Get on your way!

Yesterday I gave this to each of my students ... a little goodbye for the end of the year and a great reminder to not let the mountains of life stand in the way of moving forward. 

Yesterday we laughed and cried as we ended a year of incredible growth, not only academically but also personally and spiritually. We have embraced challenge and stepped out of our comfort zones with courage and determination. The seeds of purpose and destiny are flourishing well and I wish all of my students the very best for the season ahead.

As teachers we are often focused on shaping young minds, but I have always found that my heart is shaped in return. 

As my students gathered for one last group hug, I was reminded of the power of who we are as living, breathing humanity. Amidst the tight wrangle of bodies embracing (and giggling) each other, I realised that it is not what we say that has the most sway, but how we make others feel that impacts for the long haul. I pray that every student holds hope tightly in their hands and ends this year not only with a mind full to the brim, but also with a heart full of empowering and loving memories.  

I wish you all a Merry Christmas for the wonderful season ahead.

Life Lessons ~

As a teacher you have to be good at seeing into the future. 

You have to trust that all that you sow into the life of a child in the year that they are in your classroom will really make a difference, you hope it will any way! 

You have to see that child as the sum of all their ability right now but you also need to see them with all of their potential to come. Most of the time we don't see big changes or lasting impact in the year that we have them. 

Change is slow - and growth is hard to see!

In one year we see small changes - increased reading levels, better recall of facts, friendships grow deeper and self esteem blossoms brighter. Sometimes I have the privilege of hearing my students stories, and I am flawed. Their lives are so busy. They face countless hurdles and struggle with big issues. 

I have to remind myself to pause and listen, to really listen to their hearts. There is something about that tender heart reaching out and that precious soul pouring forth. I keep reminding myself that lessons don't always look the same or sound the same. Sometimes the really important lessons happen without any planning at all, right there on the carpet. Its those moments, the life lessons - the ones that I have not prepared for, that seem to make all the difference. 

In the flurry and hurry you might never know the full impact you have on your students, but never underestimate your ability to make someone else's life better - even if you never know it!

A good teacher ~

The teacher life is lived pouring oneself out for the love of others, sometimes it is endless ... this emptying of a heart and soul. It goes on and on, especially when you are bent on achieving that next goal, implementing the next best thing or embracing best practice. There are days, endless days when the light within flickers and ideas grow dim. Energy wanes and creativity is spent ... and then I am reminded that it is this consuming energy that lights the path for the ones trailing the flickering light. 

Big heart, little minds ~

Little minds is what it is all about, the filling and moulding of open vessels. 

I have heard a lot lately about the importance of brain compatible learning and more recently the need for 'brain breaks' ... there is an abundance of new research and ideas on fostering the brain compatible classroom. A brain compatible classroom is one where educators realise (as if we didn't already!) that the brain IS the no. 1. organ for learning and we should not allow it to shut down. (Hasn't that been the goal of teachers for centuries!) Truly, it really does provide an interesting topic of discussion (or debate) in the school staffroom. 

So, the goal of every good teacher is now ensuring that the cerebral cortex (of every child in the classroom ... all 28 students), where the vital thinking and learning occurs, does not shut down in your classroom - Help, they are yawning already and its only nine o'clock! My whole day is spent making sure that brains are switched on and ready for learning!

Seriously though, I love this research and that it is a hot topic of educational forums. As we continue to develop brain based education and brain based best practices, we endeavour to continue to pave the way for sound pedagogical practice and do the best for our students ... and this is the very basis of good education and the heart of every great teacher. There is real merit to the science behind brain compatible learning and ensuring that our little peoples brains are fully engaged and utilising all of their potential and capacity. The principles are sound and based on a thoughtful framework for thinking introspectively about teaching methodology. 

Essentially;
The brain should be in relaxed alertness, so an environment of low stress but high challenge.
The brain should be immersed in carefully orchestrated complex and authentic experiences.
The brain should be actively processing and making meaning of these experiences.


And so, in my pursuit of educational soundness, I am now researching the nine elements of brain compatible science that influence learning to ensure that the little people in my care are extracting meaningful patterns (in sufficient time frames) and adequately processing incoming data (because to delay is to lose it - you snooze, you lose!) and are in a classroom devoid of distraction, clutter and over stimulation .... oh dear, better get to it then!

Hope for tomorrow ~

I am often reminding my students to think carefully about their decisions as each decision has consequences - good and bad! This works particularly well with managing classroom behaviour.

In an effort to assist my students to make good choices in the classroom we have a behaviour chart that encourages students to work towards making great behaviour choices. This chart works really well as students are required to physically move their peg up or down the chart. Students have a specially marked peg with their name on it and they get to move their peg up or down the chart depending on the choices they make throughout the day or week. Demonstrating good choices and considerate behaviour allows students to move their peg up the chart while inappropriate or unthoughtful behaviour choices requires the student to move their peg down the chart.

At the beginning of the week every child begins on the read to learn card in the middle of the chart and if they have had to move it down, may move it back up to this card the next day so that each child has a fresh start every day - they learn from yesterday and try again next time. There is always hope for tomorrow. If the peg has moved upwards then students keep on moving their peg until the end of the week and do not need to go back to ready to learn each day. However if they fail to make good choices then their peg may get moved back. If students reach the top of the chart by the end of the week, an 'Outstanding Behaviour' note is sent home to parents to notify them of their child's efforts. Children may choose from various rewards for their effort. Notes are also sent home should a student find themselves at the bottom of the chart. It is not often that I need to send a note home for inappropriate behaviour and if it has happened it is very rare to have to do so again. Once is enough! Children love making great choices and encouragement to do so makes all the difference.

