This is the last month but one of the year 2021.
I've been seeing a lot of posts along the lines of,
"How will you spend the last X days of the year?"
I don't think it matters unless I have been taking consistent action throughout the year, small though they may be.
Of course, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't start anything new, but I won't start something now just because of some artificially applied external pressure.
Which means that, if I'm starting something, it must have been planned beforehand, and not taken on willy-nilly.
So, the last X days of the year?
I'll be spending them as I had planned.
There will be a couple of new things and the dropping of some old ones.
It's not quite "a new chapter", but it's definitely the next page.
Over-Eager to Please vs. Never Pleased
Those who are over-eager to please often find themselves working with those who can never be pleased.
As amusing as I find these situations from the sidelines, it is exhausting working with either type.
Because my threshold for nonsense is so low, I drop my involvement in projects as soon as I sense that the project manager from either side is one of these types.
Some may think me too picky or that I think too highly of myself.
Well, I'd rather be those things than waste my time and energy on the wrong audience for my work.
Online Science Programmes? Not For Me, Thanks.
A day of running 2 different science programmes online has fueled my non-enthusiasm towards them.
The inability to run actual physical activities for a science programme that is non-abstract is a real sticking point for me.
I get that schools are apprehensive about running full-scale programmes, and I appreciate the comparative simplicity of teaching life skills and even coding skills through a virtual format.
But physical sciences require physical activities to learn them properly.
Virtual labs are alright at a pinch, but there were so many incidents during the programmes when I was thinking,
"This would have been so much more impactful and enjoyable if we were doing the real thing".
Again, I understand the situation that we are in, but it's really not doing the students any favours.
Listen Out For the Level-Headed Amongst You.
Being quick to criticise without adequate understanding has always been a human failing.
In the past, it took way more effort and time.
It was also much easier to avoid these constant complainers.
Today, all it takes is a few taps on a screen, keyboard, and/or mouse button, and their groans and gripes are all over the media feeds.
Minimum effort, maximum effect.
And, as with all things loud and popular, many more jump on the bandwagon.
The charge that the more savvy people are with social media, the more whiny they get isn't without some truth.
But it isn't all that they are.
There are also a lot of level-headed, thoughtful people out there. We just hear less from them, perhaps because they are actually taking the time to formulate their thoughts.
Give it a little time and you'll hear and appreciate their insights.