Finaly back to the blog
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: The daily grind
Well here I am blogging here again seems like ages since I was doing this. Silly but I actually feel guilty that I have not added an entry for a while.

Well my internship is over and it is now school holidays. So next term it is head down bum up finishing off other assignments for uni and applying for Jobs.

The internship was just a fantastic experience that was incredibly building of my teaching, my confidence and all that stuff.

Anyway I feel know that at least I have been able to add a comment to this that coinciedes roughly with the end of the internship.

Woah what a day
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: The daily grind
Well yesterday was a really hard day! I was so all over the place emotionally as well as lacking energy.

I think my teaching was quite ok, my management of the students behaviour was not up to scratch. I managed to let them take me for a ride a few times. Well need to just stay really aware of this over the next few weeks to the end of term.

Man I am feeling more refreshed today, think a reasonable sleep makes a difference. Got a real suprise yesterday evening in that I have managed to get an interview for a teaching positioon. My first teaching position interview: nervous as hell.

Today is on of those days where I hardly get to see the kids. With specialists, production and CRE there is little time left for "normal teaching", well I just have to do my best to make the most of the situation.

Think I have got the first hour for reading rotations which at least means I can get a good block of literacy teaching happening. The downside is of course that with this grade and so many of the kids arriving late it means that some of the kids will miss out.

Yesterday one of the kids came to me saying they did not want the school term to end cause they did not want me to leave. Made me feel pretty good I must admit. I hoipe it is because they see me as a positive imput in their lives rather than as a soft touch!

Oh well time to get organised for another day.
Richard

Production is rolling on around
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: The daily grind
Another week begins and another monday rolls on past. Production dress rehersal today which all went quite well really.

I am feeling totally exhausted tonight yet I have not really done much teaching tonight so it doesn't really seem right that I am. Well that is the way it is I guess.

Skillshare tomorrow woohoo 4 hours again of the same lesson over and over. It is really tough work; worthwhile but tough.

So I need to get happening soon and ensure I am organised for tomorrow's lessons.

I am actually feeling way to tired to even say much about today or anything really. so I will catch you later
Richard

7 Weeks Down
Mood:  lyrical
Topic: The daily grind
Man I have managed to skip a few days from the blog. But hey here I am at the end of week 7 feeling like I am managing to get somewhere with this group of kids.

I tell you what thogh I am really tired: absolutely knackered.

Today managed to have 3 solid hours of teaching which was good as the week has been pretty all over the place with lots of disruptions and stuff happening this week.

Don't feel like I have a lot to talk about at the moment really, things seem to be going pretty well really. Do need to take into account more of the visual aspect when introducing lessons and all that. Just got to get over my worrying about my writing and stuff. Want to try and focus on that next week.

Oh well going to stop crapping on now so chow
Richard

Losing your voice does not mean you can stop teaching
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: The daily grind
Turned up to school today with my voice somewhat of a mess. That is my sore throat and my weak voice were not too crash hot.

Well I managed to stumble through the day. I think I was more sensitive to volume and chatting when there shouldn't have been.

well managed to get through OK and in fact I think it went OK. The day was quite disjointed with assembly and concert practice but did manage to get through some work as well.

So I feel a bit as though I may have been a bit hard on the kids with discipline stuff today, maybe I am being too hard on myself I am not sure really. I think that what I need to do is to keep aware of where I am at in that regard.

Well right at the moment I am acutely aware of all the things I need to get done for tomorrow and stuff so I need to sign off and get on with that stuff.
Chow
Richard

6 weeks fly by and 4 to go
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: The daily grind
So again I have missed a day which is pretty slack really but hey this is my reflection stuff so it's my choice as to when I do and don't put stuff up here.

Thursday was my last day in with the other class and I think it went quite well really. Friday was the school athletics day. Spent the morning running discus and part of the afterenoon doing a combination of crowd control and watching the kids compete.

It is cool having the kids so excited about their success in their races. It is great to see the kids trying so hard and just having a real go of things.

At the moment I am sitting here feeling a bit all over the place. Worried about how to get all the things done that I need to get done. I guess I just have to kind of push on through with stuff.

Anyway that is it for me for today
Richard

Hmmm an ok day
Mood:  lyrical
Topic: The daily grind
Ok so here I am again blogging the morning after. Yesterday an ok day I think. Working with another grade of kids this week and it felt a bit like starting again from scratch. This is not really a bad thing at all just one of those things that happens at times.

