Back to school on Monday. I have begun the difficult process of re-acclimatisation. You can’t rush these things.
I have started by going to my office and looking at all the paper. Then I have gently progressed to organising the paper in simple-minded ways. I have folders. Some of the paper is in the folders.
It is good for the paper to be in the folders. It is good for the paper that is old exams to be in the folder with “exam papers” written on it, and for the paper that is ideas for things to teach about geometry to be in the folder with “geometry” written on it, and for the paper that is really most of the paper when it comes down to it to be in the bin.
Now I have filled the bin completely. No further filling of the bin is possible. There is still much paper that is not in folders and not in the bin, but no more work can be done today.
It’s important to start the year by reminding yourself what teaching is really all about.