January 29, 2012 Leave a comment
A minor epiphany.
Got an extra afternoons work tomorrow, I had planned to… Well I hadn’t planned anything really but I was ready to have an afternoon off and I was on the phone and then suddenly I was saying yes. So, it’s extra pounds that I wouldn’t have had otherwise (on a separate note, it’s strange being paid daily). So I thought I would ‘treat’ myself except as I wandered around Aldi (eggs, sweet potato, carrots, lettuce) I realised that I didn’t need to treat myself. It’s happened where I’ve been wandering round the supermarket thinking I should get something naughty and ended up not getting them. I wasn’t ever really sure why.
Today I realised it was because it’s not how I choose to eat now. I don’t need to eat those sorts of foods as a treat, or because I’ve had a bad day or it’s the weekend. I choose to eat a certain way and I’m happy with that.
January 24, 2012 Leave a comment
Day 1.
Every day is day 1 isn’t it?
Anyway. This is day 1 of the 40 day challenge. I relaxed a bit over the weekend. I could tell you all the things I had that weren’t strictly paleo if you like? I did have a couple of drinks on Friday too and didn’t feel great for it, both Friday night and Saturday morning. Clearly I wasn’t used to the things I was consuming. After doing Fran at Train on Saturday I lost all interest in having a cheat weekend to be honest, why would I want to?
Coupled with reading this > beastmodaldomains.com/2011/09/28/my-take-on-nutrition-paleo-brownies-are-dumb/ (take away point – ‘ I don’t stress over what I eat. I just eat clean.’ Though there’s a heavy dose of swearing.) and I realised I needed to just be more sensible about my choices. I still don’t plan to eat processed food, especially sugary foods or grains but I will be occasionally using protein shakes and I’m going to occasionally dip into having some dairy. I was strict for the first 20 days of January and while I can do it, that’s not a reason. Instead just going to make sensible (as I see it) choices about what I eat and while it’s against the 40 day challenge. So be it.
Did some strength work today which was ok, though need to remember to stand up straight on the front squat more. I hope I don’t ache too much tomorrow…
January 23, 2012 Leave a comment
January 19, 2012 Leave a comment
“The human species is driving itself full speed into an evolutionary dead-end. We are destroying the planet and everything we do kills animals. We have lost our moral compass. We think in terms of profit and power rather than ethics and compassion. We no longer have any reverence for life or any sense of connection with the natural world. We see ourselves as conquerors of nature rather than citizens of a vast bio-community. We are technologically sophisticated and morally retarded. We have no conception of the importance of non-human life forms in sustaining ecosystems. We fail to realize that what we do to animals, we do to ourselves.” ~Steve Best
January 17, 2012 Leave a comment
Why I teach.
I feel that I have found the the occupation that I would be happy to spend the rest of my life doing in teaching. I have a job that motivates me and excites me and I am appreciative of this fact. I like that each day and lesson is different, that I can see the results of what I am doing over the days and weeks. I like to try and make my teaching and the children’s learning interesting (dare I say fun) as much as possible because I believe this is when one can, as a teacher, make the most difference. I try and create an environment where children are respected, respectful but where they can just be themselves. Where they are willing to try anything – I like to say ‘learn by doing’ a lot. I want them to have that confidence to have a go, to be able to accept that things won’t go perfectly all the time but that that’s ok. That’s how we learn. Where they are always excited by the learning new thing. I feel at primary school level, as much as teaching the basics of reading, writing and numeracy we are teaching skills that the children will use for the rest of their lives for example how we treat each other and how we approach problems. I like to think I am aware of this and I am always trying to look at the bigger picture when I’m working.
(Write this for something else but thought I’d put it here.)
January 16, 2012 Leave a comment
Job application sent off. Now feels like the time to do it. I’ve had lots of good experience here in the UK at a range of very different schools and now just feels right…
January 15, 2012 Leave a comment