Passing the baton
Strange feeling, giving away work. Delightful too. I’d been anticipating for a little while being able to pass on the Ireland programme I work on - today I got to write that ‘introducing my new colleague’ email.
In some ways, you kind of feel you could have written it any time. It’s a bit like the feeling when the day comes round to get on a particular plane to a long-booked destination. You could have done it earlier, or any day, in some ways - but the point when it finally happens seems ever so ordinary. (Maybe that’s just my experience with flights. Every year I seem to take longer and longer to believe I’m finally on holiday.)
It’s been a nice programme to work on, encouraging schools in Ireland to link with schools in Scotland. But as I’ve been running it on my own, from the Scotland side at any rate, it can be a bit of an anti-climax. No one to commemorate it with you. On the up side, the colleague taking it on also works with me on with students, so I’ll no doubt keep up with bits of what’s happening.
I’ve been aware for some time of how much my work relies on emails to make things happen. With an email I…confirm someone can go abroad, make their day with the placement they longed for, or equally confirm that they can’t have their heart’s desire but they can still go somewhere worthwhile. It’s simultaneously powerful and very ordinary.
Today I used an email to cut my workload. It would be nice to try a different one tomorrow to give me a payrise…but there’s probably only so much power you can wield at a time.
Add comment January 14th, 2008