a little thought...

The thing about learning is that you know you need to learn, you just don't realise how much until it has happened.  Then you see the difference, how far you have come and it really hits you: the power of learning and the journey ahead.  How exciting.

meddle, me?? ;-)

Well I've been uncharacteristically quite lately, but this doesn't mean that I've not been doing anything worthy of a blog post.  While I have taken a break I've still been thinking, pondering and reading.  Earlier this week I had a discussion with a friend over the uses of reading schemes in the middle stages of a primary school and it reminded me of an article I read recently by Erica McWilliam titled 'Unlearning How to Teach'.  The title alone intrigued me as I like the idea of doing things a little differently and as McWilliam writes

"Put simply, we will need to see a further shift from sage-on-the-stage and guide-on-the-side to meddler-in-the-middle (2005)"


There will always be teachers who are traditional in their methods and this is good; children need diversity in their learning and if we all teach the same way they will lose out.  I know that the teacher that I want to be is the meddler.  I want to challenge my pupils to reach an understanding then question it further.  I want to be the devil's advocate with 'what ifs' and I want to work with my pupils to encourage them to take control of their own learning journey.  But then, isn't this what every teacher wants for their their pupils?

Nursery Wordle

Could do better???? Really???

Last night the bbc screened a program titled Teachers: Could Do Better.

As a student teacher I feel that I am far too new to the profession to make any comments in a professional context but as a parent I have a lot to say.  Undoubtedly my opinions are influenced by the fact that I am training to be a teacher yet in no way could I comment based on professional experience in schools as I have only worked with the most dedicated and professional staff while on placement.

As a parent it would be extremely easy to watch this program and be worried about your child as often these programs forget to highlight the work of the majority of teachers who are dedicated to the needs of the children that they work with.  The majority of teachers spend many hours outside contracted time working and go beyond remit to provide the best for their pupils.  Teaching is a not a career that you switch off from once you hit your allocated hours.

As a parent I have come across teachers that have frustrated me in their ways and there are those that are perhaps not compatible with every class.  I have also encountered parents who have complained about teachers unduly.  Like the variety in teachers there is a variety in parents attitudes and this is where the concept of competency becomes subjective.  I have a strong belief that staff in education will strive to have their school be the best it can be and this includes identifying teachers who may need support in tailoring their approach or indeed undertaking CPD.  I have listened to parents discuss teachers ability in relation to the fact that they have used the school behaviour management policy when the parent believes that their child has been singled out in front of a class.  The teacher and class in question had a fantastic relationship and had achieved a great deal over the year yet the parent was not happy that their child was told off.  When it comes to parents complaining they are naturally protective of their children and sometimes this limits their line of vision when their child fails to meet certain expectations.

I am not making excuses for the teachers discussed in the program but I think it is important to note that opinions are subjective, the teachers in question did not give their side of the story and emotions do run high when parents feel the need to defend their children.

I am also not saying that there are not teachers out there who are not meeting the high standards expected in Scottish education, high standards that we should rightly be extremely proud of.  I am saying that as parents we should not take everything at face value, teachers often need to make difficult decisions when in the classroom and sometimes our little darlings are not quite the angels we believe.

I do not envy the job of those who will be dealing with a flood of parental concerns after watching the program last night or indeed viewing it a later date.  Unfortunately I believe there was very little substance in the actual content beyond camera shots of cars and a bottle of water.  The real pity is that there will be some who view the program and judge the teaching profession on the title alone.

Wouldn't it be great in the current financial climate to hear more about the positive achievements in education?  Share the good practice on a wider national level?  Celebrate what is wonderful?  But then maybe that would not be considered as newsworthy by the media.

endings

As I sit here writing this I have an hour left before the end of my current placement block, the primary 3 class that I have been working with in the afternoon are at a whole school assembly and the headteacher told me to take ncct during this.  This is the first time that I have really had a non contact slot when on placement and normally I would have a pile of work to get on with, yet as this is my final day the urgency has gone somewhat.  I still have a weekly evaluation to write and my folder is nowhere near perfect but outside the sun is shining and that is why I have been lured to sit in the playground a write a long awaited blog update.

This has been a difficult placement for me personally and the difficulty has been nothing to do with the school, staff or pupils.  I feel I have let myself down over the course of it.  The main focus of my placement has of course been the nursery setting and as such this has been where most of my time has been spent folder wise.  The primary 3 class has been fantastic but I have not been able to get through as much as I had hoped.  I understand that this is often the case in schools and I know personally that this is the only way I could progress given timing.  What I have been able to do in the class has given me inspiration for my next, and future placements. 

The nursery has been wonderful.  The children have taught me so much, as have the staff.  My teacher has told me that my strength in the nursery is taking an observation from the children and being able to be creative in progressing them through the next steps she also said that I am able to interact well with them through play and discussion.  I will miss them lots.  As they left to go home today it was very difficult not to cry.  The children said that they were sad that I was leaving and wondered why I couldn’t come back again but I told them not to be sad as I was very lucky to have been able to spend time with them and have so much fun.

