Thursday 13th March 2025 - Turning Challenges into Triumphs: A Day of Problem-Solving, Creativity, and Reflection

"Every challenge is an opportunity to grow. I embrace each obstacle with resilience and gratitude."

Hello all.

Some days test your patience, while others bring unexpected victories. Today was a bit of both. From battling technical issues that disrupted schools across the Trust to finding joy in creative projects and inspiring young minds, it was a day of problem-solving, resilience, and reflection. And, while it started off on a stressful note, I ended the day with gratitude, knowing that every challenge I faced had a resolution.

A Late Start to My Morning Routine

After a late finish yesterday, I didn’t have time for my usual deep breathing and cold shower this morning. I planned to do them at the end of the day instead. In hindsight, I really wish I had made time for them earlier, because today turned out to be one of the most stressful days I’ve had in a while.

The weather didn’t help either—rainy, gloomy, and cold—the kind of weather that always puts me in a low mood. But despite the rough start, I reminded myself that my mindset is my choice. And thankfully, my first task of the day was something that lifted my spirits.

Stations of the Cross: A Moment of Joy

One of the highlights of my morning was working with my Stations of the Cross group. Today, the students focused on researching their chosen scripture using the laptops. Seeing their enthusiasm and interest in the project instantly put me in a better mood.

There’s something fulfilling about watching young minds engage with a meaningful task, asking thoughtful questions, and piecing together their understanding of faith and history. It reminded me why I love what I do.

But, just when I thought the day was looking up, the real challenge arrived.

Technical Chaos: The Internet Blocks Schools Across the Trust

Shortly after the Stations of the Cross session, everything fell apart.

Not just at my school, but across multiple schools in the Trust, teachers and staff were reporting the same problem—internet access was being blocked across different computers.

What started as a few isolated cases quickly turned into a widespread crisis. I spent hours moving from computer to computer, manually unblocking the internet. But as soon as I fixed one, another would go down. It was like a never-ending cycle.

At that point, I had to admit defeat and call the Trust IT Team for assistance. After some troubleshooting, they found the root cause—a conflict between the school’s antivirus software and firewall settings.

The only solution?

✅ Every single computer needed to be left on
✅ The firewall had to update itself
✅ Each system had to be rebooted

Only then would the issue be permanently resolved.

Though it was frustrating and unexpected, I was grateful for the help from the Trust IT Team. By the end of the day, my school was fully operational again, and I hoped the other schools in the Trust were too.

While it was a stressful experience, it reinforced an important lesson—sometimes, no matter how hard you try to fix a problem, you need to ask for help. And that’s okay.

From Frustration to Creativity: Teaching Website Design in Year 6

After the IT chaos, I needed something to reset my energy. Luckily, my next task was teaching website design to Year 6 using Google Sites.

This turned out to be one of the most rewarding moments of the day.

💡 The students were engaged and eager to learn.
💻 Some of them picked it up so quickly—they might be future web developers!
🎨 It was fun seeing their creativity take shape through different design choices.

Their enthusiasm was contagious, and it gave me a much-needed boost of motivation.

Creating a Powerful Image for Station 1

Later in the afternoon, I was asked to help another Stations of the Cross group with their project.

The students working on Station 1 had an idea for a war theme to represent their station, but no one in the group felt confident in their artistic skills. So, I stepped in to create a powerful poster for them.

Using Canva and various news sources, I compiled a striking image depicting the atrocities of war. It wasn’t just about making something visually impactful—it was about sending a message.

⚠️ War is never the answer.
🕊️ All issues can be solved through listening and talking.

It was a small but meaningful contribution, and I hope it helps the students convey the importance of peace in their final project.

Confession Time: Owning Up to a Busy Workload

In the afternoon, I had my online IT meeting with the IT team across different schools.

During the meeting, I had to admit something that had been weighing on my mind—I had been so busy with school responsibilities that I hadn’t had time to repair any of the iPads that had been sent to me.

With staff shortages, covering lessons, and the Teaching School Hub being busier than ever, I simply hadn’t had time.

I felt like I had let them down, but my headteacher reassured me that I made the right choice—my school’s priorities had to come first.

Even though I still felt a little guilty, I reminded myself that I can’t do everything at once.

Finding Joy in the Small Things

To cheer myself up, I focused on something more positive—sharing amazing social media posts about the students’ creative projects.

📢 Year 3 spent the day outside, building wooden shelters and roasting marshmallows over an open fire.
📍 Year 4 turned their lesson into a real-life map-based treasure hunt, hiding books and challenging their classmates to find them using coordinates.

Moments like these remind me of the magic of teaching. The creativity, the hands-on learning, the sense of adventure—it’s what makes education truly special.

Durham County Referee’s Association Meeting

After work, I drove to Trimdon for a Durham County Referee’s Association Officers Meeting.

⚽ As Secretary, I recorded all discussions and took notes
📝 It was a productive session, and I left with a full page of minutes to type up

It was a productive meeting, and I’ll be typing up the minutes over the next few days.

Ending the Day with Reflection & Gratitude

Back at home, I relaxed with Fearne and Juli, watching ‘8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’ on E4.

Fearne was so tired, she fell asleep on the couch. After that, Juli wanted to watch something else, so I headed to my office and finally typed up the Freemasons Charity AGM minutes.

It had been on my to-do list for ages, and I finally got it done.

Now, as I write this, it’s past midnight, and I still have one last task—my deep breathing and cold shower.

After a long day, I’ve definitely earned it.

Reflections & Gratitude

✅ Faced a major IT challenge and got my school back online.
✅ Helped students explore website design and digital creativity.
✅ Created a powerful image for the Stations of the Cross project.
✅ Participated in an important referee’s association meeting.
✅ Ended the day with family and some long-overdue admin work.

Today was a test of patience, problem-solving, and endurance—but I made it through. How do you handle unexpected challenges in your day? Let me know in the comments! 😊

#ProblemSolving #Teaching #Technology #Creativity #Education #PersonalGrowth #Faith #Resilience #Gratitude #Refereeing