The power of time off #TED
The word of the day…sabbatical!
My new dream retirement plan, and some fascinating insights into design, in a TED Talk by Stefan Sagmeister:
On books and moving
Alas, Mr. K’s promotion up to Brisbane is in full swing, and now my HSC class is all wrapped up, it’s time for me to start my leave and follow suit. Term 4 I’ll be finishing my PhD (yes, “finally”), and next year I’ll find a casual or temporary teaching job in Brisbane. These are exciting times!
I know I have mentioned around the place that I am moving, but up until now I’ve been too busy to really think about it, or talk about it much. The last couple of days of school were quite teary, and a lot of students came out of the woodwork to say goodbyes and thank yous. It was sad, but lovely. I had some great class parties – thanks for the cards and presents 🙂 I will miss my colleagues and students (not to mention family and friends!).
On Thursday, two comments that I found full of symbolism, and so very typical of an English teacher and her humanities-loving students 😉 were these:
- I was talking with two very awesome students from year 10 about maybe going to their formal, and about some books I was supposed to lend them. I said that I would leave the books at school for them to read next term – that way we also could be sure that we’d see each other again before the end of the year, because I’d neeed to get my books back even if I didn’t go to the formal. And one of them started crying 😦
- Later, another year 10 student brought me a present – a book where you write down all the books you want to read, books you love, and books you have leant out to other people (because she had had my copy of Eclipse for about 6 months, and I had forgotten!) We started talking about how the move was finally seeming real, and I mentioned that it had felt real to me once I found boxes to pack up my bookshelf. I reckon moving never seems really real until you acknowledge you’ll have to pack up your books. Then I started crying! Then we both were crying 😦
Geeze, I had done so well all week! Ah well…I think most of you who have read this far will know how hard it can be to leave a school. But bright things are on the horizon!
I’ll be keeping up my blog, hopefully even improving it. One thing that is making the idea of moving easier is the strength and quality of my PLN…so thank you!
It’s hip to be square
Posted by kmcg2375 in english, technology on September 29, 2009
With the Digital Education Revolution and the Laptops for Learning program putting laptops into the hands of every NSW public school Year 9 student next term, we ‘techies’ are finding ourselves very popular indeed.
There’s just not going to be enough support – tech support or curriculum/pedagogy support – for everyone to get it right straight away. The laptop program can work in spite of this…in fact, it may even work better because of this.
The L4L program seems to many in schools to be a radical and dramatic project. So radical and dramatic, in fact, that teachers seem to be happier than usual to admit they don’t know everything, and actually ask their colleagues for advice and help 🙂 Teachers in my faculty have started acting far more like a ‘community of learners’, rather than an ‘office of colleagues’ – people are motivating each other, praising each others achievements, and mentoring as much as they can. Power relations are being disrupted as principals and head teachers are being mentored by classroom teachers; parents are having to concede that teachers have a level of knowledge and professionalism that deserves more respect than is usually see; students are realising that access to ‘technology’ means higher expectations, not more ‘bludge’ lessons. Many are happy with this, and are rising to the challenge.
It is a Revolution indeed…one where it’s hip to be square!
New Class Rules
In preparation for leaving my classes to another teacher, I was trying to work out how to explain to her, and to the class, what was important about our classroom management. In particular I have been thinking about my Year 8 class, who are a relaxed and cheerful bunch, with a lot of energy (no, I’m not being euphemistic here…not entirely anyway!), and although at times they could probably work harder, students are almost always engaged, happy, and trying their best.
So, I have made this new set of class rules to hand on to the next teacher, and also to give the kids before I go, so they know what they can expect to stay the same. Of course, the school has it’s own set of generic rules, but my management style with the class has kind of evolved over time, without us explicitly talking about it.
8A RULES
- We promise to sit quietly and pay attention to instructions, as long as the teacher doesn’t take too long to give them.
- We always try to put our hand up before interrupting others, and to save our questions until the end of the teacher’s explanation, unless it is important.
- We promise to work hard in class, as long as the teacher promises to encourage us and to help us to improve and do our best.
- We always try to do our homework, because if we don’t, we might fall behind in class or slow the class down, which disadvantages ourselves and others. We can always ask for help.
- If one of us is unsettled, or is a distraction to others, we know the teacher might move us to another table, or to a table outside. We know this is only to help us do our best, and that after half a period we can ask to return.
- We always try our best to help each other learn.
Does anyone out there use something similar (i.e. with teacher expectations woven in as well)?
Overheard…
…today in an undisclosed faculty room.
Teacher 1: (cleaning kitechette) There really was a lot of washing up in there.
