Waiting for the moment, the one chance he would have, Kit crept forward along the narrow ledge. Taking careful aim, he deliberately pulled the trigger . A flash of impossibly bright light followed by an explosion. Countless shards of shattered egg shell spattered the sheer rocks below. Circling high above, the seagulls dived repeatedly at the perpetrator, their cries were heard far across the barren coastline. As he began to edge back along the ledge towards his camp, the rocks below him began to crumble and he felt his feet slipping... A solitary feather was the last thing he saw.
Friday, 29 July 2011
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
100 words for grown ups
Squinting in the dazzling sunlight, Kit typed as if possessed, fingers blurring as the word count soared. Her secretly recorded messages would finally be shared; those who had wronged her would get what was coming to them. Front page headlines flashed through her mind and her fingers moved ever faster trying to keep pace. Pausing, she scanned through her work. This time people would take notice of her . As she prepared to hit the send button, the headlines flashed up. “Breaking news.” She watched helplessly as her untold story unravelled in front of her. Why does it always happen that someone else gets there first?
Having spent the past few weeks encouraging the children in my class to participate in the 100WC, I felt that I had to have a go at this one.
It reminded me how difficult writing is when you're just given a prompt; and reinforces my views on the importance of such approaches as talk for writing ( Pie Corbett @PieCorbett is inspirational and the INSET day l attended last year was one of the best I have ever been to), hot seating, work partners, drama, telephone talk and role play as fabulous stimuli for writing.
How often do I write? Hardly ever... I read lots- love reading. Maybe I should write more, after all I am always telling my class to do exactly that. Thanks http://www.theheadsoffice.co.uk/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups/ for the prompt for grown ups; I will certainly keep trying.
Having spent the past few weeks encouraging the children in my class to participate in the 100WC, I felt that I had to have a go at this one.
It reminded me how difficult writing is when you're just given a prompt; and reinforces my views on the importance of such approaches as talk for writing ( Pie Corbett @PieCorbett is inspirational and the INSET day l attended last year was one of the best I have ever been to), hot seating, work partners, drama, telephone talk and role play as fabulous stimuli for writing.
How often do I write? Hardly ever... I read lots- love reading. Maybe I should write more, after all I am always telling my class to do exactly that. Thanks http://www.theheadsoffice.co.uk/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups/ for the prompt for grown ups; I will certainly keep trying.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Another year...
Two more weeks with my class until they move onto their next class... Two more weeks of talking to parents that I have built up a partnership with before the summer break and return to new children.
It's a strange time of year; children feeling all sorts of feelings , teachers too. Why is that? We teach children to challenge themselves, meet new opportunities, look for the positive... But that sometimes falls on deaf ears.
I told my class that I had finished their reports and given them to the Head to read and comment on. Their faces fell, one or two put their heads in their hands. What was going on? I abandoned plans and went straight into a circle time to address this. My class looked at me in disbelief when I said that I had enjoyed writing their reports (bear with me) as it was a great opportunity to celebrate all the things they had done well over the year. Still one or two looking anxiously at me. "There wont be anything I havent already told you in them!" I continued. One of the boys piped up, "You're always telling us what we do well..."
Another, "and we know what we need to get better at..." (Hurrah)
"Exactly!" I replied, and went on to explain how the reports are for their parents to have an overview of the year. The discussion carried on with children talking about things they had achieved over the year and we made a start on the child report comment.
What this made me stop and think about was, with all the changes we have made in schools, all the technology, some things have not changed at all- there are still children (and parents?) who have a built in fear/dread of reports. Where does this come from? We try so hard to build a positive learning environment, celebrating achievements, having clear learning goals...So why do children still worry about taking the end of year report home? And how can I overcome this?
Well, next year I am going to talk to the children much earlier about reports and maybe ask them to write their own in the style of the school one. Our reports go home really late- last week- get them out earlier so we can talk about them in class (if they want to ? or just go for it?)
