Social Studies Discussions... Coal and Dinosaurs and Diamonds

Yesterday my social studies class and I were reading the second half of a one page - double sided info sheet about coal. It took me 40 minutes to read through what would have taken me 10 minutes to read out loud normally.

Lately, my social studies class have been asking more and more questions. It usually happens about this time of year too which is really cool.

Questions from yesterday:

* So are dinosaur bones just mashed up under the ground to create the oil then? (Pretty much. This was my final answer after a VERY long explanation of the extinction of the dinosaurs and sediment over the years and friction of the earth and compression...)

* So peat can catch on fire? (YES! The original question stemmed from me asking them if they knew what it was and then me sharing my story about nan and the peat stories she has about the drive to Hamilton looking at the farmer's fields and saying that they'd catch on fire and that houses sink or lower because of the peat then students asked whether that was what was happening out in NGO.... and then that lead to me saying it could be due to the proximity of the lake and the rivers and the moisture content in the soil which led to a student asking - what lake? 😓)

* How do we make diamonds from coal then? (An answer I'm not too sure about yet... but know it has something to do with carbon...)

* Miss, do you know about the protest that happened with  ......? (Those side liner questions that I somehow managed to bring back into the discussion to make him feel involved but also not get the others angry for the irrelevance AGAIN from this student...)

* Miss, we should have a different election candidate on different days... so we can have more time with them...

*Miss, why do we always have to highlight the important information? It takes too long... ( To which I replied: If you have enough information to get started, then go for it. Other students already have and some have even finished their assessment already..... Wish this student would take more initiative.)

And then... we finished the coal info sheet and began our assessment.... finally.

Reset Button Needed

Today I read a blog post by my friend Shannon.

This past week has been difficult. A student passed away. That day was also the two week date since my Gran passed away.

It also was the week I unlocked my six years of teaching achievement :)

About this time of year is when I start remembering the bad stuff that always seems to happen at this time of year. This time of year was also when I first started teaching. I remembered my six week anniversary this time while driving the Kēmu YES business group to their next meeting. They were proud of me too. :)

Back to Shan's post though.

She mentioned the need to fight for your own passion. Mine, like hers (she's beyond inspirational and so incredibly awesome.... there's not enough words to truly ever convey just how much she meant to me as a uni student and now too as I see her resetting her sights on her dreams), is always writing. Writing for a purpose.

It's the thing that comes so naturally for me but in the last year or so there's been a block there. Maybe because I needed to get to this point to truly appreciate how easy it is for me to write and to make my writing actually have real meaning.

I've written a lot over the years. Diaries since I was five, blogs since I was 14 and this particular blog that was started six years ago when I began teaching. Recently I got into bullet journalling. My mind is currently racing behind the typing scenes as I try to figure out what next months spreads will look like.

I'm all about modelling behaviour when it comes to learning new things. Part of my modelling has been lost as my frustration has taken over. My inability to create real, lasting change. Without a management unit or the 'respect' given as a result of those time allowances... it's hard to truly help change things. I've drifted along this year. Just trying to reset things for myself, in my class, in my teaching life, at home and within myself.

With writing though, it's always there. Writing competitions help. So do sitting down or in my case right now, laying down and waiting for the electric blanket to heat up. Sometimes I can just make up pieces of writing as I speak in class. Those times I wish I'd record myself because they're quite cool pieces of writing and always leave my students quiet and in awe haha

Writing used to be my way of sharing my passion of teaching. My real passion though I guess is helping people. To learn, to grow and to achieve in all areas.

My learning recently has been to enjoy the moment. Be there. Aware. And help myself.  So I have been. Trying at least. It is difficult to stay positive always and ensure that my learning continues. Whichever direction I go I will end up wherever I'm meant to be.

I also need to stop comparing my amount of blog posts to previous years. Some years there will just be more to write about! Other times the learning I am doing will take precedence, as it has this year, causing my lack of writing as I process things.

Big passion still... youth centre with ability to uplift our kids and our community.

Also... change the world and build a network of people to work together to ultimately empower and lift positivity of all those on Earth.

Just want to find myself again this year. I lost my way a wee bit back there... and redefining who it is that I want and need to be.

For those interested in reading Shan's piece- click here