Upon Reflection

Upon reflection - most things are easier, make more sense, have a better comeback, are more enlightening or more worthwhile. Reflection gives us the chance to stop, think back and put things into perspective. To think of things we may have done differently given the same chance again. Reflection can be heartbreaking, soul-destroying, hope-giving, exhilarating or anything in between. Reflection gives us something that never exists in the actual moment – the chance to stop the clock and really think.

Have you ever done something that really tested you – physically, mentally?  I remember completing a 50km walk years ago with some great friends, and although completely under-prepared, we found ourselves lost and tired in the darkening night. It was anything but fun. My feet hurt, my bones were tired, I was hungry, cold and running out of positivity fast. Upon reflection, those hours were amongst the most valuable bonding times I have spent with those friends – we now reminisce on our experience and double over in laughter at the times we had whilst wandering around the hills, wondering if we would ever finish the course!

Professional reflection is important too. As a teacher, I have NEVER stood back at the end of the day and said to myself “Wow, I really nailed it today. I did everything perfectly and it all went to plan!” It just does not happen. Sure, there are times at the end of a session when I feel like the kids really “got it” or we made some good connections or discussed something really valuable. But that is invariably followed up by someone poking someone else in the eye, calling someone a baby or another disaster of such magnitude.  

In all seriousness – reflection is the way that I plan my way ahead. Looking back to look forward – if that makes any sense?! I learned about a great theory from Wiggins & McTighe – whose theory of Backwards Design is incredibly wise: It seems so simple – where do we want to finish up? Start with that. Then, plot my way there. What do I need to do for the students to achieve success at that end point? How can I support them to get there? What have we done before that has worked well? How much can they achieve in the time allocated? The cycle of action and reflection is literally endless.

And I wonder why I find it hard to still my mind at night! What could I have done differently for those students who just didn’t get it? How else could I have said that? What activities could have been richer, more engaging, better structured?

If I let my thoughts run away, I would never think about anything else, and in all honesty – that’s one of my biggest challenges this year. But reflection is important for my development as a teacher, and I think as long as I use reflection as a tool to keep pursuing more engaging, more relevant, more authentic learning – I guess I am heading in the right direction. Reaching for continuous improvement is giving my students the best chance of success. That’s what it’s really all about.

At the end of a particularly rewarding session last week, I was rewarded with a golden comment from one of my students – one that will remain with me for a long time: “Mrs D, you made me so smart.” To which I replied, “no I didn’t – you did that, I just helped you to ask better questions.”

Upon reflection – I hope that gives you the same warm fuzzy it gave me…

Until next time – tell your reflection that it’s special.

A Spoonful of Confidence

At times, it’s easy to feel confident to stand in front of a group of people and play the clown, discuss a topic or ask questions to clarify things. You feel that you are in control of the situation, you own your thoughts and words and you have the confidence to seek clarification without feeling a fool.  I have never been cursed with being shy – sometimes that in itself is a curse, but that’s a story for another time….

In my class this year, I have a number of students who are so quietly spoken that I must demand absolute silence in the classroom in order to hear their voices. I am working on many ways to help them build their confidence – starting with the fact that we all value their contributions!

To balance the quiet ones, there are always the loud ones. The ones whose hands are up at any given moment – whether or not they have considered what they are going to say… (!) and the ones who feel that their voice should be heard regarding anything and everything. This is not a bad thing, just such a contrast!!  I think I was one of these students at school – nope, actually – I’m sure I was.

One boy in my class was “sharing” with the rest of the class a couple of weeks ago, and he was telling us about an adventure type course he’d completed on the weekend. He started out fairly confidently (as he’s one of my big contributors) but even with his high level of confidence, he was “testing the waters” with the class, and how they were reacting to his story.  The story began quite realistically – based on fact, but as he progressed, he found that he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand: laughing when things were funny, nodding appreciatively, gasping in anticipation…

This confident 7 year old soon found himself embellishing the facts,  exaggerating events and basically converting himself into the role of a super-human child. My favourite line of his was “I was running along, and then I think, yeah – I did a flip”. The class were cheering and hollering – they loved the story, although I am not sure whether they really bought into the elaborated details – it’s hard to say.

Another girl in my class suffered a fall that resulted in a broken arm recently – and as a result was elevated to “legend status” in all of Year 3. She was one of the quietest girls in the class, and now everyone wanted to help carry her bag, be her friend and helper and generally be seen with “the cool girl with the broken arm”.  As unfortunate as her broken arm was, I found her surrounded by friends in the classroom and playground, chatting happily and contributing in class. I no longer had to stop the class from talking in order to hear her voice. A strange phenomenon, yes – but in the best way possible.

