Swim with the current

Recently, SwissMiss suggested this short film about a 90 year swimmer on her blog.

It was highlighted on Vimeo as being about the power of ritual. But I think it's about so much more.

It's about loneliness, hope, depression, meditation, mindfulness, and retaining a sense of wonder. 

It's also about application, persistence, stickability, problem solving and the never give up/never surrender school of thinking.

It's also about integrity, commitment, self-directedness, self-discipline, self-esteem and self-efficacy.

It's also about emotions, change, aging and questions and answers.

It's about life and education and learning and teaching.

It's a wonderful short film. It does a lot in less than 2 minutes.

Go look and learn!

Thirty minutes of cheerful ritual humiliation of the old and greedy. And could we have our first contestant, please! (Monty Python)

Being in a staff skit at school is a well accepted ritual.

It goes with the territory.

This week the staff is performing as a bunch of Fred Daggs as we recreate the Gumboot Song during a cultural day celebration.

Each class was assigned a country by the Year 13 students and obviously we landed Aotearoa.

My first involvement in this form of ritual humiliation was in my first year of teaching - 1983 at New Plymouth Boys' High School. The staff had to do a performance as part of an old boys' day. We elected to do a Monty Python skit - the secret service/ cricket one. A lot of laughs!

There have been many memorable further staff shenanigans over the years - often at school camps and assemblies.

My last one was at Woodford House, 2016 - the staff did ABBA's  Mamma Mia in seventies garb. Hilarious.

It's all part of teaching - just another role, where you check your dignity at the door - you have to get involved and shed your inhibitions.