Overall the kids were pretty good. I think that maybe they were giving me a bit of a test out; probable could have handled things a better in some ways.

A teacher made a really valuable comment to me the yesterday about getting attention: needing to be oral as well as visual. How some of the kids will get the oral and some will get the visual and both need to occur.

On this point she also noted that it is one of those things that will probably never be perfect and certainly not when it is not your own grade. I guess that one I will have to take under advisement: that is wait and see if that is right or not.

I am so enjoying this extended teaching experience. It is tiring, exhausting and challenging: bloody well rewarding!

It is thursday of week 6 today, the term so far has just flown by so fast and there is only 4 weeks to go; I imagine they will fly past just as quickly.

I am missing teaching the kids from the grade I have been in for the previous 5 weeks. Man they get under your skin quite quickly. Really looking forward to teaching with them again next week.

I have this research project to do and I am starting to really worry about that. Have sent info to my supervisor and have had no response. I am feeling really worried about how the hell I am going to get this thing accomplished; also feeling concerned that my mentor has asked me about it and I have been unable to give her many answers of any consequence. I hope I can sort this out quickly.

Well enough for one day better get organised!
Richard

Made it through Skill Share!!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: The daily grind
Phew!! Made it through skill share! It is a huge day to get through. One lesson 4 times with 4 groups of kids in 4 hours. The first two ok no real hassles really, lesson three starting to think man here we go again and then lesson 4 was kind of well one more time.

Sitting in the staffroom at lunchtime I felt wow I made it through the skill share sessions, I feel like an echo was going off in my head or something.

Well I got through the day ok and that was great but there are cetainly things that I could have done better. Need to be better at not talking over kids chatting, following through with my expectations. Realising that different kids will achieve different amounts of work and differing levels of success I think is really important. I think that this is really brought home in this type of situation where you are teaching 4 grades of children.

The fact that this is brought home is really important for me in developing my teaching in regard to my own future classes of children. To always be consious of that reality of a wide range of abilities within every classroom. Not just abilities but dedication, interest and motivation as well.

So next week for skill share I think I go in with similar expectations of what the kids will be able to achieve. I believe that the amount of work I am setting for the session is quite achievable and if the children do not muck around and stay on task: then there is no reason for them not to achieve success with the work.

Well there is my rave for another day and I am out of here
Richard

Week 6 and over the Hump
Mood:  chatty
Topic: The daily grind
Hey well I never actually got Friday's entry to happen. Oh well that is life and I guess I just disappears into the ether of life, the universe and everything.

Today began another week: week 6 of 10. Cool more than halfway there. Spending this week in a different grade with a different group of kids. So far so good. Seem like another great bunch of kids.

So spent today basically observing and a bit of roaming around the room helping out kids as they needed it. Not a real exciting day but one that consisted of doing those things that need to be done in order to establish relationship and begin to get to know a group of kids.

Tomorrow is my first skill share teaching experience. One lesson 4 times in a row! I guess it is a good experience; I am worried how I will manage to be consistent and at the same time manage to cater for the differing levels of ability within the 90 odd kids I will teach throughout the day.

Hope my voice holds up to it hey; if it doesn't I will be in a pickle hey!!

Well signing off now
Richard

Wow What a Day!
Mood:  spacey
Topic: The daily grind
Friday Morning: was too stuffed last night to log in and post an entry so here I am doing it now.

Man yesterday was hard work! Very little formal teaching time: lots of other stuff happening though.
Jumprope, production, art, cre. As can be imagined then the kids were all over the place with their excitement levels and concentration. But we coped.

I think the last session of the day was reasonably constructive. I think I managed to reinforce the point I was trying to make. I feel though that the kids need more practicing of some of these skills. I wish I was better at using time more effectively in my teaching.

I need to develop better strategies to not waste the little bits of "dead" time that do occur.

Another thing about yesterday is that there were times where I felt like I was just a whinging cruddy old teacher and that is not the type of teacher I want to be at all. I noticed comments comming out of my mouth which made me cringe. Wish I knew how to stop that from happening.

So today A day of lots of good work for the kids to get done. Try to catch up on the rotation we have missed this week.

Well got to get organised so catch you later
Richard