TBCS - Duh Moment - Judy -Anne

I had a bit of a duh moment driving over to school this morning.
Steve and I had been talking about K yesterday in a discussion about why some of our children had moved and some had not. I mentioned a comment I had put in his report about his perfectionism getting in the way, and his ability being higher than his confidence. I had a similar discussion with Mel as she works with him too, and has noticed the same thing.
So my duh moment was thinking about similar children I have taught, J from here and a child years ago at Victory. One of the strategies we used then was to set a timer during writing time. When they got stuck on a word they had a set amount of time ( generally a minute) to make their best attempt at the word then they had to move on.
Time to try this with K!

Reflection:
Sometimes we just forget about things we used to do.
One of the advantages of being in a small school is that we talk with each other a lot, and everybody tends to know about all the children, not just the ones in their own class. It means there are lots of brains trying to come up with solutions.

Next steps:
Set the timer for K when he gets stuck on a word during writing
Continue to work on adding  sounds and words to his kete so his bank of known words continues to grow.



Discussing my practice with colleagues and being open to new ideas.- or maybe retutning to old ones!

TBCS- Word of the Year - Judy-Anne

When I first started at TBCS Lyn used to get us to choose a word for ourselves for the year. It would be interesting to go back and see if I could find some historical ones.

This year I have chosen the word Capacity. Yesterday I was thinking that I should choose a more uplifting word as well but I think this will be sufficient. Our capacity directly affects our well being and the sustainability of what we can manage to do so it’s a useful start.

Reflection:
Why Capacity?
Recently Steve and I met with Rob from Learning architects. He talked about the capacity of our team.  Obviously a smaller team means a smaller capacity, plus each member has a different capacity. It is important that we’ve don’t exceed the capacity of our team. We need to be wise about what we take on. The challenge is to know how much is too much for each member of the team I guess.

Then Daryl commented that I have a large capacity, because I put my hands up for lots off jobs at church. I did say that was related to my family situation because I don’t have as many calls on my time as someone who has young children or a partner. I also commented that my capacity is decreasing.

When two unrelated people mention the same word in connection with you it is worth listening!

I have been finding that I have a lot more ability to make plans than to carry them out!

One way capacity gets decreased is by negativity. We have taken some hits about our performance and  abilities over the last year  so that’s takes a bit of recovering from.
As I get older I am feeling more tired so also have less physical capacity.

I am hoping that Nick coming in to increase Teacher Capabvility is going to be within our capacity!

Definition of capacity:
Your capacity for something is your ability to do it, or the amount of it that you are able to do.

1 (noun)  in the sense of ability

Definition

the ability to do something

Our capacity for giving care, love and attention is limited.

Synonyms

ability 

power 

strength 

facility 

gift 

intelligence 

efficiency 

genius 

faculty 

capability 

forte 

readiness 

aptitude 

aptness 

competence or competency

Next steps:
Talks to Nic at Dovedale. How do they manage with just two of  them?
Improve health- increase fruit, vegetable  and water intake and exercise.
Learn more about everyones strengths and therefore what indicators they may demonstrate to indicate they are being overloaded.

•  Engaging in regular professional communication as appropriate. 
• Participation in professional development (PLD), both in school and through outside agencies. Working with colleagues to enact the new learning. 
• Actively listening to what is being said by others and reflecting thoughtfully on information shared. 

TBCS - Teacher Imposter Syndrome- Judy-Anne

Reflections:

I had no idea there was actually a name for it but I know that I have spent the greater part of my teaching career waiting for somebody to walk into my class and tell me I have no idea what I am doing and no business being in the classroom. A few years ago I said something to that effect to one of our senior teachers and they said they felt the same! 

It certainly meant I had to read this article!

I am not a perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination nevertheless one of the statements that really resonanated with me was that ' Aiming to be a perfect teacher was an unattainable and pointless goal.'

One of the challenges with teaching is that there is always more we could do, or things we could do better. Sometimes we have to remember to celebrate what is going well- celebrate the small wins. Wouldn't we do that for our children?!

The other statement that I realised was me to a T was 'people with imposter syndrome explain away any success as luck, chance, or a result of something outside of their actions. I did that frequently and still catch myself doing it now. This just needs to stop.'