I felt that somehow I had missed a trick when I saw this response; not for the first time. Talking to colleagues it seems that many children respond similarly. I would love to know how others have dealt with this; are reports looked on in this way widely? And how can it be changed if that's the case.
I suppose it can be compared to a teacher having performance management. "Tell me what has gone really well this year." Much foot shuffling and fidgetting; we spend so much time looking at ways to improve that it seems self indulgent to talk about successes. Maybe this is the issue here, and something to look at how to change.
Target setting, assessments, top tips; all dwell on what needs to be done. I think I need to spend more time asking children to focus on the things that they can do really well. We have celebration assemblies, reflection time...but maybe celebration time is missing. Something to think about over the summer and see where to go from now...
Next summer I don't want anyone in my class looking alarmed at the prospect of receiving their report . (And I WILL look my head right in the eye and say what I have done well too :) )
It's a strange time of year; children feeling all sorts of feelings , teachers too. Why is that? We teach children to challenge themselves, meet new opportunities, look for the positive... But that sometimes falls on deaf ears.
I told my class that I had finished their reports and given them to the Head to read and comment on. Their faces fell, one or two put their heads in their hands. What was going on? I abandoned plans and went straight into a circle time to address this. My class looked at me in disbelief when I said that I had enjoyed writing their reports (bear with me) as it was a great opportunity to celebrate all the things they had done well over the year. Still one or two looking anxiously at me. "There wont be anything I havent already told you in them!" I continued. One of the boys piped up, "You're always telling us what we do well..."
Another, "and we know what we need to get better at..." (Hurrah)
"Exactly!" I replied, and went on to explain how the reports are for their parents to have an overview of the year. The discussion carried on with children talking about things they had achieved over the year and we made a start on the child report comment.
What this made me stop and think about was, with all the changes we have made in schools, all the technology, some things have not changed at all- there are still children (and parents?) who have a built in fear/dread of reports. Where does this come from? We try so hard to build a positive learning environment, celebrating achievements, having clear learning goals...So why do children still worry about taking the end of year report home? And how can I overcome this?
Well, next year I am going to talk to the children much earlier about reports and maybe ask them to write their own in the style of the school one. Our reports go home really late- last week- get them out earlier so we can talk about them in class (if they want to ? or just go for it?)
I felt that somehow I had missed a trick when I saw this response; not for the first time. Talking to colleagues it seems that many children respond similarly. I would love to know how others have dealt with this; are reports looked on in this way widely? And how can it be changed if that's the case.
I suppose it can be compared to a teacher having performance management. "Tell me what has gone really well this year." Much foot shuffling and fidgetting; we spend so much time looking at ways to improve that it seems self indulgent to talk about successes. Maybe this is the issue here, and something to look at how to change.
Target setting, assessments, top tips; all dwell on what needs to be done. I think I need to spend more time asking children to focus on the things that they can do really well. We have celebration assemblies, reflection time...but maybe celebration time is missing. Something to think about over the summer and see where to go from now...
Next summer I don't want anyone in my class looking alarmed at the prospect of receiving their report . (And I WILL look my head right in the eye and say what I have done well too :) )
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Why I love teaching...
Having seen a recent blog post http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/why-teach/ I had a good think about this... where to start?
I do love my job; so, you may be thinking, why are you going part time then !? If you love it so much, why not devote yourself to it...
Well, that is why I have decided to go part time- because I DO love it so much, it is easy for the job to become all encompassing. Alongside all the teachers I know (and probably the majority of those that I don't!) I am constantly trying to keep up with the many changes that come (and go). New initiatives; give them a go, changes in leadership- try new things. APP, AFL, NNS, NLS, QCA, curriculum change (who remembers all those folders that came out when the national curriculum started?) The job is constantly evolving, and, like the rest of the profession , I try to move with the times and keep my head above water.
