Time for the new academic year to get going. Behind us, as I took this shot, the latest clump of aspirants, our objects of care for this year — the new students. Ivy tries to outline the scale of it all to colleague Mark. I think we’re ready for the whistle.
Spent the day doing much the same things as yesterday, hence this photo hits much the same themes. But still, why not? People! In rooms together, thinking! It’s about time.
These are the people I have come all the way to Toronto to work with — because we all decided, no, we are not going to sit and try to interact behind screens. We needed to work together. Ahmad on the left, Dina on the right. They look kinda happy about the prospect, as I was.
At this time last year we had our annual ‘staff awayday‘ entirely in Zoombieland, and frankly it was the lowest point of that bleak, lonely time for me. I could return to the point about why a largely vaccinated population is still being told they should live in fear, but let’s not — instead, let’s at least celebrate the fact that there were some work colleagues around today. Only a few, but they were there, and how much better the day was for it. Left-to-right; Steve, Miri, Stephen (pictured in his office two weeks ago), Miguel. Happy Fridays, everyone. Take back your public spaces.
I don’t normally depict work colleagues on here but it’s worth making an exception today. For three years at least I’ve been working on getting a new hybrid (mixture of online and on-campus) MA launched (in Educational Leadership), and over this weekend we are finally welcoming our first batch of students. Here are some of them, along with Paul, Bee and Steve, fellow academics, looking happy about this at the meal we organised to mark the occasion. And I am glad too, it’s always a relief to see something come to fruition. There’ll be more of this on Sunday, a working day this weekend (a price to be paid)…
Let’s have a change from snow and winter. I’m sure there will be more tomorrow. Almost exactly a year from when she was pictured at dinner on 10/3/17, on my first visit to Tromsø (the present one being my fourth), here is Helene again. I know she does a lot more than just eat dinner….
I’ve worked with all four of these people (Susan, Gary, Mike — and, on screen, Marilena) for quite a while. Which is why we probably all look so excited at the prospect of a two-hour meeting with each other…. Only kidding.
Being 42 