Whenever I finish in a school leaving the children is the hardest part and although it would be great to visit again and again, the more schools that you work in the less logistical this becomes.  This is the reason that I don’t promise to visit.  In saying that, my primary 3 class have told me that they are going to ask the headteacher for me to be their primary 6 teacher.  This is the first class that has been really aware that I am a student and I have not had a single worry about this.  They are interested in hearing about the process of becoming a teacher and I hope that hearing about university will encourage them to think about it when they are older. 

It is almost time to collect the class from the assembly hall, I’m trying not to call them my class anymore, in the same way that I have been trying not to call the nursery children my children this week.  While I will be sad to leave I am looking forward to taking a break and getting over whatever has been making me feel so lousy during my placement.  I’ve managed to have the flu, tonsillitis and another throat infection in the last few weeks and I’ve seen my doctor more times than I had in the last year.  I can only blame this for part of the reason as to why I am annoyed with myself but things are beginning to look a lot more in perspective.  Now I have the summer to think about what the future may hold and to look forward to whatever challenges come my way.

A few hours later...

It is amazing the amount of things that you can gather during a placement block and this time I have exceeded myself in the amount that I had to take away with me.  I am pretty sure that some people may have less to carry when moving house: right down to the fish.  The amazing cleaners helped me lug it all to the car at the end of the day, once again going out of their way to help me. 

phew! another adventure

So after a 6 hour round trip I am now pretty much convinced that my GPS has made it it's mission to ensure that I travel every B road, and most of of the C roads, in the East of Scotland.  The bonus of getting lost is that I did get to see some amazing sights, the downside is the panic over the possibility of being late, and it was a very real possibility!  Half an hour before I was due to arrive I was up a mountain, in the middle of nowhere, convinced I was lost and completely bereft of any form of mobile signal.  I had just been terrified into actually screaming as a lorry drove speedily towards me on a tiny road that just happened to be perched on the edge of a cliff, while my car clung on for dear life just avoiding tumbling towards the picturesque river below.  

This was the stage that I decided perhaps intuition would guide me to my destination much more effectively.  And surprisingly this worked!  I even arrived with 5 minutes to spare!

The whole getting lost thing is becoming a rather funny habit of mine lately but I must admit that laughing manically to myself is not nearly as much fun as the hysterics encountered when travelling with a certain friend ;0)

Lack of posting

I really have been neglecting this blog since beginning my elective.  As keeping a blog is a requirement all my entries are focused on that blog and my efforts here have been minimal.  I promise to get better at this but it may not be in the immediate future.  Untill then follow me on the other blog.

How to write lots and say nothing...

I was thinking about writing a post on this topic then I realised if you really want to know you will find all the guidance you need just by reading my blog ;0)

What a week!

Sometimes the busiest weeks are the ones that don't really have a lot going for them, you have your normal routines a couple of engagements here and there but nothing major.  Nothing to get in a flap about.

Well let me tell you, these are the worst kinds of week that you can have.  Your diary innocently looks up at you signalling smooth sailing, you have free time to catch up on those things that you always put off, maybe even get an early start on something looming in the future...  Then what happens? The Storm!  (Usually in a teacup luckily enough but none the less enough to work you up into a tizzy)

This may all sound very dramatic but in reality the opposite is true.  My teacup tornado this week managed to put me into a right little grump mid-week.  And being nothing of any note I find myself struggling to describe the events that led to all this.  My father always said the little things are what cause problems as we can always find ways to cope with big things.  This is oh so very true, especially when I have a slight ostrich quality.

The short story, and there is one, is that the weekend is the ideal time to look ahead to a more productive week in next.

white knights??!

I would make a hopeless feminist.  I always maintain I can do anything, including changing a tyre, by myself yet while theoretically I may know how to do it doesn't mean I can do it in practice.


Take yesterday morning.  First sign of trouble I start calling for help from the nearest source of testosterone.  This usually takes the form of my fantastic hubby but sometimes he is not around.  I usually start at A in my address book and even when I get a response I will still contact an extra couple to make doubly sure that help is on it's way.  So the story:  I needed to change my tyre...  managed to get hold of 4 helpers, the tyre was putting up resistance, more proof that I wouldn't have managed to remove it, had to phone an extra body with my incredibly detailed explanation of what I was looking for: do you have a thingy that will take off my locking wheel nut? A thingy? you mean the alloy key (I think this is what it was called but again I wasn't listening very well) Nooooo, the (I made a noise here along the lines of juuuuuuuzdt) thingy to loosen it I have the key but it is too tight.


The end result? my tyre got changed, I didn't get dirty and best of all I remembered how good my friends are.  =D Not that I didn't already know that.