Celebrate the wins- no matter how small.

I had a chat with Margaret about this too because I realised that this artickle could possibly have been describing her as a beginning teacher- ie appearing capable but inside really struggling. 

Next steps:

Celebrate the small wins

Be prepared to take credit for successes rather than assuming it was luck, chance or someone else who made the difference

Ensure I check in with Margaret regularly to ensure she is doing the same!

• Undertaking PLD and further professional reading.

• Appropriate and professional communication with colleagues, ākonga and whānau.

TBCS - Compliment- Judy-Anne

It was lovely and quite encouraging to have a parent tell Steve that she really enjoyed seeing the children playing in class and wished the junior room had been like that when her boy was in there. Quite a surprise as that is not what I thought her preference would be.

It's always nice to hear that people think you are getting something right. This is a job in which it is very easy to feel that you can always do better and therefore not actually stop to think that you are actually doing well.



Next Steps:

I have joined the Happy Healthy Teacher  face book page. Lots of positive messages and encouragement there.

TBCS - Building Relationships that Transform - Judy-Anne

Building Relationships that Transform

The 7 A's
Affirmation
Acceptance
Appreciation
Availability
Affection
Approach
Accountability

A day or two later something came up in my feed that corresponded beautifully to the concept of Affirmation.

It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn't heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore's stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.

"Hello Eeyore," said Pooh.

"Hello Pooh. Hello Piglet," said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.

"We just thought we'd check in on you," said Piglet, "because we hadn't heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay."

Eeyore was silent for a moment. "Am I okay?" he asked, eventually. "Well, I don't know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That's what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven't bothered you. Because you wouldn't want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now."

Pooh looked and Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house.

Eeyore looked at them in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"We're sitting here with you," said Pooh, "because we are your friends. And true friends don't care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are."

"Oh," said Eeyore. "Oh." And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.

Because Pooh and Piglet were There. No more; no less.

Romans 12:15 - "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."

Reflections:
It's amazing how some messages keep getting repeated. In this case it was affirmation, I have often had 'rest' and lately it has also been 'take it slower' and 'relationship.'

Next steps:

Slow down and remember these things!
Important for family and friends and not just work mates too.

Links to Teacher Standards:

• Making time to have professional discussions with colleagues.
• Attending and contributing to PLD opportunities within and beyond my school
• Undertaking PLD and further professional reading.

TBCS - Lessons from Life Education - Judy-Anne

It is always lovely having Ingrid visiting. While I sometimes think she has a fabulous job I am not sure I would like (or cope well with) having a number of  different classes and levels in a day and even potentially a number of schools in a week. She also gets to be observed for every lesson - ugh. Plus she gets to play second fiddle to a puppet!
Life Education has lots of resources to share so there always plenty of options for follow up work.
Ingrid uses lots of many positive teaching methods. She makes the rules fun- eg put up your brain aerial if you want to speak, but also sets very firm boundaries. She gives clear directions and checks they are understood. Everybody gets a chance to shine. The children are engaged by the activities, the songs and of course they adore Harold. William in particular loved the science and knew which way up to put the snorkel.
The children enjoyed telling me how they had swum underwater with Harold on Friday and the room was all blue. There is some great technology in that truck!


Reflections:
Ingrid was very good about involving everyone, getting them up and moving and using songs. While I do all those things maybe I should keep a bit more of a record to ensure I am doing it regularly. Maybe I include some children more than others and we probably don't move and sing as regularly as they did with Ingrid. Maybe the question is 'how much movement and singing do they need?' If they are happy and on task are they getting enough?

Next steps:
. Get the puppets out
. Ensure we follow up on some of the learning from our sessions. Check with the children and also check back to Ingrid's lesson plan for Friday as I was away sick.
.Complete at least some of the work books at school
.Make thank you cards
. Art work about Harold swimming underwater
.Maybe write a story about Harold's visit to Kelly Tarlton's, and use of the snorkel to breather underwater
vocab list- respiration, oxygen, carbon dioxide, lungs, trachea, mouth and nose

3. Engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning-focused relationships with:

·         learners’, family and whānau

·         teaching colleagues, support staff and other professionals

·         agencies, groups and individuals in the community.