Now, I am not suggesting that we ask our quiet children to break a limb in order to boost confidence! We will always have a mixture of loud and quiet in the classroom – and that’s important for dynamics in many ways. I only wish that it was possible for the quieter students to have the chance to share more readily and frequently. So my goal is to find ways to incorporate more strategies that don’t necessarily include talking to the class to share our insights – it can be done, and it begins now! Stay tuned for strategies I’m trying – no broken limbs or super human abilities required!

Until next time – try looking yourself in the mirror and saying “hey everybody, come see how good I look!”

Team Future

"Excuse me Miss, have you seen my adjectives?"

The other day I learned about a new species of bird. It’s called the Cockadoodle. Kind of like a Cockatoo – but different. It displays a rainbow of vibrantly coloured shining plumage – mostly electric blue, and feeds on enormous meals of assorted sized bowls of steaming fresh pasta and deliciously mouth watering sweets. It likes to live inside, preferably sleeping on the luxurious top bunk with the affectionate spotty dog.

I also heard delightful tales of gallant princes, scheming wizards, gigantic juicy red apples, amazing potions to undertake all sorts of amazing spells and life in pristine, grand castles, large sprawling gardens and lazy aquamarine worlds under the sparkling ocean.

That was in the morning.

By the afternoon, I encountered a familiar but nonetheless disturbing phenomenon – it often happens, you may have seen it in yourself or others when your energy begins to fade. Our worlds of fantasy from the morning disappeared. Our imaginations began to dwindle. Our sentences became unbearably drab and mind-numbingly dull.

We had lost our adjectives.

A world without adjectives is a world in which I would not choose to live. Imagine sharing a sensational sunset with someone without any adjectives.

“Oh, look at the sun”

“Yes, it’s setting”

With no adjectives we could not describe the lights, the colours, the sounds, the feelings associated with this beautiful phenomenon. Our statements would be purely facts – observations of events with no emotional attachment.

Think about it – imagine if we had no adjectives when discussing love. Or food, or travel, music, movies, babies, clothes, sports matches... In fact – adjectives are what give us the tools to describe and really feel our love of things, events and people. They are the connections, the descriptions, the parodies and the metaphors. They are the similes, the affections, the comparisons and even the oxymorons.

Definition of ADJECTIVE:

A word that describes a person or thing.

When you think about an adjective just like that, it is a word. But when you find yourself without adjectives, consider your sentences and how they may appear to an outsider. They would contain no humour, no drama and not much of any interest. And that’s all fine if you find yourself in an isolated cave, alone in the car or in a small cubicle where conversation or communication is not required… but in a classroom!? In a place of learning, discussing, sharing and reflecting! No adjectives! Just imagine it!

Thankfully we were able to locate our beloved adjectives. We had some literacy games, we shared some writing on the board and we really thought hard about ways to make our writing and communicating more stimulating. But as with anything you’ve ever lost or been without for a while – our feelings of affection for our adjectives was heightened.

My message to you is to love your adjectives. To use them often, respect them and build upon them! Words that describe give our language a richness, depth and emotional attachment that make it interesting, stimulating and fun.

And if you ever find yourself missing your adjectives, just think of the Cockadoodle, and how boring he would be if he was just a bird with feathers who ate and slept….

Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Teachers

I seem to have surrounded myself with teachers – almost as if the universe is trying to tell me something…. I married a teacher, my Mother in Law is a teacher. My Aunty and Uncle have been educators for many years. My 2 best friends are teachers, along with many of the other friends I have, in Hong Kong, Australia and around the world.

I am extremely lucky in this respect – as I entered into the profession with deep insight into the type of people that teachers are, and I have noticed – over time – that there are a few common traits amongst many of the teachers I have met. Read on to find out more….

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Teachers

Please note: (*insert sarcasm here*) I don’t do sarcasm.

1.    Teachers LOVE cold tea or coffee. It’s an occupational requirement.

2.    They have specially trained their bladders to only need to “go” at recess or lunch times. They also only get hungry during such break times.

3.    Teachers are real people – even outside of school: therefore, will probably be seen shopping, getting a haircut, dining out, exercising and possibly even drinking socially. Heck, they may even live in your building/suburb – DO NOT BE ALARMED.

4.    There is nothing they would rather do than discuss students individual marks/issues/progress when encountered outside school. Particularly on the weekend.

5.    Educators are particularly fond of marking work and planning lessons on weekends or late into the evenings. They live for it.

6.    They don’t mind if you send your child to school with head lice/high fever/communicable diseases, as they are immune to any of these ailments, diseases and conditions.

