Firstly it would be remiss of me to not wish everyone from the Royal School Community a very Happy New Year, I hope all of you had a joyful and restful festive break.
I write this on Monday the 15th of January 2024, the day that has been referred to as Blue Monday, or simply the day in the calendar that is ‘officially’ the most depressing. It is the day when the glow of the holidays has now evaporated, and we are left with the growing realisation that the nights will continue to be long and cold.
For schools, it is often the day when a whole host of extremely important transitional events happen. A time of Mock Examinations for our older students and the beginning of new learning moments for our younger ones. It can be an exciting time, but ultimately the mock examinations start the final leg of the journey to real exams in April, May and June, a moment that can definitely feel like a ‘Blue Monday’ for those students involved in these events.
It can be stressful, worrying and sometimes overwhelming for young people going through these processes, and let’s be honest, not just for students! For teachers we work and hope to ensure that the outcome is a positive one, and for parents it is a time when you want to see your child’s hard work pay off!
This feeling can become intense, a ‘Blue Monday’ can turn into a ‘Blue January’, ‘Blue Winter’, ‘Blue Year’.
It is vital that we strive to stay positive during these moments, studying is important, but breaks are too. Time is needed to relax, time to chill, time to enjoy other people’s company. Some elements of pressure are good for young people, but too much and it can be debilitating.
I see every day how much our students want to be successful, and it is our joint responsibility to support them to get to where they want. Supporting each other, throwing off the shackles of Blue Monday, and identifying the positives will ultimately lead to us all feeling a little better!
Good luck to all our students taking Mock Exams, and good luck to everyone else with the start of the new year!