• Appropriate and professional communication with colleagues, ākonga and whānau.

6. Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners.

Provide opportunities and support for learners to engage with, practise and apply learning to different contexts and make connections with prior learning.

• Observing other teachers’ use of resources and teaching strategies.

TBCS - Strength finders PLD - Judy-Anne

It was really interesting to retake the strengths finders quiz and discover that my top 5 are the same as the first time I did it, just in a different order. The last time I took the test I had a different one in my top 5, which is still in my top 10.
Rob showed us the learner section so there is heaps of stuff I can look at and learn more about. He has suggested that the best use we will get out of it is if we actually look at our results, talk about them and use the resources regularly. It's great to know that all of this info and support is available to use as previously we had done the quiz, read the results and pretty much left it there. It is also a reminder that the same is true of many things we do at school - if we don't look at things and discuss them regularly they are of very little use to us. (that is why appraisals have previously been a bit hopeless at each school I have worked at- they were only ever looked at and discussed when it was 'appraisal time.')

I have started some of the modules and looked at some of the resources online. We had some good discussion around the strengths of the teachers in the school and it has made it clear why some of us do things the way we do. A number of my top strengths talk about being solitary and I know I need time by myself and time to think: being with people is quite draining for me, I don't do small talk!

Reflection:
A statement that really resonated was that "Acquiring knowledge is as much a pastime for you as it is a necessity of life." That's a really strong statement!I would not have considered acquiring knowledge as being necessary but I guess for me it is! It also helps to explain my hoarding of info and resources (never know when you might need it!) and why it is easy for me to start things, but not necessarily finish them. For me it is the knowledge acquisition and the process rather than the end product which is important.

Next steps:
.Purge some resources, I have started on this but it is never an easy process for me and I tend to be adding more while getting rid of others. Definitely a work in progress on this one.
. Develop systems- sometimes having all these resources is pretty useless because I can't find what I want when I want it! I did sort some of the folders on the shared drive, but I'm not sure they stayed sorted. I went back later to find things back out of the folders. Steve thought maybe moving folders just moved a copy so I need to go back and check to see if that is true. Hopefully I was just looking at an old version of the drive. I may need to check this with Rob otherwise.
. look at the Gallup site regularly. There is some good advice on it for applying your strengths
. Discussion with other staff about our individual and collective strengths and how we can make our team even stronger
. Make links with this information and Relationship Based Learning

• Ongoing active involvement in a school/community of schools or other professional learning communities (PLC).
• Participation in professional development (PLD), both in school and through outside agencies. Working with colleagues to enact the new learning. 

TBCS - Learning Through Play - My Why - Judy-Anne

Donna- Marie came in the other day, really to talk about Learner Support with me but I got side tracked- unusual!
She asked if I would be able to, can't even think of the word, but elucidate will do, my Why for Play Based Learning.
She helped me realise that I have read a lot and have lots of ideas floating but I haven't tried to pull them all together in a clear, logical fashion.

I do know that I am more in agreement with the idea of child directed free play than more teacher directed set ups and provocations. I am also trying to work out how we can be more involved with outside play and nature.

Next steps:

Sit down with my readings and brain storm my Why?

Brain storm more Hows.

Attend Nathan Mikaere- Wallace's next talk in Nelson- April 10?

Current sources are:
Longworth Education
Tara O'Neill and Learning through Play face book page
Leslee Allen and Number Agents face book page
Nathan Mikaere -Wallis, Brain Wave Trust

Standard 4 - Learning Focused Culture

• Discussing my practice with colleagues and being open to new ideas.
• Promotion of positive and appropriate relationships with and between ākonga.

TBCS - PRT Programme - Judy-Anne

I finally got around to sorting through the Provisionally Registered teachers paperwork we had at school. Managed to get it down from one box to 2 folders, plus one folder of an outline from the Education Council to check. I discovered that lots of the good stuff which was in the TBCS folder was actually from templates from the Education Council. Good thinking not to reinvent the wheel Lyn! 

It was great being able to throw out lots of bits of paper- including multiple copies of the now out of date registered teacher criteria. It also means I now have manageable amounts of information to follow, access and store. Although the mentoring process is not supposed to be a 'tick the box' process it does give me  some good guidelines. 

