Educating Erin

I’ve really enjoyed typing this week.

Why? Because I got sick and lost my voice, and a keyboard was the least painful method of communication!

I learnt a very important lesson when I went to school on Wednesday with almost no voice and tried to teach. I felt so useless without my voice and probably would have been better off at home resting and getting better quicker. So the big message – don’t be afraid to take time off if you need to! I’m so used to teaching rounds being short, I’ve never had to take a day off, and I had to resist the temptation to say “but I’ve got the year 7s today” or “I have to do X, Y and Z today.

Good news is the voice is back (but I’ve got a cough and a runny nose still) so I’m back at school tomorrow. I’m itching to get back into it!

Just a little sidetrack for today – I spent this morning digging potatoes. While my hands and back are making themselves heard now, this emphasised the sense of achievement from creating something from sratch. I planted the potatoes, Daad watered and weeded, and then we all got out there to dig them up. There is a lot of work involved, but I really think they taste better than anything you buy at the supermarket. And you get a warm, satisfied and slightly self-righteous glow when you finally get to eat them!!

A good metaphor for persistence and the rewards of a bit of hard work maybe?!!!!

Two posts in one day must be a record!

When I was reading up on tips for using edublogs, I followed a link about page themes to find a fantastic post on classroom management (click here). Some really positive and I think effective ways to twist more ‘traditional’ classroom management practices. I will put this blog in the blogroll and keep reading it myself!

Well this is exciting!! My first of hopefully many, many posts. I’ve started this blog for many reasons. Firstly, the specific purpose at the moment is to explore and develop the VIT standards as part of the Deakin University fourth-year education course, so that I can improve my teaching. But I want this to carry on past this year – I’d like to explore the potential of a blog for reflection, sharing and learning throughout my career as a teacher. Btw, I teach Maths and Indonesian, and Dance outside of uni (great teaching experience but without the pressure of marks – just the enjoyment!).