Well folks...it's been a few weeks since I've posted on my site. I sincerely apologize. Now that I'm back in the mancave and "relaxing"...it's time for a few new post.
I'm sitting at my chair in thought. Thinking about 1,000 things at once...as I normally do.
I arrived back in Qatar and sprinted off into my new Academic Coordinator position. It's stretching me...causing me to be organized...helping me improve. I love it.
I'm not one for stagnation. I think if we're comfortable, we're not learning. And that's a problem. It's also an obsession of mine. Not being lazy. I've maintained that I want to always be challenged. It's exhausting most days, and makes me wrestleless on more than one occasion...but the good outweighs the bad...and there's not much bad.
I digress...a new school year is like the proper New Year's for us teachers. We get a chance to improve our craft at a new level, with new kids. We get to try new things. Try to achieve a new level of balance and harmony that we didn't have before. That we can strive for. And try to help our kids achieve this same balance of harmony. It also gives us a chance to get rid of the stuff that didn't work before. The stuff that we tried that made us go... "hmmmm...nope"....and try that stuff that worked with a brand new set of kids...in hopes we get the internal reaction of..."WOOT!"
The big difference for me this year is that I've really tried to avoid stagnation. I not only accepted an Academic Coordinator's position but also switched down to Grade 3. Two grades lower. My first switch of grades ever. A grade I've never taught before.
Sunday this week was scary. Unfamiliar territory. Adjusting my own head's capabilities. It was like trying yoga for the first time, or crossfit. Not getting the positions quite right sometimes. Hitting the mark on many occasions, and finding a few lumps all the while. Expecting more than could actually be achieved and finding myself sore when it was all done....but good sore. A sore than you know is helping you build.
But the second day I had new expectations...better ones. Ones that were more achievable for myself...and my kids. So the second day was better. Less scary. For them...and me. We took new strides. Together. They learned some. I learned a lot.
The third day was another step in the right direction. Getting a feel for the Grade 3 boy mind and the Grade 3 girl mind. Finding the differences, expectations and capabilities better. Again, for me and them. Testing the waters of their minds continued. Testing the waters of mine as well. Both fascinating things. They amazed me more and more each day. I found myself humbled more. Loving it more.
The fourth day of the week I found myself wondering when they would finish things. Found their excitement for Maths games more obvious. They are very different little creatures than my Grade 5s of years gone by. I like them. They're a fun bunch. Even the ones who don't quite seem to know where they are half the time. I'm getting more excited as well.
The fifth day, though I was fairly tired from the early mornings, was also good. I've had 20 of my 21 kids. I found out I'd be getting a 22nd kid for my class too. Loving their energy. They wake me up. In a good way. Their learning excited me in ways I couldn't imagine.
I have never lost my passion for teaching. I've always loved it. Loved my Grade 5 kids. Loved how they moved, did things, got organized and disorganized. Now, my Grade 3s. I also love them. Already. I'm loving being in my room with them. I'm loving that they take 3X longer to do things than the Grade 5s. I'm loving their honesty. Their minds. Their creativity. I'm loving their silly jokes that I often don't see as funny but laugh because I know they think it is and can really appreciate that.
It's not that my passion for teaching came back. It's that it simply increased. I'm loving that I get to find out where they get challenged. I'm loving the new skills I'll be teaching them this year. I'm loving that a lot of them already learned how to share something on googledocs this week and how to type into a text box. I'm loving that I'll have to revisit this. That I think of it as basic, but they are amazed by it. One of my boys got wide-eyed when
I told him that he was typing into the same document at the same time as his friends. Such a satisfying feeling.
Now that I can see more of where they need to go I am keen to see more Eureka moments. I can see the potential to teach them stuff that my Grade 5s already knew. I get to be the one to show them first. To see them get excited about it. Because it's new to them.
I'm more than a little excited about this year.
They had a few Eureka moments this past week.
I had 100s.
As an Academic Coordinator I'm going to be stretched...in an amazing way...professionally, as my reluctant leader self. I'm still not convinced the leader role is a good hat to wear. I could be wrong. It could be a hat that everyone can see me wearing, and it's my own perception that's letting me down. But I am humble enough to know I've got a lot to learn.
As a Grade 3 teacher I'm going to be stretched passionately in my profession. Again...I'm humble enough to know...things won't always be perfect. But this one feels like a great hat to wear.