7.    The teacher of your children probably hasn’t noticed that your child is gifted/talented/a genius. You should tell them. And have them assessed. And discuss a plan to make sure that their talents are being nurtured appropriately.

8.    Teachers set homework because they like to make sure the students are not bored at home. They do not believe that it is a valuable extension of learning and a great way for parents to keep up to date with what’s happening at school.

9.    Teachers send home notes in school bags as a social experiment. They do not expect them to be read, acknowledged, signed or returned. They are expecting to send more than one copy. They never tire of this. 

10. If you are a parent, teachers know more about you than you would like them to. They know more about you than they would like to know. “Children say the darndest things…”

I am sure that there are so many more things that people don’t know about teachers. Please – add your own, by commenting below!!

Until next time - see you in the supermarket – Team Future

Supply Teacher: What am I Doing Here?!

If you’re a teacher, you have probably had a sick day before, right – and still had to prepare lesson plans for the whole day/s? If you’re a parent, I am sure you have heard the stories of your child being taught by a sub on a few occasions? If you ever went to school – no doubt you remember those cruisy days when you could breathe a deep sigh of relief when you realised that your own teacher was absent….. Well – that’s me. The supply teacher.

A supply (relief) teacher is a valuable member of every schooling community, right?.... c’mon, agree with me…. Please agree with me!!!!  I need a little boost here, tell me you’re on my side.

I work in a few schools here in Hong Kong. If I have been supplying at a school for a while, I walk to school with the usual spring in my step, excited for the day and the learning that will be achieved. Heck, I might even get to run into a few friends in the staff room and have a nice chat over lunch. I know where the classrooms are, the gym and the library – I feel confident composed.

If it’s a new school….. well, that’s another story altogether. The supply teacher in the staff room. *Danger, Danger!!* Don’t speak to the supply teacher! Heaven forbid she might have sat at the wrong table…. And *gasp* is that Brian’s cup she’s drinking from!? And doesn’t she know you can’t wear sandals to school! No one comments on my cute shoes, matching accessories or the extra curls in my hair on those days.

But it’s the “new class” time that creates a small rock in my stomach. I start to doubt myself – “do I know what I am doing?” “What’s the plan for the day – will there be a plan?” “Will there be many behavioural challenges?” Sweat starts to roll down my back (although that could be the humidity!) as the time nears for the students to arrive. I look over the day planner (pulse is beating extremely quickly and very loudly in my ears…), check the roll, read the notes from the teacher, read the school guidelines, procedures, rules…… and then….. the students begin to arrive….

A head peeks around the corner, eyes widen, the head disappears… “IT’S A SUB!!!” excitement ensues. Students come wandering in, trying to look casual… trying to get a look at the new breed of teacher that has arrived in place of their regular teacher…. “Who is she?” “Will she be strict/nice/smart/fun/mean…?” “Where is Mr/Mrs Normal Teacher?” “Do we still have to hand up our homework?” So many questions!?

And then. The bell goes. The day begins. I feel faint. I stand up, clear my throat…….. begin…..

It all comes flooding back – I introduce myself (no more feeling faint), talk about where their regular teacher is (sweat stops rolling), talk about the expectations for the day (can’t hear my pulse in my ears anymore), and discuss the plan for the busy day ahead (pulse speed returns to normal resting rate).

As the day inevitably rolls on, I feel my confidence returning. These students know me now. They know that I will be firm but fair. They know that they are expected to complete their work to an acceptable standard, they know that they are expected to comply with the usual standards of acceptable behaviour, and that if all goes well – we may just finish the day with a game.

The next time I teach this class – hopefully I won’t have all the nasty side effects of starting with a new class… we can just get right down to learning.

My role as a supply teacher is full of challenges. I aim to give the students some sort of continuity and consistency if their teacher is away. I do not give them an “easy day”, or watch endless DVD’s. Every school day is precious and I intend to achieve what has been prepared. I also intend to leave detailed notes for the teacher, mark the work that we have completed and thank them for the pleasure of teaching their little darlings.

And sometimes, just sometimes – I feel like I have had a little positive impact on someone’s day…. and I realise that I love doing what I do.

‘til next time - say hi to me in the staffroom!

Team Future

Word Nerd

Okay – I admit it, I am a nerd. I don’t wear thick glasses or have an obsession with algorithms or computer programming, but none the less, I am a nerd. I love words. I guess you could call me a word-nerd.

I find a sense of voyeuristic self-righteous pleasure in finding spelling errors in advertising, books and anything published or written. Seriously – even your emails! I JUDGE YOU!!

