filled with ideas and examples; with questions attempted, corrected, edited, re-written; with new pictures and sketches; with facts and figures; with musical notes. It is an amazing time of year to have such a blank canvas to work on.

This September also marks a fresh start for completely different reasons: many of us have been at home for an extended period of time; learning has taken place on the living room table or bedroom desk, rather than in the classroom. The summer holiday has been more of a staycation, than a vacation. At the end of such a long absence I have drawn personal inspiration from being able to reconnect with pupils and staff at both D.G.S. and S.B.S schools over the last fortnight which has reinvigorated me, reinforced my desire to support and work with our pupils and added to my feeling of opportunities yet to be realised.

But what next? Where do I go with my fresh start? What are the opportunities available and which ones do I want to reach out for?

This is where I think it is important to plan ahead and set goals for the time ahead. As a sporting coach it is something I talk about with my athletes regularly, at least once a year. We discuss aspirations and hopes, tempered with knowledge of previous progress. We consider what success in the coming season would look like, specific to the individual and their circumstances. We agree 3 goals, 1 each for short, medium and long term. We aim for the goals as part of a team and change them as time passes to reflect changes in personal situations. They help us to think ahead, to aim high and to provide no small amount of motivation on those darker days.

What goals will you set yourself to help you make the most of this fresh start?