DAY 6 #28DAYSOFWRITING. THE BUSYNESS OF THE CLASSROOM.
Here we are, getting into week 2 of the new school year and the days are frantic. Testing is underway… STAR, Running Records, BURT, JAM/NuMP…. and then the printing and putting together the portfolios, getting the National Standards dates sorted, getting to know those students that are new to the school and don’t forget Education Review Office (ERO) are visiting in week 5. Oh yes, remember to do those application forms for RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour) because all children are discontinued at the end of the year and need to be reapplied for at the beginning of the year. Have I forgotten anything? Oh yes, there are kids who are ready for learning, wanting to spend time connecting with you, not sure what the expectations are and very excited about those beautiful, clean books that are just waiting to be written in. What about ME! I am tired from working long days, I have a sore back from carrying home 24 portfolios and 100’s of pages that need to be filed in the right place and my head is spinning because I have 24 little learners who have kept me busy and have wriggled into my head because I am trying to work what I need to do to ensure that they each get the best least learning opportunities I can offer. Which ones are going to be the basis of my inquiry? I need to remember to write in my journal and mustn’t forget to set goals that will be attached to my appraisal. I’m overwhelmed just reading all this! Oh yes, the classroom is a busy place. Teachers are busy people. Would I change anything? No, I don’t think so. Doing all the testing, form filling, goal setting and inquiry projects are necessary. What is our other option? Teaching page by page of the textbook whether the students need it or not, doing whole class spelling tests whether they know the words or not and doing whole class maths no matter what stage the students are at. I am afraid that the first frantic weeks are necessary to set you up for a knowledgeable, prepared year. How do you know what they need unless you find out where the gaps are. The teacher does this year after year whereas the students get one shot at this year of learning. How we set it up can have a huge impact on the kids and possibly on their whole attitude to learning and maybe the rest of their school career. I had a serviceman come in today after school to do a minor repair on a curtain in my classroom. I was sitting at my desk analysing running records and he said to me “you know when I was at school, I was useless. But there was that one teacher. She was fantastic because she really made me want to learn. I would have done anything for her.” Everyone can remember that “one” teacher that had a huge impact. Can you remember one of your first bosses? Not as easily as that teacher. I want to be that teacher and the way I can do it is to be informed, be creative and most of all to be an inquiring teacher. If I question myself consistently and continuously I will best serve those little clients that come into my store every day and buy into what I have to sell. I need to be a great marketer in order to sell the learning, to make them hungry for more and to become addicted to my product. Learning! So, big breath, pull out that extra bit of stamina that you have tucked away and be the very best that you can be. That future generation is relying on you.
THE TESTING BEGINS
We are now almost at the end of the first week of school. Here in New Zealand we get a holiday on Friday for Waitangi Day. the day we celebrate being NZers. A four day week is a great idea at the beginning of the year as we are all becoming a bit shell shocked after suddenly leaping into early starts, long days, busy schedules from the leisurely sleep ins, enjoying a whole cup of coffee in one sitting without being called to the phone, running back to class because the bell rang or dealing with that wee group of girls at the bottom of the staff room stairs that have spent the whole of playtime going around and noting all of the real and imagined misdemeanours of the rest of the students. The body is a bit weary because the head suddenly has to problem solve five different things at once, track what you and all 25 students are supposed to be working on and do all of this with positive feedback, meaningful dialogue and remember where you put your keys! Right and now the assessment schedule says that we need to get that testing underway. How bad is the “summer effect” this year? First wee girl I work with sits down happily with me and I smile and ask “So what good books have you been reading over the holidays?” She looks up at me with that look as if to say “Mrs West, what are you thinking!” And says “I’ve been on holiday” I reply “Yes, remember we talked about what a lovely feeling it is to curl up with a good story and to keep on reading for as long as you want.” Her reply “No, I was playing. I didn’t have to go to school.” So it is with sinking heart that we started our orientation in preparation of a running record on a seen text in the next day or so. She began as if we had never discussed strategies for those difficult words, we had never run our finger down the margin instead we stab each and every word in that level 14 book as if by giving it a poke it is going to wake up and read itself. How long is it going to take for me to get her back into the being ready and taking charge of her learning by making the strategies she is learning become a habit instead of the stabbing and appealing for help as she is obviously doing at home. We have the Reading Together programme running on a regular basis in our school and books flow between home and school every day so how do we ingrained that learning? I strongly suspect that we read one way at home and a different way for the teacher. We have just forgotten the teachers way because she has been missing from our life for the last six weeks. I just want to put my head down on the table and have a little cry.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR?
