From Homework to Holidays

25 Jul 2021 • Articles

Until last year, August was the month almost everyone who goes to school looked forward to, teachers included!  Exams were over, end-of-term shows and parties had given the last days of the school year a festive note, there was no more fear of Ofsted, and at last the long school holidays had begun.  Last summer, everything was different, but as I write this I am hoping that August will be much more recognisable in 2021, restoring the usual welcome for its warmth and glory. It is natural to look forward to having the freedom to enjoy a summer of sunshine and flowers, with few showers to dampen our spirits and no storms to trouble us.

Working and studying are an essential part of our human well-being and development - even exams and inspections have their place - but relaxation and refreshment are indispensable, too.Building up a store of knowledge on any subject gives a good foundation for future learning, but leisure can supply links between apparently separate subjects and then link the subjects with everyday life and living.

Will you be able to go away for a holiday this summer?  It is good to take at least a few days away, interrupting your usual routine and discovering different people and places.Holidays can give new meaning to the ordinary patterns of life, and sometimes they can give life a fresh and invigorating direction.

Perhaps you will be spending some time sightseeing this summer.  Churches and cathedrals are popular places for tourists - what is it about these buildings which draws people in as sightseers even if they seldom approach them as worshippers?  Is it the beauty of the architecture, the history they embody, or just their quiet calm? Perhaps it is that even a modern church building speaks of a unity of purpose and meaning which is shared with hundreds of others throughout Britain and the world.

May your free time this summer give you new value and inspiration,

Ann