Teacher 2: (at desk) Well, yeah – but did you see we started putting the dirty cutlery in that bowl of water? That was helpful, right??
Teacher 1: Umm, kind of, yes, except that the bowl was half full of left over jelly…
Oh dear 🙂
Suburbia
Posted by kmcg2375 in english, online tools, school on September 9, 2009
Workshop #2 with Lachlan and Year 10 tomorrow. We will be discussing Suburbia, and how to see the suburbs (and other ‘ordinary’ things) through the eys of a poet.
To begin the workshop, Lachlan and I will both be showing a series of photos of the local area. Mine are mostly of local gardens, skyscapes, and motorways. I’m hoping to inspire the students to find unique and affective imagery in the world around them:
A great resource has also popped up this week – the youth current affairs program on Triple J’s 5.30pm radio show ‘Hack’ is focussing on the SUBURBS. Throught the week they will be discussing Australian Suburbs: Paradise or Prison?
Papercuts Poetry Project
(Don’t you love the smell of alliteration in the afternoon?)
Today I taught my first lesson with Lachlan Brown, a poet that is going to be working for the next three weeks with my Year 10 class on a poetry workshop project, run by the Red Room Company.
Last week Lachlan and I came up with a program for my class, designed around the Toilet Door Poetry project. In today’s introductory lesson, Lachlan spoke to the students about being a poet and writing poetry, and showed an accompnying slideshow of photos from his time writing in the crowded lower class suburbs of Paris. Using examples of his own work, and some of his own favourite poems, Lachlan explored the rich inspirations for poetry that can come from our everyday lives and experiences. To conclude the lesson, I gave the students a copy of Bronwyn Lea’s ‘Mineslec‘ on Poetry and Space and read this to them, leaving with the following questions for homework:
- Bronwyn Lea suggests that poems in public spaces can “deliver what we hadn’t thought to ask for”. Come up with three ideas for what this might be. Could our poetry aim to deliver a certain theme? A certain form? Other ideas…?
- Looking back over this reading, what points does Bronwyn Lea make that interested or surprised you? Find something that you strongly agree or disagree with and explain why.
Next week the students will bring their ideas, as well as a photograph or an object that represents their everyday lives, and this will form the basis of our first poetry writing workshop. Lachlan and I will also be taking the students on a ‘Poetry Walk’ around the school and nearby local street to practice ‘seeing the world like a poet’. I can’t wait!
Third 12 Word Story
Posted by kmcg2375 in online tools, random, school on August 18, 2009
I was so excited to catch my third 12 word story displayed on the 12Words homepage! All stories appear there briefly, I think, but I never saw my first two go up. Thought this one would be especially good to share, as I think it’s something with which many teacher-types will identify with – if not the smoking or coffee, at least the sentiment!
Let me know if you are using this with your students, or if you are writing for this project too. I made a handout for students in my class (click to download), using information lifted straight from the 12Words website – why don’t you make a few copies and hand them out in class? Or in a Faculty meeting 🙂
12Words: kmcg2375
Using the same username as I do on Twitter, I have been posting my own ’12 word stories’ to the 12Words website, which was launched at the start of the month.
The objective is to use 12 words or less to “tell a story, convey a mood, or give a glimpse at a person”. You can only submit one story per week. These are the two I have submitted so far:
Yeah, I’m hoping to refine my skill over time 😛
My suggestion to other teachers in my faculty is going to be that we:
- All English teachers write a 12 words story, and students vote for favourite
- All students write a 12 words story, and these are collected end of each day and put up on a noticeboard for all to read
- Depending on interest, we could also offer book prizes for best student stories, judged by Head Teacher!
I just love this idea, and am going to promote it to all of my classes 🙂
Hottest 100 Women
Well, turns out the answer to the question ‘what kind of people do you reckon will vote in the Hottest 100 Women poll?’ it looks like the answer is…people like me. I love this top 10!
- “Respect”, by Aretha Franklin, from USA, in 1967
- “Wuthering Heights”, by Kate Bush, from England, in 1978
- “Cornflake Girl”, by Tori Amos, from USA, in 1994
- “Glory Box”, by Portishead, from England, in 1994
- “Cannonball”, by Breeders, from USA, in 1995
- “Piece Of My Heart”, by Janis Joplin, from USA, in 1968
- “Nothing Compares 2 U”, by Sinead O’Connor, from Ireland, in 1990
- “Son Of A Preacher Man”, by Dusty Springfield, from England, in 1968
- “Seether”, by Veruca Salt, from USA, in 1994
- “Hyperballad”, by Bjork, from Iceland, in 1995
Ladies…respect!
Nominated!
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