Saturday, January 31, 2015

A Road Of Possibilities

The year ahead stretches out in front of me like a winding road of possibilities.  Every new year for me starts much like this, the fresh excitement of new students, perhaps a new classroom, new colleagues, and hopefully renewed energy and passion for this craft of mine - teaching.

This year will be rather bittersweet and exciting at the same time.  This is the year that I step into the role of Deputy Principal and I am so excited about the opportunities and challenges that this presents for me.  The bittersweet part is the loss of colleagues that have become part of the fabric of the school, their absence like a thread unravelling until the needles are picked up and the thread stitched back by the presence of a new member to the school family.  Excitement at the change of personalities and skills on our team and the possibilities that each new member will bring to our school.  I am looking forward to nurturing and helping to grow our young teachers, I am thrilled about about stepping into the role of an Educational Leader, and intrigued to find out where this year is going to take me as a teacher, leader and mentor.

My goals for this year:

  • Being mindful of making authentic connections with my new colleagues and students; alongside continuing to support and encourage my current colleagues.  I want to strive to be a role model for the others in my school, fostering a love for learning and a passion to be the very best we can be.
  • Embedding the new practices and knowledge brought into the school during the past months and letting things settle and grow into being intertwined with what we already do.
  • Making warm, reciprocal connections with our local community and iwi - this is a passion of mine and one that I am very excited about embracing this year.
So this year, this winding road of possibilities, it stretches out before my eyes, and I am ready. 

"You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.  What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope."  - Thomas Merton




Friday, January 9, 2015

Twitter Geek and a World Wide PLN

I must admit that for a long time Twitter was a mystical, kind of scary, no-go-zone for me.  I just didn't really see the point of it.  To be honest, I think that my knowledge of the Twittersphere extended to knowing that celebrities used it to share their daily food intake or places they had been with their equally famous friends.  I had no clue that it could be used for my own professional development as an educator or to connect with others in the educational field from all around the world.  When my colleague suggested I try it for professional development purposes I gave it a go not expecting much, and I was immediately hooked.

Twitter, in my experience, is one of the most valuable professional development opportunities I have discovered since beginning my teaching career.  It has encouraged me to think more deeply about my beliefs around the pedagogy of teaching, made me question what I do daily as an educator and why I do those things.  I have done more educational readings, learnt more about modern practice and current research in education, and then discussed these things with others in the educational field, than ever before.

And the best thing about it is that it's free, it's available anywhere and on any device.  Twitter is such an amazing find.

If you haven't joined the world of Twitter, I suggest you give it a go.  It's incredibly easy to set up an account and there are a multitude of blogs and videos to help you out if you need it.  A great blog to try is www.mrkempnz.com.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Dipping My Toes Into Something New

New year's bring with them the possibility and excitement of new challenges and beginnings.  A challenge that I have decided to commit to in 2015 is writing a personal blog of my professional practice.

Half Cold Coffee was born when I glanced down beside me as I sat typing on my computer and noticed that once again my coffee had sat for far too long to be palatable, desirable or even drinkable.  As a teacher this is an all-too-regular daily (many times a day!) occurrence as I rush from task to task - sadly, but out of necessity, the coffee always loses out!

So come join me on my journey to connect with others in the educational field through the medium of blogging.

Word to the wise - drink that coffee before it gets cold!