Now Margaret and I just need to sort out a process for recording our meetings and communications. 

My plan is to observe her this afternoon with a focus on Behaviour Management. 

It's funny how everyone is concerned about their behaviour management!

TBCS - New Entrant Hui - Judy-Anne

NE Hui Wednesday 7 November

Numeracy

Sarah Thomas, Birchwood

Number Sense and Place Value
Need to ‘know’ the number, the quantity and magnitude as well as the symbol, relationship of number to other numbers, cardinal ( sets ) and ordinal ( order)
Split numbers into parts in different ways

Subitising - mathsmentality .com.au
Possible uses for cards : Find one which is bigger, smaller, the same etc, order, group, match the number with counters, match the number with the symbol etc

Need to unpack the language, eg before

Teens - teach as 10 +  1, we call that eleven - because the naming doesn’t make sense

5 ways of making 10, commutative. Then use to make 20 and so on. Get them to make them in lots of different ways. Crucial basis for them to have. Compatible numbers

 1. 2.  3.  4
11 12
What is different- remember that it is not a one there but a TEN

Use pattern to unlock the code, number lines then 100 board

Mathseyes website
Nrich  - The eightness of eight

Same length trains- activity from n rich

Maryanne Small (book)
Fun and fundamentals
Math for young children

Spatial reasoning / geometric reasoning

Taking Shape ( a book)
Visualise,  verbalise, verify

The learning exchange - website

Stoke tahunanui col - check their website - developing agency in mathematics
Check their key mathematical ideas

Provide meaningful provocations


Suggestion from Marilyn
Cover boxes in white paper, easier to then stick boxes to each other and also to paint them

Next steps
Check :
stoke tahunanui col website
Mathseyes website
Nrich, the eight ness of eight, same length trains
Mathsmentality.com.au (subitising)
Taking Shape book
Fun and Fundamentals, Math for Young Children by Maryanne Small
Number agents book


Sort maths equipment and games.
Get into one place

Develop language, focus on number sense, place value, spatial reasoning, geometric reasoning

Ensure provocations are meaningful - hmm. Can play just be for the sake of play?

TBCS - NZSTA Training - Judy-Anne

NZSTA Training on Strategic Planning and Review
Envisioning a desired future.

Every student matters
Every moment counts

One of our goals : engaging our community

Strategic plan - every 4 years
Annual plan sent in annually!

NELPS


Questions  / possible actions raised for me
. We need a more serious meeting with our proprietors re our shared vision for the future
Do we need to change our Vision? Mission? Never can remember which is the top one!

Check ERO website re raising student achievement

Is it worth getting ideas from other schools for Vision, Mission, Values?
There are some good goals in the handout from this meeting.

Next steps:
Meet with the proprietors
Develop a good charter? For 2019  - it will be important for 2020!

TBCS - Outdoor Play - Judy-Anne

https://outdoorclassroomday.org.uk/

There was a post on The NZ Teachers Facebook page on Tuesday about Outdoor Classroom Day, set for Thursday November 1. Craig and I had discussed spending time working with the two classes together as he has the year 6s while the seniors are on their tramp. We were thinking of doing some follow up watercolour sessions following our visit to the Sutter Art Gallery.

With the information about increasing well being by being outside and with my increasing focus on learning through play we decided to make plans to participate in Outdoor Classroom Day.

Checking the weather suggested Wednesday was our better option to be outside so we planned a walk down to the Domain. We spent time on the playground, had a look at the area where we helped with planting by the waterways a few years ago, made lots of noise through the underpass and got extremely muddy in the estuary. 

On Thursday we spent most of the afternoon outside. Children played on the playground, made a shelter around a iconic table with boxes, made blanket forts all round the playground and tried the new outdoor games I got from a Bed, Bath and Beyond sale. ( skittles, pick up sticks and badminton, with the croquet saved for another day)

It was great to see them running the games for themselves, generally problem solving for themselves and just generally getting on with entertaining themselves. One group of the older boys spent quite a bit of time relaxing on a blanket on the spinner and many of the younger children were down the field playing all sorts of running round and make believe games. 

