Bernard Walter

Tag: Working Life

  • January 7, 2025

    It was 9:30 pm before I finally put work away today. That’s too late.

    One goal I have for myself this year is to establish and maintain a better work-life balance, which includes building SANA Stationery & Gifts, my side hustle. I was supposed to do that work last year but I never got around to it.

    The problem with working too much is that I don’t then get enough room to gain enough perspective on the work I’m doing. Without that distant vantage point, I become entangled in the centre of a spiral. My worldview becomes less of a kaleidoscope and more of a paper towel tube.

  • September 28, 2023

    It happened again today. Somebody told me that the reason people keep asking me for help is because I keep saying, “Yes”. I was probably complaining about feeling overwhelmed or simply too busy.

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  • September 13, 2023

    I think today was the sixth day of school. Already, I’m muttering under my breath, swearing out loud when I think no one is around, and annoyed with students’ behaviour. I will say that I do really enjoy wearing the tongueless shoes I got in the summer. They’re rather comfortable.

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  • August 31, 2023

    I’m not ready for the new school year to begin. I went to school today for a few hours but didn’t get enough done. Going in tomorrow is going to be a pain. After work, I went to the workshop, where I managed to finish an order that I’ve been working on.

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  • July 3, 2023

    July 3, 2023

    The first few days of summer are like the next day after a night out drinking — hungover. You feel it. You know you did something your body managed to survive. Facing the consequences hurts.

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  • June 26, 2023

    June 26, 2023

    The last week of school is finally here. I can’t wait for this school year to be over. The goodbyes have already started.

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  • May 12, 2023

    May 12, 2023

    “If it’s not a, ‘Hell, yes!’, it’s a ‘No’.”

    I think it was Adam Grant who said that. Today, it resonates. I’m wavering on a decision I’ve been mulling over for the better part of a year. I’m trying to decide what I want to focus on over the next year in terms of my career development.

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  • April 25, 2023

    April 25, 2023

    I had a booth at a marketplace today. It was a work thing. As part of the conference, there was a “marketplace” where we presented on how we use technology in our classrooms.

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  • April 19, 2023

    April 19, 2023

    I was listening to The Happiness Lab on my way to work this morning. I’ve been trying to listen my way through the podcast. I think I’m now only a year back. Anyway, this morning I was listening to an episode about burnout.

    I think I’m burnt out.

    It might have been only a couple of years ago when I felt burnt out. I remember it being a whirlwind of a time for me. This time is different. This time, I think that my burn out is a result of something different, something more insidious. And, I think, too, that whatever I’m trying to do to combat the feeling is not quite enough.

    I don’t want to be here but avoiding it isn’t going to make the situation better. Maybe this is why yesterday’s Wordle result resonated with me.

    It feels a bit like I’ve been spinning my wheels lately. I’m uncomfortable when remaining stagnant. I can get myself in trouble when things slow down too much so I want to be sure to do what I can to lessen the impacts of what’s become a pandemic, of sorts, of its own.

  • April 12, 2023

    April 12, 2023

    I’ve been finding myself to be increasingly irritable at work. I can feel the tension rising up my back and settling on my shoulders as I make my way to work in the morning.

    I have a buddy who likes to distinguish between teachers who say they’re going to work and those who are going to school. Unfortunately, right now, I’m going to work. I love going to school but I don’t know when I was there last.

    There are many things at play. The aftereffects of the pandemic, increasing use of technology, changing social norms, puberty, all play their part in this. What really gets me is the seeming lack of self-awareness and empathy. It seems that we overspent on our benevolence and are in a time of attrition. I’m not sure how we are caring for ourselves and others. I don’t know that we know what we’re even aiming at.

    I don’t like that I feel powerless when I also feel like I’m working too hard. I felt powerful when I was in school.

  • Emails at Work

    Emails at Work

    I started in my current role as the teacher-librarian at our school a couple of years ago. To get information out, I have to send broadcast emails to all of the staff, and I try to make them interesting to read. The email I sent earlier this week has gotten a lot of positive feedback. A few people have told me that reading my emails makes them smile. Hearing this makes me feel good.

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  • I video chat with my sister on Sundays

    I video chat with my sister on Sundays

    My sister and I haven’t been in the same city for more than a few months in the last 20-odd years. Yet, we remain incredibly close. We don’t talk on the phone much; we’ve gone weeks without hearing from each other. Text messages keep us in contact but I have a bad habit of reading them and then not responding. We miss each other.

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