Teacher’s Lockdown Response Overall, how has your experience been of lockdown? The supercharged and super-slow sequences of school terms followed by holidays meant that the feeling of lockdown was delayed slightly as the quiet and deserted nature of Easter holidays on campus felt like 'normal'. What has followed has been anything but, and the word 'normal' or 'new normal' has gained a newfound hatred on my part. Is 'normal' always good anyway? Perhaps a world without exams, excessive air pollution, appreciation and gratitude for all roles in society is a better 'normal'? But, then again what is any world without face to face human contact. Once the eerie quiet of a campus without pupils settled and virtual Wellington dusted off the early creaks and snags, I have felt very lucky to be experiencing lockdown with routine, purpose and, at times, joy. My fiance Amy (a pharmacist at Frimley Park) is safe and well despite all the challenges that greet her on a daily basis which put the odd WiFi issue into harsh reality. If I ever needed reminding of how wonderfully lucky we are to live on such beautiful grounds, I have had it during the lockdown. It feels like being asked to selfisolate at Downton Abbey. As with any experience of life, there are sad moments and there are joyful moments. The joyful outweighs the sad due to friendly colleagues, lashings of rocky road and endless sport documentaries. Lockdown has reaffirmed how happy and grateful I am to live and work at Wellington College. It has also reaffirmed (even though it was clear already) that it is the people of Wellington that make it special and bring the beautiful grounds and buildings to life. Right now, we are missing many of those people desperately, but looking
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forward to a time where we can be together. Maybe even with a renewed sense of what is most important: People, community and genuine connection. What have been the most positive parts for you? Adding little things to my daily routine which have been gathering dust on a 'to-do' list since I graduated university. DDP Yoga (an ex-wrestler designed a yoga program - it is immense) is keeping me sane and feeling healthy. Even though much of the college campus is quieter and devoid of life in the ways we expect as Simon Barnes wrote in the Times 'they can't cancel nature'. Watching Spring have space and room to bloom has been simply awesome. Daily walks are made that bit more special when you can see and hear so much around you that otherwise might have passed you by on a frantic walk to get to lunch on fish and chip Friday. There are of course many things to be grateful for, but close to the top of that list has to be that we are going through this at a time of year where the 'pathetic fallacy' of the weather is less likely to cause us to sit indoors and stare into a rainy and cold abyss (I think I used that correctly Miss Donarski!). What have been the biggest challenges? Having our wedding cancelled on April 4th was a really tough and emotional time. It felt like towards the end of March the guidance and goal posts were moving by the hour. Even though it was forced upon us, it felt like the right decision for our friends and families. I learned a huge amount about marital law.
Apparently, a wedding license is valid for a single time of day, specific venue and specific date. No running off to the Vegas Chapel in good old Blighty. It has, though, put into perspective what matters. I spent hours on the phone begging the venue to allow just us and two witnesses to get married (fathers in the car park), but then weddings were cancelled completely. So now we look forward to December, without fear or worry about what the favours will be, or whether the food is good or whether the father of the bride speech will include jokes like 'just a little toast' (throw a piece of toast into the crowd). We just want to be husband and wife. What advice would you give to students about life in Lockdown? 1.) Try to add a tiny improvement to your daily lives or routine that you have wanted to for some time. Try not to look for inspiration on Instagram. It is not realistic to learn an ancient language overnight while baking a Mary Berry special standing on your head. Be forgiving of yourself and be able to find something small but important. It might be reading two pages of a book a day, or it might simply be trying a new food for the first time. 2.) Love the local. It is a shame we cannot hop on a plane and be in New Zealand and Australia in less than 24 hours (time-space compression and geography in action, don't worry about it), but how much awesome stuff do we have right on our doorsteps and gardens? Appreciate and enjoy what is right there in front of you. Mr Murray, Geography teacher and Pn AHM