Laila and I checked out the native planting area and think it will be good for box huts and reading once we have done some weeding. The weeds are easy to pull out at present.

We will be printing cerficates for room 1 and 3, the year 6s and Trent from the Outdoor Classroom Day website and Project Dirt.

Next steps:

Weed the native area

Weed the garden

Plant more

Plan Outdoor Classroom day for May 23 2019, possibly asking local ECE centres to join us

Try croquet

Get good storage containers for the new games, print and laminate instructions for the games

TBCS - ECE Hui - Judy- Anne

"The intention of the meeting is aimed at building professional collaboration to meet the needs of young children as they transition from early childhood services into schools. "

One of the comments made by Gwen from the Ministry was that we should be kind to ourselves. We need to think about the big picture and take it slowly.

We have good options for building our relationships with ECE centres in the area. We can continue to visit them and have them visit us. I also know now that it is useful to attend the ECE meetings.
Building relationships with ECE centres may fit with our Kahui Ako goal of relationships too.

Next steps:

Get a copy of the new Te Whariki document

Check on what the Learning Dispositions are

Link The Learning Dispositions and the Key Competencies

Invite local ECE centres to an Outdoor Classroom day on May 29. - or maybe a giant teddy bears picnic or...

Check Keryn Davis, Transition to Schools

Check story park, for learning stories I think

TBCS - Teacher Wellbeing - Judy-Anne

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/teachers-mental-health-anxiety-panic-attacks-insomnia-education-a8592551.html

So once again we got to the end of the first day of term and all realised we were behind already.

I recall an ERO visit when I was at a previous school where the Deputy Principal  commented as we took our paperwork over to their office space that this was the first time she had been up to date with her paperwork in 30 years!

Why do we do this to ourselves? How do we stop?

Some people seem to have developed a good system for themselves, working set hours and not taking work home except around report time. But others are posting on facebook, whether it be showing what they have been doing or asking for help with some curriculum area or behavioural issue,  at all hours of the day and night,  "non contact- holidays" or not.

I liked the idea discussed at a recent NZSTA training where one board is looking after the well being of their teachers as they realise that that ultimately affects the well being of their children.

I have tried many different ideas over the years so maybe it is time to write some down and post some results so I know what works best for me.


Ideas:
. Set hours for work - tricky when we are carpooling and I want to take chances to spend time with Danni when it is available. Maybe it just means putting a limit on hours worked in a week.
. Massage - love this one so need to try and find somebody I like and ensure money is put aside for this
. Craft
. Reading
. Gardening
. Coffee- not relaxing for me, but maybe make time for an alternative eg hot chocolate, iced coffee, at someplace nice
. Follow relaxation tips from the relaxation/ massage therapist we visited in Wellington.
. Accept that some things won't get done
. Make a 'done' list instead of a to do list
.Set realistic expectations, both for myself and others
. Delegate
. Do the less desirable tasks first


Teacher Inquiry:

How can I spark more energy and joy?

Start with registereing for Outdoor classroom day November 1 2018?


.

TBCS - Camping Ideas - Judy-Anne

100 themes

50 activities

Ultimate Camo Resource

• Undertaking PLD and further professional reading.

TBCS - Life Education with Harold - Judy-Anne

Mental health, resilience, conflict resolution are all things we seem to need lots of work on. Ingrid and Harold always have lots of good lessons and lots of good quotes and tools to use. 

When someone is upsetting you, use your WITS

And BLOW it away

Little problems- we can work them out ourselves

Big problems are ones we need help with

TBCS - Devotions with Louise - Judy-Anne

I asked for parents to come in and help with something that was a skill and passion of theirs. Louise volunteered to come in regularly and do a devotions and craft session from the children's storybook Bible we were reading in the first term. It was great to have the story read again and learn some other things I didn't know about some of the stories. I had never really thought about it I guess but creation had to have happened in a specific order for instance.

Louise has had great crafts to go with the stories and works really well with the children. 

There are still quite a number of sessions to go in her plan.

Story of Noah

Tower of Babel

Abraham and his dedscendants

Moses in the bulrushes

Joseph and his coat

Joseph and his coat

Moses and the Red Sea

The 10 commandments

Moses and the bulrushes

Moses and the bulrushes

Noah

Creation

Creation