9.45pm 3/2/15. #28days of writing Day 3? I stayed at school until 5.30 tonight trying to get those lists/ plans/ timetables completed. My teaching table is littered with lists that have been typed, published, altered and re-typed. Took ages to sort out which was the correct/ latest one that I could staple gun to the wall to show that yes I am organised! I do know what I am doing! Who am I trying to convince? It gives me reassurance to look and see those lovely pieces of A4 stapled carefully in neat rows with room 7 carefully highlighted on each one so that it is official. I know what time I am allowed to go to the library, what time we go swimming and also when my students who are ELL (English language learners) will go to their extra opportunity sessions. Are these the most important things at the start of the year or was the 10 minutes that I took to go out of the room at the end of the day and sit in the shade with some of my parents just sharing the sunshine, te welcome breeze and the song of the Tui in the tree above us. having my students see me chatting with their parents as acquaintances / friends do takes some of that ” oh no, my teacher is talking to my Mum! ” feeling. Is that feeling still out there? Listening to news reports and the seven sharp evening TV show going on about how expensive education is and how unreasonable some schools are about charges for their children. Some parents are keeping kids home until they can afford the uniforms, fees, stationary and other costs. Is the media making it a “them and us” culture? I have always believed that schools and parents were on the same side with a mutual goal in mind and that is of ensuring every child received every opportunity possible. Am I naive? Are we getting too caught up with must haves instead of being creative and finding a way to have without stressing the parents unnecessarily. Build those relationships, get on side and become part of the team that secures the future of our young people.
DAY 1 #28 DAYS OF WRITING. A NEW YEAR BEGINS
8.43pm Monday 2/2/15
The first day of the new school year with a class that I was lucky enough to teach last year. A couple have moved but in the main it was a bit like one of the mid year holidays. The children, unlike a lot of other children in the school, came in and seemed to be relaxed and happy to be back. There were no tears, no dramas and after the initial discussion where we co-constructed our rules and why we have rules we got straight into an activity to introduce our topic/theme/unit. So, I am thinking… why do we change classes every year? Why do we feel that it is necessary to move on to a fresh group even if we are teaching in the same year level? What impact does this have on our children’s learning? I know these kids, they know me. We have already developed those relationships that can often take several weeks to become stable enough for risk taking, expressing thoughts and sharing their thinking and learning. On our first day we have collaborated on what kind of environment we wish to work in, we have looked at the impact of a severe earthquake on school children and we have re-enacted how we would cope as a team in the aftermath of an earthquake. The lunchtime bell rang and I had several little 7 & 8 year old faces look at me in surprise. That can’t be the lunch bell yet, we have not long finished playtime! What about me? What impact will it have on me as a teacher? I still had that sleepless night before first day even after teaching for 15 years. I still got to school before 7am to make sure the room was ready, I was ready, all of the papers I needed were copied, laid out, checked and checked again. But as the day developed I could give positive, constructive feedback straight away because I already knew what one particular girl had personally struggled with last year and was able to anticipate and intervene in a positive way to that boy who is easily distracted and doesn’t have the same level of involvement as most of the others. I was pleased to see THAT student who was unable to engage into activities last year show leadership promise this year. A new teacher would not have been able to see that and jump on the opportunity to acknowledge her growth and development and thus get even more from her just from a few positive words and the encouragement to take it even further. This year I have come home weary just like other years, happy the day went well just like other years and my mind going a million miles an hour over what paths we are going to take just like other years. BUT ALSO, I have come home with a feeling of pride, self-fulfillment and anticipation that this year I am going to see huge changes because all that work we did together last year on working as a team, managing our learning and most of all perseverance has laid a solid foundation so that this year instead of building a solid house of learning, we are going to co-construct a sky scraper that will aim high and together we are going to reach dizzying heights.
HOW DO I BEGIN THE YEAR
I am very fortunate to have been given the same students that I had last year. I campaigned quite rigorously for this. Why? Most of the students came to my class halfway through the year due to roll growth and I also had some students who have learning difficulties. I had spent a long time on establishing routines and really focusing on being a self managing learner. For a year 2-3 class of 27 diverse and interesting personalities it was often quite a challenge. Also, in my role as DP I had a release day per week to cover my other responsibilities. I felt as if I had unfinished business with these students. I thought that we had spent so long getting into the how to learn I don’t think we gave the actual learning a good enough go! So, owe begin the school year Mon 2nd Feb. We are year 3-4 and I have tried to have the classroom set up with the same routines as we used last year. I am hoping to get started earlier than usual because we know each other, the place is not scary ( like usual at the beginning if each year) and all the students know and were very happy to stay in the same class. Parents that I spoke to were also happy for their child to have another round with me. Year 3-4 is a transition from junior to senior. The opportunities for the students are slightly different in extra curricular activities such as sports teams, cultural activities etc. I feel strongly that I am able to begin making progress almost immediately. I will have to do some initial testing to see any changes over the “summer” but I am anticipating that students and I will be able to pick up where we left off and run faster and sooner.
is this the right frame of mind or should I be treating them as a new group of learners?
Will they exhibit the same issues that we had last year? No homework, forgot my reading book, mum wouldn’t help me or would they really believe the class motto never give up, keep on trying instead of just parroting it.
Will they be better at looking after their gear, going to task and reading the instructions rather than asking me or the teacher aide (TA ) what to do. Or will they slip back to being unsure of themselves and not trusting their knowledge or their capabilities after two months of being out of learning?
What can I do to make the beginning fantastic and empowering for all?
TEACHING WITH INQUIRY
This is such an important part of our career. Inquiring, questioning, evaluating, exploring and trying new ideas or keeping / modifying the tried and true. My first blog is And so it begins is my first post so click on it and help me to grow and develop as an educator worthy of the young minds in my care.
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