One Day
Recently I was in a supermarket when I noticed that an end of aisle promotion of paperback books featured David Nicholls’ ‘One Day’. Having read this 2010 novel many years before I was surprised to see it in such a prominent position. Sometime later that weekend I realised that the renaissance of interest in this title had been sparked by a new tv serialisation of the book when a Netflix alert popped up on my phone.
For those individuals who aren’t familiar with the book it is basically a love story revolving around a friendship spanning 20 years. The charm and attraction of this endearing tale can be attributed in large parts to the imaginative approach of the author, which provides a snapshot into the lives of the two main protagonists on the 15th of July for each of the years covered. Hence the title ‘One Day’
Netflix of course has a lot of power. It has along with other major platforms changed how we consume tv and film and now I was swayed by the clever marketing strategies steering me towards binge watching the series. I am also pleased to say that this piqued interest also resulted in me re -reading the fabulous book. Something that I very rarely do.
I greatly enjoyed the book the second time around as I thought I possibly would, but I was left with one overriding impression. A take-away thought that I don’t recall dominated my first interaction with the story. During the re-visit I now found myself far more conscious of the time element. Now this may simply be down to the fact that the major themes of the novel were already somewhere stored in the dusty filing cabinets of my memory and therefore I was not seduced into attacking the text at breakneck pace to reveal the plot. Alternatively, my age may have been a factor because I now certainly belong to that age bracket that regularly pass remarks about the passing of time taking place at an increasingly rapid rate.
On further reflection, however, it may be that my career in education was the prominent influence upon how the time aspect now resonated with me more. I have long been both familiar, and also comfortable, with how subconsciously my work experience has asserted itself as the main prism through which I view life.
Just like the 15th of July keeps coming around annually, the academic year has a plethora of dates in the calendar which act as milestones and measuring points marking the passage of time. In the same way that farmers know exactly where they are by the tasks they face within each particular season, so too teachers have reference points that frame their working lives. Parents’ evenings, report writing, sports days, leavers shows, harvest festivals, summer fetes. All these and many more take their turn to come around year on year.
We are now at February. This marks the half-way point in the year. A fact that strangely often goes unnoticed, but we are indeed three half terms through a total of six. How should we approach the second half? The challenge is to stop using the calendar to steer our path and determine our approach to teaching. The life of an academy should never be solely a number of events to metaphorically tick off like crossing through mundane items on a weekly shopping list.
We need excitement and spontaneity and not people going through the motions.
In my first year of headship, I had a difficult time with a member of staff who resisted the child centred approach I was championing. They had baulked at my staff meetings themed around meaningful teaching as opposed to time filling exercises that left children lethargic and comatose. I wanted the children to enjoy their learning. I wanted them feasting in high end restaurants, the member of staff was content with them simply chewing gum! She didn’t see the need to move away from the ‘gainful employment’ approach of her lessons. Each morning, I was the first one to arrive at school to demonstrate my commitment. As I started work, I purposely left the office door open as a symbol of approachable leadership and availability. Every single day that member of staff walked by on route to the staffroom and muttered, in a deliberately audible fashion, the number of ‘get-ups’ left until the next holiday period. It was a miserable countdown like an advent calendar without any chocolate. As that number of get ups gradually reduced it increased my resolve to fill a school with teachers who did not think like that. Fortunately, I got really, really close to that goal.
Our academies are not fictional pieces of work. It is not just about one day.
We want places that are real and alive all the time. We are shaping individuals and that is a huge responsibility and such a big job. Hopefully we can make our pupil’s experiences enjoyable and meaningful each time they walk through the doors. After all, don’t we all want a happy ending.
Finally, having used a song lyric reference in a previous blog, one last observation comes from a similar source. A Deacon Blue song has the lines;
Did you see the movie or did you read the book?
Did you really go there or were you only took?
By all means watch the series but don’t forget to read the book. Take your time, breathe in the characters, travel with them through their journey. Life is more than a box set that we race through.
Don’t rush. Enjoy every single page.