Why do I love the job so much? The challenge of teaching children who struggle, the satisfaction in seeing a child flourish, the laughter and the tears. So many children: a little boy who as a Year 3 made my heart stop with his amazing gym skills (that boy is now in the National squad!) A postman's daughter who had a knack of writing the most incredible rhyming poems, an incredible flautist, a lad who could recite the times tables in the flash of an eye, a boy who lost his Dad to cancer and cried on my shoulder, colleagues who have moved on, teachers who inspired me in my early career and have become great friends, children who have come back to me as adults saying they remembered something I taught them, that lightbulb moment when the penny drops, a girl who started to believe in herself, a girl who managed to stop sucking her thumb, a boy who managed to learn to hold his own in English even though he had no knowledge of the language to start with, a child who managed to get a tune out of a recorder, a child who managed to write a whole sentence and read it back... I could go on and on.
I am just an ordinary teacher, I have been lucky to teach in great schools with dedicated teachers who all maintain a strong sense of fun and looking beyond the data , the results and the politics of teaching. The job is immensely rewarding. But, I am just an ordinary person and the demands of the job nowadays are so huge that I just don't feel that I can do it on a full time basis as well as everything else. Juggling being wife, mother,teacher, human being!! So, to go part time is for me, the way to go at this point. Since making the decision my enthusiasm has been completely re-energised as I can finally see myself getting the work/life balance better for me. It is my own fault that I am too much of a perfectionist and find it hard to switch off from the job. Having time to pursue other interests will, I hope, bring a new dimension to my teaching. (Remember, I have been teaching all my working life!) Sadly, sabbaticals are not easy to come by in this country- a lesson we could learn from our European neighbours perhaps? Many teachers struggle with the demands of the job which is such a shame as, by the nature of the job, the people doing it are not going to do anything other than their best (and still feel they could do better!)
Going part time doesn't diminish my love for the job. Already have a trainee lined up for September :)
I do love my job; so, you may be thinking, why are you going part time then !? If you love it so much, why not devote yourself to it...
Well, that is why I have decided to go part time- because I DO love it so much, it is easy for the job to become all encompassing. Alongside all the teachers I know (and probably the majority of those that I don't!) I am constantly trying to keep up with the many changes that come (and go). New initiatives; give them a go, changes in leadership- try new things. APP, AFL, NNS, NLS, QCA, curriculum change (who remembers all those folders that came out when the national curriculum started?) The job is constantly evolving, and, like the rest of the profession , I try to move with the times and keep my head above water.
Why do I love the job so much? The challenge of teaching children who struggle, the satisfaction in seeing a child flourish, the laughter and the tears. So many children: a little boy who as a Year 3 made my heart stop with his amazing gym skills (that boy is now in the National squad!) A postman's daughter who had a knack of writing the most incredible rhyming poems, an incredible flautist, a lad who could recite the times tables in the flash of an eye, a boy who lost his Dad to cancer and cried on my shoulder, colleagues who have moved on, teachers who inspired me in my early career and have become great friends, children who have come back to me as adults saying they remembered something I taught them, that lightbulb moment when the penny drops, a girl who started to believe in herself, a girl who managed to stop sucking her thumb, a boy who managed to learn to hold his own in English even though he had no knowledge of the language to start with, a child who managed to get a tune out of a recorder, a child who managed to write a whole sentence and read it back... I could go on and on.
I am just an ordinary teacher, I have been lucky to teach in great schools with dedicated teachers who all maintain a strong sense of fun and looking beyond the data , the results and the politics of teaching. The job is immensely rewarding. But, I am just an ordinary person and the demands of the job nowadays are so huge that I just don't feel that I can do it on a full time basis as well as everything else. Juggling being wife, mother,teacher, human being!! So, to go part time is for me, the way to go at this point. Since making the decision my enthusiasm has been completely re-energised as I can finally see myself getting the work/life balance better for me. It is my own fault that I am too much of a perfectionist and find it hard to switch off from the job. Having time to pursue other interests will, I hope, bring a new dimension to my teaching. (Remember, I have been teaching all my working life!) Sadly, sabbaticals are not easy to come by in this country- a lesson we could learn from our European neighbours perhaps? Many teachers struggle with the demands of the job which is such a shame as, by the nature of the job, the people doing it are not going to do anything other than their best (and still feel they could do better!)
