Ruffling a few of my feathers!!

How my teaching has evolved over time.  Food for thought!
Back to Primary after 17 years in Secondary has certainly challenged my teaching. The reason I took up the challenge for change was driven by what I saw wasn't happening for some children, in terms of the transition from Primary, Intermediate to Secondary and their lack of fundamental skills.  I relocated from the South Island and took a break from teaching for a couple of years.  As an Education Consultant plying teaching and student resources, I travelled around a lot of schools in the North Island.  I liased with teachers and Principals from small rural to large city schools.  I saw how hard teachers work.  I was struck by the obvious stress, the lack of resources and financial burden some schools experienced, while others were spoilt for choice and I thought how unfair our education system has become!!  It was very obvious how education was breeding inequality.  Competition was becoming fierce.  Was this how it was supposed to be??

I first started teaching back in the early 90's in Primary and really the fundamentals are still the same, like riding a bike so to speak, but now we have new gears and disk brakes, still manipulating tricky courses!!  I've tried to keep up with an ever evolving curriculum, by continuing and furthering my education and I embrace challenges!!  So now we have blogs and facebook to share collaboratively with colleagues and families. Teaching with technology, from opening your books to opening your laptops, tablets, devices creating a file etc.  More paper work, more meetings and demands but no more time!!  A rare commodity.  So why did I choose to go back to the rock face?
I love teaching, the children, making a difference no matter how small.  Seeing a child's face light up when the penny drops, school camps, helping parents, laughing and learning with my students, being a rock.........the list goes on!  Am I mad?  No I just love the kids!!

First timer!!

I believe this initiative for NZ teachers (edblognz) is a great way to reach out to other teachers and share, discuss, swop ideas, complain or just chat about issues in our education system.  Hmmm hope I'm doing this right!!  Thanks for making me amp up my thoughts about what I'm doing and works for me.  May I recommend Tools4Teachers workshops.  A brilliant set of in school workshops that has helped lift writing levels in our school this year!  It has certainly made me reflect on how I'm teaching writing and inspired me, which in turn has inspired my students.  (No mean feat after returning to Primary teaching after 17 years in a Secondary School!!) :)