Teacher and the City

A day in the life of a Year 7 Advisor!

2010-01-28T22:42:00.003+11:00

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that my favourite part of my job is that I get to hang out with wonderful young men and women all day. There is not a day that I am not inspired by the students I'm surrounded by...but what I have learnt Day 1, 2010 - is that there is nothing more rewarding than the buzzing chatter of 186 students leaving school excited to return the next day.

Yes that's right, today I began my foray into year advising. A year of preparation as the Year 6 Advisor can not begin to prepare you for the day that those little faces walk in and become 'yours'. What surprises me most though, is how effortless the day felt, yet the exhaustion that set in about 30 seconds after they walked out the gate! Despite the tiredness, it certainly is worth it.

The best part of education is connecting with young minds and instilling a love of life long learning. So now that the first day is over and I have even managed to turn the harshest of critics:

'Miss - my sister says your mean, and I believed her, but when I get home, I'm telling her she's bonkers!'

How do we (my colleague and I) use our role to effectively foster the love of learning in our charges. As a classroom teacher, we aim to do that everyday. But for some reason, that role now seems so much more important.

So here we are, Twenty-Ten in full swing and 186 students to engage -inspire and teach. With so much emphasis on impending educational change and technological revolution, students are bound to be excited by what is on offer. But, for me, I am going to connect in the non digital way - cementing positive rapport and communication with students by taking it to the streets...or the playground. An emotional investment promises a strong return. A return sure to pay dividends a long way into the future for all of us.

Does anybody else have thoughts on this matter?

Stay tuned for more adventures as the job evolves and the year continues!

Remember:

A traveller was walking along a beach when he saw a woman scooping up starfish off the sand and tossing them into the waves. Curious, he asked her what she was doing. The woman replied "When the tide goes out it leaves these starfish stranded on the beach. They will dry up and die before the tide comes back in, so I am throwing them back into the sea where they can live."
The traveller then asked her "But this beach is miles long and there are hundreds of stranded starfish, many will die before you reach them - do you really think throwing back a few starfish is really going to make a difference?"
The woman picked up a starfish and looked at it, then she threw it into the waves. "It makes a difference to this one" she said.

MySchool and League Tables

2010-01-25T08:34:00.000+11:00

Above is the screen shot to the new website 'My School' a service 'designed to support accessing and sharing of information about schools across the Australian community.' - much debate has been sparked within the education community worried about the implications of these so called league tables.

The PowerPoint presentation accompanying the resources on the page comments that the page will not allow any online comparison of schools. REALLY? Forgive me, but does not the very fact that when you search a particular school you can acquire the same statistical information of 60 'like' schools AND the 20 closest schools to your searched selection lean itself toward comparison. Despite the attempt to pass off this site as an information resource rather than an exercise in which school is best - we're smarter than that and guess what? You're not fooling anybody.

I have many concerns with this.

Firstly, they say that Knowledge is Power. But what knowledge and who are we empowering. League tables provide figures - performance of students, in one test on one day during one year. They don't provide information about the 'heart' of the school. The programs, the staff, the humanist perspective of teaching and the learning experiences that occur that can't be measured on a test. They don't show student or staff satisfaction rates. And despite a 'disadvantage ranking' they can not capture the clientele of the school and the special needs required in any school disadvantaged or not.

Secondly, with all of this information - What are parents to do? Currently in government secondary schools, feeder primary schools are dictated to which high school, students must attend depending on their residential address. How can you justify giving a parent knowledge like this and then limiting their choice if they are not happy with the information they receive? Competition created between schools in the same area will not promote learning. We must remember that we are an education community and should be aiming to provide ALL students everywhere the opportunity to shine.

Thirdly, are these 'tables' about accountability? And to whom are we asked to be accountable to? Here's an idea, novel, but fun! I'd like to see this government become accountable to us - educators, parents and students. You've got all this "rich" information now use it to help the schools that need it. Let that be your innovation. I'm all for being accountable in my job, and am accountable everyday - let you now be accountable to me. Don't publish the league tables, publish how you intend to help the schools that are not performing as well as others. Do something constructive with the information not destructive. And it is my personal opinion is that this information will be destructive to learning communities across the nation.

I said it earlier, knowledge is power. But with knowledge and power comes responsibility and a need to distribute information that equitably reflects all facets of the argument. I know that the MySchool website goes live on Thursday but I truly hope that more thought is invested into this Rudd government initiative and that they consider the effects this is going to have on our education system before it's too late.

And so it begins.....

2010-01-25T00:47:00.000+11:00

Welcome to my blog!

I suppose it is customary to introduce myself. My name is Renee Gilbert and I am a passionate educator who believes that education begins from the heart and ends with brain!

I have been working for four years now in a great little secondary school in the Illawarra region, teaching English and Drama. During this time I have been fortunate enough to gain much experience and meet many people who have taught me so much about my craft.

Why Blog?

Much of it has to do with my personal desire to reflect on what I do and to share my experiences of classroom practice and general school life. I also wish to connect with beginning teachers and create a forum for them to discuss their experiences in the classroom and as beginners to our wonderful profession.

This year, I add to my role as classroom teacher by becoming Year 7 adviser. A role that I accept humbly and excitably. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you all as the 2010 school year flourishes.

Watch this space.

Remember:

"The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply." Denis Waitley