Going part time doesn't diminish my love for the job. Already have a trainee lined up for September :)
Friday, 24 June 2011
Strike on 30 June
I feel extremely frustrated with the proposed changes to our pensions, but at this time do not support the strike planned for next week. I stress the "at this time" most strongly. Having commented on Creative Edu's blog recently: http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/strike/ and being shot down in flames by my expression of concern as to how this could affect the reputation of teachers, I sat down and thought very carefully about it.
Reputation is, of course, not the most important issue here; however, as teachers, dare I say almost more so than other professions, we set an example to the children we teach and our actions are going to be challenged by our children and their parents.
I was therefore gladdened to receive notification from my union yesterday (NASUWT) about their success to gain the High Court's permission for a judicial review of the Coalition Government's decision to change the index-linking of public service workers' pensions, including teachers' pensions, from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/Whatsnew/NASUWTNews/PressReleases/HighCourtSetsDateForNASUWTsPensionsJudicialReviewClaim/NASUWT_008006
The NASUWT (along with other unions) took the decision to go for a legal challenge first. If this proves successful, the strike will have been a meaningless exercise which will have done little good to the profession, caused divisions and unrest...
If the review does not prove successful, then of course action is most certainly necessary to protect our pensions- particularly for those who are nearing retirement and stand to lose the most.
Is the strike really the right thing to do at this time? Does the profession stand to lose even more? Is it not possible for it to be called off to wait to see how the judicial review goes?
Maybe I am being naive, but I would like to be optimistic and go explore all avenues before resorting to strike action.
This comment on the creative edu blog :
RW 06/21/2011, 9:02 am:
Reputation is, of course, not the most important issue here; however, as teachers, dare I say almost more so than other professions, we set an example to the children we teach and our actions are going to be challenged by our children and their parents.
I was therefore gladdened to receive notification from my union yesterday (NASUWT) about their success to gain the High Court's permission for a judicial review of the Coalition Government's decision to change the index-linking of public service workers' pensions, including teachers' pensions, from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/Whatsnew/NASUWTNews/PressReleases/HighCourtSetsDateForNASUWTsPensionsJudicialReviewClaim/NASUWT_008006
The NASUWT (along with other unions) took the decision to go for a legal challenge first. If this proves successful, the strike will have been a meaningless exercise which will have done little good to the profession, caused divisions and unrest...
If the review does not prove successful, then of course action is most certainly necessary to protect our pensions- particularly for those who are nearing retirement and stand to lose the most.
Is the strike really the right thing to do at this time? Does the profession stand to lose even more? Is it not possible for it to be called off to wait to see how the judicial review goes?
Maybe I am being naive, but I would like to be optimistic and go explore all avenues before resorting to strike action.
This comment on the creative edu blog :
RW 06/21/2011, 9:02 am:
As parent in a family of 2 working parents who have had their pay frozen and pensions adapted in the private sector I feel this is appalling. I am even a governor of my daughters school – something I do for no pay and I lose my free time and I will find it hard to justify carrying on with this.
83% of 40% anyone ? Certainly never a majority.
The extra cost of childcare – or lose a days pay. These are tough times for ALL of us. Teachers you have lost any grain of support you had from me.
You have all worked so hard to bring teaching up to be such a noble and respected profession – with this strike you will drag it back to the 70′s.
RW
does nothing but affirm my views that striking at this time will not achieve anything positive. Let's go through the correct legal procedures and see what that brings. We are in a difficult financial time at the moment and both public and private sector workers are facing uncertain futures. I like to think that a moderate approach will ultimately be the most beneficial.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Going part time...
Well, my new job share partner was appointed today and I can now start to think about how my practice is going to change when I become a job share partner from September. I am incredibly excited about this new direction in my career; I have made the decision for a wide variety of reasons and am really looking forward to this new phase in my teaching.
Having worked almost exclusively full time since qualifying this will be a huge change to me. Since making the decision last year to change my working pattern it has reignited my passion for teaching in a way that I hadn't expected. Maybe that whole work/life balance juggling will finally become achievable...
