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!

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.