Or at least, I used to.

Now that I think about it, more deeply - I judge your teachers.

Now I’m a teacher. So I too am being judged. I have come to the harsh realisation that spelling and grammar is just not everyone’s thing. I have also come to realise that it doesn’t make someone more or less intelligent than me just because of my arrogance in considering myself a good speller. Actually – I get that from my Mum….

I continue to judge advertising, books and anything published. But I will not judge you for your emails. It is not your fault that spell check cannot distinguish between for, fore and four. Or there, they’re and their. And who goes meticulously over every single email looking for their own errors. Who has that much time? Certainly no one I know.

Okay – here goes. Oh the shame of the confession…. I, too have been found guilty of a spelling or grammatical error from time to time. There, I said it. I hang my head in shame and tearfully admit that it has happened. And – due to my “loud and proud word-nerd” status, and my over-enthusiasm at correcting others when they may have been erroneous….. needless to say, my friends have been VERY quick to jump on the bandwagon to let me know when I have been wrong.

So I admit – there are times when an oversight or lack of care can cause an error. But. I stand by my judgement of people whose profession it is to check and correct and pass on to someone else to check and correct if it STILL COMES OUT WITH ERRORS!!

But – to those of you who may not be word-nerds. Who may rely heavily on spell check to keep your emails looking professional: I. Do. Not. Judge. You.

How could I? You’re probably much better at maths than me. Or playing the guitar. Or writing poetry. Or riding a horse….. or MYRIAD other things that I am *sigh* sad to say: average (or below) at.

Keep that in mind when you think about the students that just can’t get a good mark on their spelling test…. Sure, provide them with all the tools that you can to help them… but if all else fails, think about other things that they do really well at. We all have our strengths and preferences.

If I have unfairly judged you in the past, or have been too quick to correct you on a simple oversight. I apologise. Truly. I have been wrong. *Phew*….. I did it!

Until next time – I before e, except after c….. you later….

Team Future 

The Journey Begins

I received a text book from my best friend, a recently graduated teacher. It was titled "Teaching: Challenges & Dilemmas". First thoughts - at 382 pages, it doesn't seem nearly long enough.... Really! Where do you start? How do you document all of the dilemmas and challenges that you will face as a teacher, and how do you propose to help me solve them by writing a BOOK??!! Yes, I was nervous. With my university course due to begin in a matter of days - I was beginning to wonder if I was in over my head.

I had to admit: the excitement of the challenge ahead outweighed the apprehension. But I knew I was in for a big year. ONE YEAR - that's how long you're telling me you need to teach me the skills to send me out into the world as a teacher. An unsupervised, possibly unsupported, inexperienced TEACHER.  My course was an online post-graduate diploma course. The course came highly recommended, was delivered in a very flexible and modern online mode, all the way from my home country of Australia. Was I ready for the challenge? I certainly hoped so.

My task: to become a passionate, inspired, creative, effective and (possibly) engaging primary school teacher. Why a primary school teacher? Well.... those big ones just have far too much attitude! But seriously - the thought of inspiring children to pick up a book, or write a poem for someone? Too big, too important - this is something I feel that I can do - and well. Finally, an epiphany! A job that I can love and pour my heart into. Something worth doing well.

As I progressed through my studies, I began to develop my own philosophy of teaching. This was a lightbulb moment, of that there is no doubt. Before I began - I didn't even know what pedagogy meant. Now I am forming opinions on theories and designing learning sequences to match my theory of how children should be educated! I had come a long way...

Some very wise, generous and knowledgeable people at the University of Southern Queensland helped me greatly in these initial steps towards my dream career. Where do I find myself now? In the initial stages of a burgeoning teaching future.... 

WHAT AM I FEELING: 

• Frustration
• Excitement
• Inspiration
• Tiredness (!)
• Underappreciated
• Over appreciated  (depends on the day really)
• Challenged

WHAT AM I DOING:

• Job hunting
• Supply (relief) teaching
• Upskilling (see... errrr.... this blog...)
• Considering more study
• Banging my head against the brick wall that is HK Teachers Reg...
• Emailing people
• Updating my resume on an almost daily basis
• Spending too much time on the computer.. (see job hunting, upskilling etc)
• Trying to define my "highly employable" point of difference
• Drinking copious amounts of herbal tea...

Welcome to the start of my journey. I hope that I can take you along with me as I begin a long and winding road... The beginnings of my lifelong learning trail have already been littered with experiences that have made me laugh and cry. Children are the absolute light and soul of the earth - they never fail to surprise me.

Come and share....... thanks for stopping by

Team Future