The Baobab staff have been nothing short of heroic and it is a privilege to work beside you during this difficult time. Although we face different challenges each day, we recognise that we are a school of enormous privilege and that many other schools in Gaborone, are even more vulnerable, at this stage. I am hoping and praying that teachers and school staff will be vaccinated in the coming weeks. This will bring much needed protection, to the staff, who place themselves and their families in harm’s way each and every day, to ensure that our students get the education they so desperately deserve. Self-motivation is key to the success of daily living. As teachers, it is imperative that we not only have realistic expectations on what our students can handle, but also, we must create a learning environment that sets ourselves up for success during these times. To understand the times we teach in, we must adequately address all the concerns staff have which is related to our responsibilities such as marking, moderating, student/parent/family contact, and consultations, planning for term 3, and preparation for our own professional learning via online webinars. Thank goodness our WiFi capabilities will assist with classroom management. Make use of the internet to broaden our students knowledge and interest in learning. Remember that you can’t inspire someone if we’re not taking care of ourselves. Everyone needs to be honest with themselves about when they need to recharge their batteries, and don’t be afraid to discuss it with management. Once you get past taking care of yourself, then you need to do what you have always done best when you are face-to-face with your students. That is, they need to have fun. We are all a little frazzled, but you have to have fun with teaching and find creative ways to connect with your colleagues and students. Project and Inquiry based tasks allow the students to express themselves, keep looking at ways to challenge them. We are looking at a staff inter-house song sing-along to show off to our students. We can livestream the event and I urged everyone to get behind the initiative and sing and have fun. Everyone has fun. Everyone feels good. Looking towards the Tokyo Olympics, lets tweak their interest in the games. A reminder that should you need to vent, or talk, you are free to express how you are doing and how you are feeling, my door is open. We must tend to our mental, emotional and physical demands and challenges, support each other, support the students.It’s about relationships, having fun on the job, loving the kids and making sure you are still inspiring people. Focus on service and stay positive. I’ve added a page or two of great sites to visit, especially now your classroom might have internet. I enjoyed the site where a celebrity reads a book to students, numerous options to be creative and change our educational strategy for a while. Have a safe, restful weekend.