Today, being Monday, was packed with tasks and responsibilities. To tackle the workload efficiently, I had to adopt a strategic approach as I prioritise tasks based on their importance. With a long list in front of me, I focused on what truly mattered and created a mental checklist to stay organized. I had notes to mark classes to attend and attendance to take – each requiring my full attention.
In addition, a memo came through the principal, notifying us of an impending visit from the Ministry of Education representatives. Along with this announcement, I was specifically called in, alongside other core subject teachers, to prepare for the inspection. The principal informed me and the math teacher that inspectors would be reviewing both the English and mathematics departments. Hearing this, I remained calm, as I had already completed much of my required documentation. I only needed to tidy up some daily tasks and update a few records to be completely prepared.
After my discussion with the principal, I returned to my office, focused on updating and organizing my work. I checked each file to make sure that all necessary records were in order and finalized any outstanding tasks. By the time I completed everything, I noticed that it was almost closing time – only about ten minutes remained before the school day officially ended.
With the remaining minutes, I decided to do a quick walk around the school premises to ensure that no students were loitering around. It’s common for some of them to stay back after classes, chatting instead of heading straight home. Ironically, these same students tend to disappear at the mention of extra lessons! Today, however, my round was quicker than usual, as most students had already made their way out.
Just as I was about to wrap up for the day, something unusual caught my eye. A monkey was climbing the fruit tree close to one of the classrooms. I stood there, completely fascinated by the sight. Seeing a monkey in our schoolyard was a surprise, as I had never encountered one here before. It was a moment of unexpected delight amid the otherwise routine day, and I watched the monkey move effortlessly through the branches, inspecting the tree as if it were his personal playground.
The charm of nature didn’t end there. Nearby, a group of birds had taken advantage of the quiet surroundings as they turned the school grounds into their playground now that the students were gone. I took out my phone and captured a few pictures of them as they flew around, filling the empty spaces with movement and song. Observing the birds and the monkey made me feel momentarily detached from the day’s stresses as I was engrossed instead in the simplicity and beauty of nature.