Visiting Rwanda ~

Last month I returned from Rwanda after two full weeks spent soaking up the incredible and life changing experiences with its beautiful people. I had the privilege of visiting a number of different schools and working with children so eager to participate in simple craft activities.

I worked with children so eager to use every day educational items like scissors. They snipped with purpose and determination. Such simple things brought pure delight. It is hard to believe that in this day and age, these every day items are not in every classroom around the world. 

It is hard to describe the feeling of watching children as old as ten and eleven so intent on a task that I would otherwise not even think about. The determination on their faces struck me, so engaged and precise in the most simple of activities. Each so focused, with their pursed lips, their steady gaze and careful snipping. The wonder of childhood opened up and filled the four walls of an empty classroom. A simple task became something entirely different. Triumph was palatable, evident in the beaming smiles and shining eyes. 

I stood there in that place and felt the weight of my role. 

The significance of it pressed me, 

reminding me why I chose this livelihood, 

why I love doing what I do. 

It brought me fresh perspective. 

There is something truly beautiful about opening up a world of possibilities to little people. 

Watching them achieve something that they didn't think they could do. 

Every day I have the opportunity to inspire learning about life and the world at large, 

to take children on a journey of discovery. 

This is a privilege.

As teachers we open up possibilities to young people every day. 

It is easy in the every day normality of life to forget the power in this. 

I was grateful to be reminded that what I do should not be taken for granted, 

that what I have to bring can't really be measured this year or next. 

The reality of teaching is something much deeper, 

it is an intangible impartation that can neither be measured 

or even known for years to come. 

Yes, results and data often and do measure progress and outcomes week by week, 

but the true measure of success is layered deep in the heart and soul.

It is buried deep within these little people and built slowly year after year. 

We teach facts and fiction, recite numbers, write stories 

and learn a hundred and one things each and every year. 

But there is so much learning that can never really be measured. 

Rwanda reminded me of that. 

How can we measure the wonder of childhood? 

Or the delight in simple tasks or the building of self esteem from one day to the next? 

What about feelings of success or a renewed belief in oneself? 

How can you measure any of that? 

As I stood there that day, I was reminded that sometimes our smallest successes will be the most important lessons we ever learn. 

Sometimes the smallest things actually turn out to be the biggest things.

Learning through doing ~

Whenever I can, I try to use concrete materials to introduce Mathematical concepts. Data and graphing is a great opportunity for providing hands on learning experiences. Children love the opportunity to work alongside each other and work through challenging concepts or problems. It is important for students to work out problems by doing and being actively engaged in the experience. They then need to articulate their learning by discussing how they have arrived at particular solutions to complex problems and scenarios, thus forging strong neural pathways and ensuring the development of sound mathematical understanding and reasoning.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Unlikely Hero - Finding the hero within! ~

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This May, we will discover the hero within.

We will learn that there is a hero in each of us.

We will realize, that we all have a part to play.

We will find out how to be that hero.

This May, there are hero’s rising!

~//~

An unlikely hero is someone who does not fit the mould of how a hero should look or how a hero should sound, yet is a hero nonetheless because they are willing-to-be-a-hero! They are willing to embrace need, respond compassionately and act purposefully.

They are optimistic, seek challenge, find solutions, see the best, speak hope, bring change and deliver justice.

An everyday hero is unassuming. They do not draw attention to themselves; instead they look for opportunity to bring change to their world.

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I want my students to learn, that an unlikely hero is buried deep inside each of us. I want them to know that … to know that every person, whether old or young, tall or small has a hero residing within, just waiting to rise. I want my students to know that despite difficulties, heartbreak or pain, they can do something, and should do something to ‘Be the Change’. More than anything, I want them to know, that they have what it takes to BE that change!

This May, we will be reading stories about the most unlikely of hero’s. We will explore the life and heart of a hero. My students will learn that there is a hero waiting to rise within them! We will write stories of unlikely hero’s, delving deep into our imagination, pushing past the limits of impossibilities.

This May, my students will embark upon a hero’s quest, a journey into their own hearts, and discover that courage and bravery are fought on the battle lines of our ordinary, everyday experiences.

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Teaching Grade Four ~

A new year and a new grade ... Well we are nearly at the end of the first term and what a term it has been. Grade four has been a fabulous new experience and I so love their zest for learning - fast and furious! They are exuberant learners with a passion to know everything. So loving this age and how focused they are on doing their best and soaking up every morsel of information that comes their way.

What I know about Grade Four students,
- They are fun
- giggle, a lot
- love reading chapter books
- find maths challenging
- love collecting things
- scream at silly things
- are learning to negotiate differences
- take toilet breaks often
- forget things, regularly
- make excuses
- are learning to become independent learners
- are fascinated with living things
- enjoy reading to each other
- have messy desks
- seek your approval
- like to tell you random stuff
- love attention
- and the list goes on

In saying all this, I realise I have a big year ahead of me, really big. But I am so up for this. I think it will be my best year yet. Good times ahead.