Bring
It
On.
I'm sitting at my chair in thought. Thinking about 1,000 things at once...as I normally do.
I arrived back in Qatar and sprinted off into my new Academic Coordinator position. It's stretching me...causing me to be organized...helping me improve. I love it.
I'm not one for stagnation. I think if we're comfortable, we're not learning. And that's a problem. It's also an obsession of mine. Not being lazy. I've maintained that I want to always be challenged. It's exhausting most days, and makes me wrestleless on more than one occasion...but the good outweighs the bad...and there's not much bad.I digress...a new school year is like the proper New Year's for us teachers. We get a chance to improve our craft at a new level, with new kids. We get to try new things. Try to achieve a new level of balance and harmony that we didn't have before. That we can strive for. And try to help our kids achieve this same balance of harmony. It also gives us a chance to get rid of the stuff that didn't work before. The stuff that we tried that made us go... "hmmmm...nope"....and try that stuff that worked with a brand new set of kids...in hopes we get the internal reaction of..."WOOT!"
The big difference for me this year is that I've really tried to avoid stagnation. I not only accepted an Academic Coordinator's position but also switched down to Grade 3. Two grades lower. My first switch of grades ever. A grade I've never taught before.
Sunday this week was scary. Unfamiliar territory. Adjusting my own head's capabilities. It was like trying yoga for the first time, or crossfit. Not getting the positions quite right sometimes. Hitting the mark on many occasions, and finding a few lumps all the while. Expecting more than could actually be achieved and finding myself sore when it was all done....but good sore. A sore than you know is helping you build.
But the second day I had new expectations...better ones. Ones that were more achievable for myself...and my kids. So the second day was better. Less scary. For them...and me. We took new strides. Together. They learned some. I learned a lot.
The third day was another step in the right direction. Getting a feel for the Grade 3 boy mind and the Grade 3 girl mind. Finding the differences, expectations and capabilities better. Again, for me and them. Testing the waters of their minds continued. Testing the waters of mine as well. Both fascinating things. They amazed me more and more each day. I found myself humbled more. Loving it more.
The fourth day of the week I found myself wondering when they would finish things. Found their excitement for Maths games more obvious. They are very different little creatures than my Grade 5s of years gone by. I like them. They're a fun bunch. Even the ones who don't quite seem to know where they are half the time. I'm getting more excited as well.The fifth day, though I was fairly tired from the early mornings, was also good. I've had 20 of my 21 kids. I found out I'd be getting a 22nd kid for my class too. Loving their energy. They wake me up. In a good way. Their learning excited me in ways I couldn't imagine.
I have never lost my passion for teaching. I've always loved it. Loved my Grade 5 kids. Loved how they moved, did things, got organized and disorganized. Now, my Grade 3s. I also love them. Already. I'm loving being in my room with them. I'm loving that they take 3X longer to do things than the Grade 5s. I'm loving their honesty. Their minds. Their creativity. I'm loving their silly jokes that I often don't see as funny but laugh because I know they think it is and can really appreciate that.
It's not that my passion for teaching came back. It's that it simply increased. I'm loving that I get to find out where they get challenged. I'm loving the new skills I'll be teaching them this year. I'm loving that a lot of them already learned how to share something on googledocs this week and how to type into a text box. I'm loving that I'll have to revisit this. That I think of it as basic, but they are amazed by it. One of my boys got wide-eyed whenI told him that he was typing into the same document at the same time as his friends. Such a satisfying feeling.
Now that I can see more of where they need to go I am keen to see more Eureka moments. I can see the potential to teach them stuff that my Grade 5s already knew. I get to be the one to show them first. To see them get excited about it. Because it's new to them.
I'm more than a little excited about this year.
They had a few Eureka moments this past week.
I had 100s.
As an Academic Coordinator I'm going to be stretched...in an amazing way...professionally, as my reluctant leader self. I'm still not convinced the leader role is a good hat to wear. I could be wrong. It could be a hat that everyone can see me wearing, and it's my own perception that's letting me down. But I am humble enough to know I've got a lot to learn.
As a Grade 3 teacher I'm going to be stretched passionately in my profession. Again...I'm humble enough to know...things won't always be perfect. But this one feels like a great hat to wear.
Bring
It
On.
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