Missed my flight...

Not my smartest moment. So much preparation for this flight and today as well.

Year 9 and 13 lovelies...

Feeling horrible for having to split my classes up... both the Y13s and Y9s. Am still getting students coming up to see me telling me they're upset theyve been moved out of my class. The Y13s I think that they're just being silly, but the Y9s have been dealt a rough deal really.

Glad my classes are smaller and that I'm able to teach better, and at the end of it all that I can actually focus on the kids meant to be in my class and the kids who should be in the other class are getting the proper support and learning they need rather than being held back/going at their own pace.

That's all for now...

So behind in marking, unit planning and week planning...gah. Up to date with teaching... just need to think about where to go next. Never have time. Need to make time. Hopefully after this weekend I'll be able to have my time back a bit more....

At least things are getting more organised... Getting there!!

Reflections.....

Wow. Again ages since ive been on here. Frustrating because I have this, interlead, my own written diary, facebook, twitter and youtube. I tend to just write pd in my journal and on my pretty new phone now..  and reserve interlead for reflections. I should be using this too tho! Online presence and all and not clogging up others newsfeeds with my teaching comments!!

So... what I wanted to talk about tonight was thw fact that during, before and definitely after my talk with Phil, my mentor at my new school, I feel a definite shift in my thinking about how Im reaching. Particularly with my Y11 class.

This is partly due to the fact that ive now taught this same year and assessments twice so Im not too worried about it from an assessment level, but have been rethjnking how I'm teaching V for Vendetta. Now alot of this is to do with the fact that I am trying to stick with the year planner and failing miserably... and also because Im trying to revamp my resources. The ones I had from my first real year of teaching just have not been cutting it. And like I said to Phil,I feel like instead of giving everything they should learn, am giving them the things that they actually *need*! So... for example, deeper analysis of V and Evey and minor analysis of the minor characters.

Plus... doing my big spiels about the historical relevance and the thematic awareness of the film, I hope has begun to deepen their thinking. Next well be doing themes/symbols and then key events coinciding with character development. And doing techniques so that when we watch bits and pieces, we'll be able to write full paragraphs with the required info and answered both parts of the question.

What Im finding difficult is not having as many non-contacts. Plus... taking on so many other things.. tho Phil says its a good thing because its character building and its good to be passionate.

Showed him a few tricks on the phone too. Just wish we had an enabling devices policy so that I wouldnt get told off for what were doing in class. Maries advice was good too.

Am absolutely adoring teaching my y10 class. They get spoken word poetry easy as and can do mapit. Loving being in my own class at the moment too. Feel like I ca  be me properly. Alot of how I teach in my class cant be done in someone elses I reckon.

Letting my y9s loose on the windows today was an experiment in itself but they did really well! And even wrote their work down quietly in their books. Will do mapit with them again tomorrow to fully cement what weve done.

Gothic genre needs a rethink... short story wise...

Y13 is going well. Just need to get onto the themes and symbols. And then teach formal lang again.

Loving taking the breakfast club in the mornings! Its so refreshing seeing kids turn up and have a breakfast, or a milo at the very least.

PI dancing is going well as well. Tokelauan song is beèeeautiful!!

Rotaract is chugging along. Interact is getting there.

Miss doing reo maori!!

Kowhai assembly is good too. Happy today.
Keeping on track of students is hard. Fivd classes now not so many non contacts.

Police fine. And need to pay teaching reg.

Tired!

Registration Time!!

Wow. Two full years of teaching - plus about a term and a bit... do I feel like a real teacher? Sometimes.

Does the evidence box say I am? I suppose so. But despite it being full to the brim of evidence filling the 12 Criteria - I know that this reflection should continue to be ongoing.

I have all the papers signed off - now to just pay for the registration itself. Good luck me!

Interlead Reflections

Link: https://appraisals.interlead.co.nz/journalreflections/allReflections

Interlead Reflections - 9/12/13

 A few things:

My Inquiry on How to Involve Quiet Students in Class Discussions

I suppose this year I've tried to do whole class, and then broke it up into small groups, and then one on one. That seems to have helped. Though I know the kids that are quiet seem to be the ones that are generally more reflective and intuitive. Their writing is often deep and show another level of perspective that might not come through even when speaking one on one. Some people just don't like speaking. And that's okay!!

So perhaps re-introducing the question box?

Still stoked with heights.

Happy with the end of the year and a bit frustrated with a few niggly problems with the reports... some people not finishing their reports properly so that there were blanks and no comments. Mostly okay now but yup.

Would really like Heights to be more e-copy rather than paper copy. More email rather than putting multiple copies of things in my pigeonhole... that I ultimately lose because I suck at paper organising... but am amazing at e-organising. 

My goals at Heights:

1) Incorporate Epic Voices Singing Group in more depth and make it more accessible - do away with auditions?

2) Introduce Rock and Water

3) Join Interact and become more involved with charity work and community work in school (Being in Rotaract will help this)

4) Help more people become aware of Interact and Duke of Ed and how amazing these groups are (so that it's not only a certain group of kids - or a particular perception of it?)

5) Devices Policy

6) Teach Social Studies and History as well as English :)

7) Get involved with PB4L

8) Get Registration and evidence sorted

9) Be organised and teach well!

10) Meet my HGT kids whanau

11) Teach in Ako

12) Save money and pay off bills

13) Become a Heights institution? 

14) Organise the English T Drive

15) Help build up the Media department

16) Get involved with Waka Ama

17) Take the PI kids to Pasifika and Polyfest (and make them sing rather than dance to a cd)

18) Help make the library cooler (book reviews, book club, posters, couches?)

19) Get COWS for English... or a new department built or... a computer suite just for English - OR have the wireless strong enough the kids can use their own devices with the input of our Devices Policy!

20) Create an online database for our English books 

21) Help organise our moderation and coversheet/marking processes so that we're all using the same (esp Junior schedules and senior moderation meetings)

22) Sort out a Whanau/Teacher Meetup Picnic day for Kowhai/my HTG?

23) Find out whether there is a need for a more inclusive ESOL class rather than just for foreign fee-paying students

24) Keep making goals! :)

Personal goals this relates to: To involve quiet students in class discussions, To have work marked in at least a week turnaround, To do more relevant Professional Development and Professional Learning for both English and History

Criteria this relates to: Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning, Conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme., Ako - Taking responsibility for their own learning and that of Māori learners.

Catchup

Something to check out later :)

http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/top-ten-practices-for-principles-to-promote-literacy-in-school/


It's been ages since I was on here. Things are going fabulously here at Heights. :) Happy!