It's hard to build momentum if you're dividing your attention (James Clear)

Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash

James' comment above fits nicely with my feeling of receiving email messages during my study break.

Unfortunately admin people are not on the same holiday wavelength as teachers and staff in campuses so they keep firing emails out every day during the break.

That certainly divides attention, because each one is requiring different things. 

During my study break I triage them into essential (we're looking to make an appointment as soon as possible so that one fits), and everything else.

Unfortunately that means those inessential ones pile up, waiting until Monday, when I'm back in harness.

So be it. That's the price I pay for enjoying a stress free study break.

Plus, today is our 39th wedding anniversary, so things can certainly wait.

Your focus determines your reality (Qui Gon-Jinn)

Momentum is a delicate, hard won, easily lost, funny old thing.

Sports teams gather impetus from wins or strong performances. Each win builds on the last and confidence rises as a result.

Musicians and bands make progress via success as well - measured by concert sales and movement up a sales chart. When sales fall they need a new success to continue the momentum.

Momentum for students is an individual thing and harder to quantify. For a whole school it becomes even more nebulous.  

At this time of the year (two weeks away from the start of examinations for seniors) momentum is a delicate fragile flower.

Unfortunately, for me, the brakes were applied to any academic momentum I'd managed to engender in the first two weeks of the term.

A number of events have contributed: 

• various Agriculture and Produce shows in our rural markets have meant girls and staff away from school at a crucial time; 
• we held (very successful) athletics sports events on two days which meant changes to the routines of our school day and a complete focus shift; 
• the anticipation and immediate aftermath of those sports days was little interest in academic activities (we were all in preparation mode or else bone tired); 
• a large number of senior Year 12 girls are involved in a prefecture process; 
• two holidays have happened creating less time in class; 
• many Year 13 girls are shifting their gaze to 2016 and the rites associated with leaving a school many have known since they were very young; 
• a major music competition is scheduled for the coming week.

All of these things may be worthy in themselves but none of them help me prepare students for some pesky little English exams.

I am a tiny bit kind of frustrated a smidge because I'm sure the school governors and senior leaders and parents will still expect me to get excellent results.

But we all know what happens when we take our eyes of a ball before it is caught don't we!

'Sright! It hits us smack in the face!!