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!

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!

Dear Students ~

As we come to the end of the year, I wish all my darling students the very best for the journey ahead. I have loved this year and feel very privileged to have been your teacher this year. We have come so far! I wish you all the best. Looking forward to hearing your stories in the years ahead. xx

Time is flying by much too fast!

I wrote this a few weeks ago ... I always feel a little poignant at the end of the year. After a year of investing every day into the lives of our little people it is with a certain amount of sadness that we prepare to say goodbye to the little treasures we have had for the year. It never seems to get any easier ... goodbyes are always hard. The end of the year always makes me reflective, 'How could I do things differently?', 'What worked?', 'What didn't work?' ... and I always hope that I do this, (in the words of Albert Einstein), 'It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.'