Meet Ziggy.

'Get a dog' they said. 'It will be fun' they said. 'It will add to the family' they said.

This pooch - like parenting - has taught me a lot about my resilience (or lack thereof). It has certainly not been the dream that I had imagined. Whilst beautiful, he's demanding and likes to whine a lot. I thought I would be able to plan my lessons at the kitchen table with my pup keeping my feet warm. Not happened yet. Mostly he likes to nudge me/nip me/chew the chair leg while I work and, following a awkward incident when he peed on the floor whilst I was running one of my online lessons, I now teach in a different room.

However, the poor boy has been unwell recently (resulting in even more disruption and prevention of work) but it occurred to me that he has been the epitome of resilience. He's been in quite a lot of pain but is still ridiculously excited to see us when we come through the front door. The children have also been resilient and haven't batted an eyelid at the fact we have been a bit more stressed than usual and have simply focused all their love and attention on him. Now he's on the mend he is a bit more manageable and I've learned I need to channel a bit more of my children's and my pup's resilience!

My students demonstrate resilience every time they show up to a lesson - often they are tired and have had a long day at school but still come full of energy and with an enthusiasm to learn. They are troopers and I feel privileged that I can be part of their learning journey - wherever that may lead them.