Student Lead Conferences

Plus

Great to see students confidently talking about their learning with their parents.

The 107 things my class identified we had done so far this year.

Hearing students use words that they didn't know at the start of the term, but confidently used the, in ways that made sense.

Independent students, I didn't have to lead them to speak, they were able to articulate their learning.

Students were able to show their parents their work on the wall, and all students had multiple pieces on display.

Minus

That one parent who demands to speak to me, and just wants to know numbers and doesn't seem to care their child has had their own successes regardless of national standards

Being at school 11hours two days in a row. This is partly my fault, but early mornings mean successfully set up day for myself.

The parents who don't book appointments

Challenge-Interesting-Change

I wouldn't change anything. Although maybe re-educating parents that it's important for all children to share their learning and where they spend 25hours each week. 

Work free weekends

I had an amazing weekend - but had what expense? I had the Sunday night guilt's. I shouldn't have done that - I should have gone to school.
I know this isn't just a JOB - it is a vocation. It is something that I am never going to be finished doing. However there is a limit to how much time I can spend doing this job - so occasionally I take time out to have adventures.

I have lived in Marlborough for 3.5years this weekend for the first time I went out on a boat, explored the Queen Charlotte Sound and watched my friends dive for scallops. I relaxed, read my book and enjoyed the sunshine. I attempted to catch a fish, I drove a boat. These were new things for me and were exciting. I was learning new things, and I was doing them outside of school.

I know its important to have time away from school - I try very hard not to take work home with me. However in this technological day and age I am at finger tip reach of all my students. I get emails, I get sent writing work, I get asked questions and I have parents asking me about home learning. I try very hard to have device free days - but always get suckered into checking Twitter or Facebook, which in turn leads to me checking my school email.

Reasons for having time out for myself:

• Stress less
• Relax more
• more to share with my students
• BALANCE

What do you do to get away from school? How do you re-charge your batteries? Do you have any advice for someone who is a self declared work-a-holic?

What I learnt today

I realise each day I learn a lot of things. Not just fun facts, and how to teach a new strategy in maths, but I learn more about myself and my students each day. When I decided to call my blog For the Love of Learning, I didn't think about my daily learning, just about the fact that I have a love of learning, and that I want my students to love learning. I want to challenge myself to learn something new each week: and not just recognise that I am learning new things, but share them too. In a world where I have WALTs and WILFs...what about WILT? What I learnt today?

What is something new you have learnt this week?

Science Magic

Something to ponder: students and teachers A question: Is this science? Or is it magic?
How is this happening?
Why?
Can you support your hypothesis?

NoS: Investigating science, Communicating in science, Understanding about science, Participating and Contributing

After being challenged to answer the question - is this science or magic by @sciencealive on Twitter I took the same video to my class, and asked them the same question. Here is the resulting twitter conversation my class had. It is an example of Nature of Science being challenged in science - opening up my students ideas of What is Science, and how to communicate their ideas.

Material World: Being a Scientist: Doing Chemistry

I really enjoy Chemistry as a subject and specifically cannot remember ever not enjoying the subject. (Except for possibly writing chemical equations and solving what chemical change had occurred?) Hands on experiments have always been interesting to me and I have always wondered about how things work and why things happen. To me Chemistry seeks to explain things.  

Compared to my Living world investigation I have had much more fun. This is something I could see myself sharing with students and seeing them enjoy. The fun was definitely in the hands on experimenting. Creating a mess, and seeing my question and wondering being answered. 

I choose to investigate bubbles. Who doesn't like blowing bubbles? So I set up my home chemistry lab (Kitchen Bench) and proceed to make a mess.

Wine Glasses make excellent home beakers - because they were higher off the bench it allowed me to see what I was creating. 

Not for human consumption!

Caught in the act! 

RESULTS! Bubble!

Assignment Material World:

Reasons behind

I have always loved school. I couldn't wait to go to school and learn more. I love books, reading, art,  drama etc. 

However I have had trouble with writing, spelling and processing for as long as I could remember. School was hard, I worked my butt off and still only scraped by pass rates. I "failed" U.E and couldn't go to University with my school friends. When I was 20 before I applied to The University of Auckland for "Special Admission". I was accepted and had assistance from the Student Learning Services. I will never forget the diagnosis I received from
the psychology department - the words jumped off the page "specific learning difficulties" and "profound spelling difficulty". They haunted my 3 years at university. It did mean that when I left university with my Arts degree, I was really proud. 

For all of that, I have always loved reading, and learning. I have always been curious and wanted to know more, and figure out what would happen if, and what next.

I do have a lot of hook ups about our education system, the teachers I had and how they labelled students like me as failures. Failures because my writing wasn't up to standard, and my handwriting was shocking and because I constantly asked why I had to do things that way, and why I had to learn the way they wanted me to. Don't get me wrong, I had some great teachers too. 

I became a teacher because of my love of learning, and because of those great teachers who taught me in a way that was flexible and encouraging. Those great teachers I had, who sparked curiosity and inspired students to ask questions, and find their own style of learning. They also gave me an opportunity to explore the world around me in an authentic way. They definitely didn't make me copy screeds of information from the blackboard and expect me to understand it. 

I aspire to inspire. I want all my students to learn, and love learning. To be curious, life long learners regardless of difficulties. 

Reflecting

I find it hard to write. I have words in my head, and they come easily enough out my mouth (just ask anyone who has spent five minutes with me). I find using Twitter and Facebook easy ways to communicate because they have limited space for me to write, and I can use pictures to say what I want. As I have made my way through my teaching career I have found it harder and harder to reflect on my learning and my students learning in written form. I am constantly reflecting in my head, and in conversations with colleges. However I am getting to a point in my career where I have multiple responsibilities, and I am struggling to keep my wonderings and next steps clear. This will be my space to reflect, question, share and wonder.