Educamppalmy

A late reflection!
(just like my tardiness for the event.. oops, sorry!!)
#educamppalmy

A great Manawatu day with some great educators.  The sun was shining and the ideas were flowing. It always makes my heart sing when I hear so many people actively discussing and pondering how they can make more of a difference to the education of the young people they see everyday.
A huge thanks to those who made the day happen - the event was AWESOME. Great venue, great food and drinks, and wicked connections!

My favorite quote of the day went something along the lines of...

I found this statement really interesting.  But the questions in my head still remain unanswered.

How might the leadership model in a school be changed?  Is it possible in an "old school" school system?

Do classroom teachers change their model and eventually the way the teachers work together morphs to follow suit? Or does the way the adults work together change first?

(To me it is a little like the chicken and the egg scenario)

If there are already small changes occurring within a school regarding both the in class and within the way school systems are run, how long is it before these changes become normalised?

The question still most unanswered in my head is "where can I find a school where the leadership reflects what I see in my classroom?"

My second favorite question was...

Yeah, easy... not.

What do you stand for?

This is going to be my parting shot for the department this week - and for my students to think about.

Please tell me - what do you stand for?

What makes a "good school"?

A few weeks ago, in a rare moment of being the the staff room to eat my lunch, I was part of a very interesting conversation.  One of my colleagues was talking about their partner - a primary educator - and how they were keen to be working at a particular intermediate school here in Wellington.  Here followed a discussion about primary and intermediate schools around town and how "good" schools were.
The one comment that I just couldn't let go past went something like this: "... is a good school, it doesn't have a high staff turnover."
Ummm.... okay.
I had to bite....  "Hang on. Is that the sign of a successful school? That all the staff stay there until they retire?"

The answer was a resounding "yes."  Apparently if staff feel comfortable then it is a successful, or "good" school.

I may have laughed a little.

Anyways, this discussion has made me think.  What does make a successful school? Is the school I work in a successful school?

Just a few easy questions for a Monday lunchtime!

Are NCEA results, or National Standards a tool for measuring a successful school? Perhaps they are a singular way of measuring the success - but do these results measure the success of the students, the teachers, the BOT, the senior leadership in a school, the wider school community? Do these results measure where students have started from? Where they are heading? What aspirations and dreams the students (or indeed, the teachers?) have? Do they measure the mental health and wellness of the students? the staff?

If NCEA results or National Standards are the measure of a successful school, is it okay to be comfortable with having above average results? To not question any anomalies that be hiding in the average results?

Ahh, so many questions!

How do you measure the success of a school?

Miss, I haven't learnt anything!

argh...
The last week of term, and my year 10's are sitting an end of topic assessment.  A few of the students are talking to me about how they haven't learnt anything as there is not much written in their books.
The small person inside my head is simultaneously banging their head against my skull, sighing and walking away throwing a hissy fit.

Instead, as the words are forming in my mouth about the learning outcomes we have, and the activities we have done around these - the videos we have made, the google docs we have collaboratively produced, the experiment we planned and carried out.  But before I can get a word out - the other students sitting around are chipping in for me.  PHEW! Thank goodness!

Trying something new is scary.   And it does not always work, but I tried.  And I will take on board this students comments (along with the notes she turned up with at the next lesson - photocopied from a student in another class) and those of her classmates and try and build something better with our next unit of work.

The best moment came though from another source - a parent stopped and talked to me soon after and told me something their daughter had told them.   The student was so glad to have Mrs Hay as her science teacher this year because she is such a modern teacher, she does interactive things and the student is learning so much.  (yes, I am gloating a little here, but sometimes we all need a bit of a boost!)

I don't think I have ever been called a modern teacher before!

And I think I like it!

Oh - and if anyone is interested - my two year 10's ACED their assessment! BOOM!

Reflections and Refractions

It is the almost the end of term one - and I have neglected this poor little blog in its infancy.

There have been many, many reasons - some of which are valid (in my eyes) and then there are other reasons.

But the purpose of this post is not to dwell on what has happened, but to re-boot myself.  I wish to create a complete internal reflection and refraction so that my term one craziness can appear from the outside to be a be-oot-e-fool rainbow. *science joke*

So... to reflect and refract on term one in a positive and rainbow-inducing way.

R: I will start with the best conversation I had today - with an ARCHITECT who is talking to our school community about our VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE! oh my, such fun!  So exciting to know that these conversations are happening - even if they may not be acted on for many years.  AND exciting to hear the architect (and the proprietors board) reflecting what is currently bashing about in my head regarding "modern learning environments".

O: #educampwelly was definitely a rainbow inducing moment in term one. I loved every minute of it. From being part of the organising group to setting up on Friday afternoon, to connecting with so many like-minded teachers. It was a great event, and I am proud to be part of #wellyed

Y: Launching the Awhina group at school was another bow on the rainbow. This year we had a challenge to create a model of the solar system - and watching my students, with their parents AND their younger siblings was a "warm the cockles of your heart" moment.  I am looking forward to building on this next term.

G: Being stressed about too many students in Kapa Haka (how can this be a problem??) This has been amazing - over 70 girls signed up, and still about 50 turning up for practices. Ka pai!

B: Sharing BYOD and blended learning ideas with other Science HODS at St Patrick's College - sharing practice is always a good way to recharge oneself.

I: Actually saying "no" to opportunities.  There are many possibilities that come my way, and this term I have had to realise that although I would LOVE to take on more challenges, I need to look after me first, and my students are the next major priority.

V: Having a parent pass on a comment from their daughter - that they are so happy they have me as their teacher this year because I don't just write stuff down or copy from a text book.  That she appreciates that I am a "modern teacher". Bless.

To have a rainbow, there must be rain.  And as I know, the sun needs to be behind you.
As I head into the next term, I am going to have the sun on my shoulders, the storm behind me and a rainbow in my vision.

Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/179229260146187402/

First steps

I was having a chat with a non teaching friend the other day about how I feel at the beginning of every school year.
That strange combination of excitement about meeting new students, but the anxiety about making a good first impression.
Wanting to create a positive and friendly environment, but also make sure that my students know what the boundaries are.
Trying to create that perfect approachable yet professional persona.
Preparing for first lessons, but also knowing that the plan could go out the window depending on what happens in the first meeting.
Knowing that from even BEFORE they come through the door, that whatever I do will set the tone for the entire year.

My friends reply was that she was now feeling anxious for me!!!

I both love and loathe the idea that no matter how much I plan and prepare, it is often the incidental moments in the first few days that can make the difference to building positive relationships with my students.
Which leads me to what I hope to focus on this year.

I am calling it BBR - Building Better Relationships.

This is going to be a BIG year.
#educampewelly to start with, and I am hoping to build better relationships with my fellow #WellyED community
#scichatnz is growing, and I am building better relationships with my fellow Science teachers
#BioLiveChemEd2015 is happening, and I am well on the way to building better relationships with the organising committee
#edchatnz is growing - and this year, I hope to build better relationships through this
We have 12 new staff members at our school, two of whom are in the Science Department, so I hope to build better relationships with these new staff

AND - MOST IMPORTANTLY - I have five new classes of students to BBR with. Because it always comes back to these guys, the most crucial part of everything! If I didn't have students, I would not be able to teach.  If I was not able to teach, well, I can't imagine what I would do.

Where to next?
... a very good question.