What Do Salmon and Whirlpools Have to do With Teaching?

 Exhaustion (noun): The act of being exhausted, Extreme weakness or fatigue

Other words: weariness, lassitude

Lassitude. Now there's a word you don't hear often: weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness; languor. 

It's book week and the theme is, "Dreaming with eyes wide open" or, as I heard someone on the news say, "in other words, thinking." For book character dress up day, I picked Hibiscus from the book I wrote back in 2020 for my class of Year 5 students called, "The Adventures of Dovic". Hibisicus was based on the life of a teacher in Melbourne, doing remote learning with her class during the Covid Pandemic when we all had to stay home and only go out for essential shopping, wear masks, and exercise for 2 hours within a 5km radius of our homes. 

I was not prepared for how wearing that costume, including the mask (inside and outdoors) would make me feel. It brought back the emotions, the 'fear' and the lonely desperation that we had all experienced back then. I was so glad when I got home and was able to get back in to normal clothes again. 

Being book week means there are special activities going on, in addition to the 'normal' learning sessions. I am proud of how my class have managed the week. They've had a positive attitude and despite being out of routine, they've got on with getting their work done and doing the fun activities. Our school included a thing' that we decorate our classroom doors with a book theme. My grade used the theme, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and we turned the door into a wardrobe door.  On that door, there were little doors, that when folded back, revealed scenes from the story, a blurb about the story and a wanted poster from the witch of Narnia in order to capture the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. The students did a great job.

But I feel tired today. There are so many things (mostly good) swirling around in my head aside from Book Week, that I feel like it's all churning around like a whirlpool around me. When I was younger, we (brothers and sisters) would get in the swimming pool and all walk around in the same direction to make a whirlpool. When it was going well, if you stopped, you'd be sucked under and it was difficult to get back on your feet. Alternatively, if you tried going against the tide, it was hard work and difficult to resist being swept back in the direction the others were going.

Have you ever felt like you are in a whirlpool? Every now and again I am moving in the right direction and although it's hard work, it's going well. But then something else grabs my attention, I get distracted and I fall down and am tossed along with the tide. When that happens in the pool, it is not uncommon to swallow a mouthful of water whereas other times you get up laughing.

When you are exhausted or close to it, you need to give yourself permission to stop, be still and move away from lesson plans, or other school related business. You are not going to be effective if you are struggling to keep up. It is wiser to do something you enjoy doing and have an early night so that you can get up in the morning refreshed.

This picture is of salmon trying to go back upstream against the tide. Salmon are born in freshwater rivers, spend most of their lives in the ocean and then return to the place they were born to lay their own eggs. Swimming upstream is a form of migration as well as a way to ensure their young survive long enough to hatch and grow into adults. The journey is challenging but is worthwhile.  

Likewise, sometimes we're going to get tired, perhaps exhausted. Teaching is challenging but it is worthwhile. Rest up so that you can take on tomorrow with renewed energy.