When I first thought about making the move to part time I talked to family, friends, colleagues, my union rep and read anything I could find about it:
http://k6educators.about.com/od/professionaldevelopment/p/jobsharing.htm
http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6766191_job-share-teaching.html
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/TrainingEventsandPublications/NASUWTPublications/Publications/Parttimeworkandjob-sharearrangements/index.htm
Will it stop me trying new things? Certainly not; in fact I see this as such a positive step. Having talked to other job sharers I look forward to the future with excitement. I know that it will take some getting used to ; I will have to stop referring to the class as my class for a start! I hope that it will make me a better teacher; communication with my jobshare partner will aid reflections and we can teach to our strengths.
There will be pitfalls along the way I am sure; but I am determined to make this work. Twitter has been such a useful resource and has introduced me to a wealth of new ideas. I will try to get as many of my colleagues on board as possible to enrich our knowledge of what goes on in the wider teaching community. (Being in a small rural school is rather like being in a bubble at times). I hope to use the blog to reflect on my new working pattern.
Having worked almost exclusively full time since qualifying this will be a huge change to me. Since making the decision last year to change my working pattern it has reignited my passion for teaching in a way that I hadn't expected. Maybe that whole work/life balance juggling will finally become achievable...
When I first thought about making the move to part time I talked to family, friends, colleagues, my union rep and read anything I could find about it:
http://k6educators.about.com/od/professionaldevelopment/p/jobsharing.htm
http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6766191_job-share-teaching.html
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/TrainingEventsandPublications/NASUWTPublications/Publications/Parttimeworkandjob-sharearrangements/index.htm
Will it stop me trying new things? Certainly not; in fact I see this as such a positive step. Having talked to other job sharers I look forward to the future with excitement. I know that it will take some getting used to ; I will have to stop referring to the class as my class for a start! I hope that it will make me a better teacher; communication with my jobshare partner will aid reflections and we can teach to our strengths.
There will be pitfalls along the way I am sure; but I am determined to make this work. Twitter has been such a useful resource and has introduced me to a wealth of new ideas. I will try to get as many of my colleagues on board as possible to enrich our knowledge of what goes on in the wider teaching community. (Being in a small rural school is rather like being in a bubble at times). I hope to use the blog to reflect on my new working pattern.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Class blogging 3
Have just logged onto my class email to see that several parents have commented on our new class blog, and some of the children have sent posts for it.
I am really pleased with the reaction from my class and their parents. We have a fabulous school website already which is used to share and celebrate work and events in school. http://www.standrewsyetminster.org.uk/
The only thing really missing from the class website is the ability to comment on it; that's where blogging came to mind. If it wasn't for the enthusiasm of my twitter PLN I would not have thought about the whole blogging idea!
Where it will go next I have no idea at the moment. I want to use technology as much as possible to enrich and enhance the children's learning. If a class blog can persuade just one reluctant writer to produce a piece of writing then I shall be pleased. If it encourages parents, carers and families to show more interest in their child's writing that is great... I can't think of any negative impact at all.
I can't wait to see how this idea develops and grows. Only 6 more weeks until the summer holiday; will it be used then at all? I wonder... http://classash.primaryblogger.co.uk/
I am really pleased with the reaction from my class and their parents. We have a fabulous school website already which is used to share and celebrate work and events in school. http://www.standrewsyetminster.org.uk/
The only thing really missing from the class website is the ability to comment on it; that's where blogging came to mind. If it wasn't for the enthusiasm of my twitter PLN I would not have thought about the whole blogging idea!
Where it will go next I have no idea at the moment. I want to use technology as much as possible to enrich and enhance the children's learning. If a class blog can persuade just one reluctant writer to produce a piece of writing then I shall be pleased. If it encourages parents, carers and families to show more interest in their child's writing that is great... I can't think of any negative impact at all.
I can't wait to see how this idea develops and grows. Only 6 more weeks until the summer holiday; will it be used then at all? I wonder... http://classash.primaryblogger.co.uk/
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