I hope you read that as if you were singing “Born to Be Wild.”
Today, Mrs. Toller told me I was a natural teacher.
Naturally, I was over the moon.
Born to Teach Kiwis
Environment
The environment of the classroom is especially important to me. Here you can find my work in learning spaces, collaboration, community building and other related topics.
Miss Norton Teaches Kiwis
Today was my first day teaching Mrs. Toller’s class.
I felt like a baseball player who had just been transferred up to the Yankees and told to pitch after only playing in the minor leagues for half a season.
Appreciative Inquiry
Today is Thanksgiving.
Actually, it’s still Wednesday in America as I write this, but since I can have WordPress schedule to publish this when it’s Thursday in America, I’m going to say it again.
Today is Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Toller Teaches English
I’m used to being seen as a somewhat progressive teacher, leading the charge for change in schools. I’m used to being told my ideas are crazy and unrealistic and I’m not truly understanding the nuances and challenges involved with working in certain types of schools. Call me naive. Call me an idealist. Call me a radical.
Day T(errific)
I found out that yesterday’s school day was very different from a typical school day. Maybe you’re thinking, “I knew it! No class could be that self-driven and that good for two days in a row.” If those are the thoughts running across your mind, I’m going to squash that feeling of self-satisfaction and triumph right now. Continue reading
You Mean, You’re NOT Worried They’re On Facebook?
I’m sitting at the “front” of a classroom, scribbling notes for my journal entry as the students around me are sitting grouped together at their tables, chatting away as they bend over their personal devices or look at a neighbor’s. Some students are walking in and out the open door that leads to outside as they will.
This sounds like a recipe for disaster. This sounds like I have suddenly lost all classroom management skills that I picked up within my American tenth grade English classroom. If one of my students from America was sitting here, they would probably complain something along the lines of, “They get to wander off to other classrooms, but we could barely even use the bathroom?” Indeed, if an administrator for an American classroom walked in on this, it’s entirely probable that it would be the last day of my teaching career.
Here’s the thing though: the students are learning. They just don’t need me to do it.
anaphorist 