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Ain't love a strange thing?

I recently had a discussion about love. We agreed that love is a state - a state of mind perhaps. How do we determine whether we love or are in love?  Love changes according to our emotional psyche. However, I believe that there are levels to that state and we move around this in a circular motion with external factors determining which level we end up in at any given time.  There is free movement between levels, so we can move forwards or backwards.  As for the alteration of the state, the factor that made it what it is can never be forgotten and therefore will always heavily influence whether or not one believes that they have eliminated the state of love - it is important here to note that the word believes is used as if for example, you are in a relationship and think you are in love or love someone, the state can be altered by things such as having control, neglect etc., then we as humans quickly conclude that they no longer love or are in love because of being emotionally traumat
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First Class - Never Too Late to Study

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    The emotions, sacrifices and dedication it took for me to get this far is a testament to how much of a role model I intend to be for my children. During my last pregnancy I made a big decision to change careers from working in the further education sector and transition into secondary teaching. What this meant is that I'd have to have a degree in the subject I've so fondly come to love even more since High School - English. Back to Uni I went. A 38 year old with 10 months and 9 year old girls. Don't get me wrong, I had my fair share of being mentally and physically drained and felt at times that I wouldn't be able to make it to my final year. I prayed, my friends prayed and my family prayed with me. Guess what! I did it! I made it!      I thank God for carrying me. I thank my 3 main girls for pushing and supporting me. Thank you Amanda, Patricia and Thelma. I thank my sister in Jamaica, apart from nagging me with her school work, for always reminding me about the st
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Fifty Things to do before 50

Fifty Things to do before 50 I wrote this just after my 40 th birthday. I’ll do a separate blog about my progress. I have often pondered about what it would be like to do this or to do that. Now I’m thinking, why not? After all, we only have one life to live so why not live it to the max! Here’s a list of things I’d love to do before I get to the big 50. By the way, I’ve got under ten years to accomplish this.   Become a Secondary School Teacher Lose 5 stones Ride a bicycle Go on a Caribbean Cruise Fly to Australia Start a PHD programme Visit a tropical country at least three times a year Complete my autobiography and have it published Write an Anthology Improve my baking skills Sell my flat and buy a house Do some paid work abroad Learn Portuguese See the Northern Lights Do Afternoon Tea Visit Disney World Visit the Pyramids in Egypt Swim with Dolphins Visit St. Lucia Read 100 books in a year Write a will Go glamping Start to pay to
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Teacher Training Week 1a

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     After having another baby nearly four years ago, I decided I wanted to move from teaching in the Further Education field to teaching Secondary. I haven't yet asked myself why. I suppose this is a good sign so far.  Others have asked me why and my answer is:  As a child, my grandmother heavily influenced my development in English as a subject.  She encouraged me to read books until I was overly excited to visit the mobile library once per week to borrow different books. This along with what I was taught at school, consolidated my experience of English as a subject.        During my working years, I reflected on how best to utilise the attributes I possessed to develop others.  English was a favourite of mine and therefore, there was no doubt that I wanted to teach English. I also wanted to explore the boundaries and limitations of English and how this impacted on others’ development and experiences of the language. I've worked in a voluntary capacity within the Primary Scho
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Jump Pass Our Past

Jump Pass Our Past     The recent uproar sparked by the unjust way an American police officer fatally dealt with George Floyd, has led many to re-think the past. Our past have always and will always be just that - our past, our history. There is no doubt that we bear the mark of slavery and by 'we', I mean every race.       I was taken to the Caribbean as a child by my grandmother in the early 1980s. She was one of the many that arrived in Britain during the Windrush era to join her husband. Looking back at my childhood, I have no regrets that I was brought up in Jamaica. However, reflecting on the history I learnt during my secondary years at school, I cannot recall much about 'Black History'.  A lot was taught to us about European History. This subject was one of the least favourites of mine.  You would think that because we were living in a small island that was one of many severely impacted by the slave trade, that we would learn more about the lives of slaves and m
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Empathy

Empathy          As humans, we're always taken on a roller-coaster of emotions. Some we like, some we find difficult and some pushes us to our limits. I've had many of these in my life-time and yet each time the feeling is different. I can't say that I've ever felt the same sadness or experienced the same level of gratitude. They are all just different.           When someone says to you 'I understand how you feel' or 'I sympathise with you', they can't possibly. Even if they think they've been through  the exact same experience or similar, how can you possibly know how I feel? What you can tolerate, I may not be able to. How my hormones react (and gosh have I got lots of those) is completely different from how yours does.           Empathy is a good word. It glorifies itself in trying to maintain a relationship between one who is experiencing and one who is being told of the experience. Yet, you will never wholly understand. In my previous years
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