Multitasking

Heating the house, heating me, cooking supper, doing my homework and nursing a cold.

I’m familiar with ‘teacher’s flu’, where teachers fall ill on the first day of the holiday. I’m now discovering there’s such a thing as ‘course writer’s flu’. On Monday, sniffling, I inserted the final illustrations and sorted out the page numbering. Yesterday, coughing, I photocopied the students’ workbook, the trainer’s book-with-answers and the trainer’s how-to-teach guide. Today was the first day of the course.

Our trainer is experienced at passing on his trade skills but has not taught in a classroom before. Many of our trainees have had bad experiences at school and are not confident about studying. So, despite sniffling and coughing, I was doubly keen to do whatever I could to make today a success.

At the first break, one of the trainees said to me, ‘Somehow at school it never worked. I never read more than a paragraph before I got lost. It’s great being in a group, learning.’

That made my day.

Just after the day’s training finished I relayed the comment to the tutor. ‘Is that what he said? I’m really chuffed. That’s made my day.’

So my day was made all over again.



And while we're on multitasking - my day was also made by all the comments, stars and hearts on yesterday's blip. When I last looked it was still in spotlight. Many, many thanks.