absolutwillie

Month: July 2013

  • Sharing is Caring

    I love conversations. I love having them around the dining table, on bicycles, in busses, at home and with friends. I also adore having conversations with learners. And this, I feel, is a good thing in subjects like Life Orientation.

    The problem with class conversations, is time. As time flies when you’re having fun, it does while I’m working. I just need to be careful that time doesn’t  run out mid-lesson! Now thankfully I usually finish on time, but on occasion we tend to hit gold in our class discussions, and following that vein to where it leads – hitting “flow” as a group – can steer you way off course as far as your lesson plan is concerned. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, in my humble opinion – on the contrary – but it devours time like nothing.
    Today I hit such a vein in my L.O. crit class, and while I’m certain that my mentor enjoyed the class immensely, I do worry that I didn’t do enough. Part of this worry comes from the deviation from the lesson plan (that is critiqued as part of the whole) and part of it has to do with how much I want these kids to learn something about themselves. I just want to take the time to know that each of them finds joy in themselves, that they learn to accept themselves and others as the wonderful creatures they are, and that they fall back in love with the beauty of life.
    Usually we can only hope that some little thing we try in class ends up helping somewhere. When you strike gold though, and you can see those souls shining, it’s a drug that fills the entire room. That is when magic happens all around you. And that is why I love what I do.

  • Subject advisors in the continuous tense

    English came first today.

    I started off with the 8E class that I had to present on poetry (similes and metaphors), then got commandeered to substitute Gr.10 and 11 classes in language revisions (concords etc.) while their teachers were with the departmental subject advisor (“inspection”-ish). Although I prepared some really amazing media for the class – I was met with a total technology “fail” at the start of the lesson. None of the electronics were responding as they should, so I switched gears and took to the blackboard. I must admit to being a touch on the flustered side of the spectrum – and that old survival habits ( blabbering on) kicked in to compensate.
    The truth is, my preparation was not up to the task. I had put everything together with such a fixed vision of how the class would go, that I very nearly didn’t find the resolve to go on when things went awry. I’m not convinced that the Gr. 8 class learnt the concepts and definitions all that well. In retrospect, I should have spent more time on the definitions of and differences between similes and metaphors.
     Planning is essential – and one should try to plan for all sorts of eventualities!

  • Running on the spot

    There honestly is barely enough time in a day to do everything I’d like to do. Observing lessons in each subject, in each grade, and trying to prepare my weekly lessons is proving to be rather challenging – admittedly a large part of the challenge is trying to get a grip on the school’s timetable and all the relevant teachers’ schedules and extracurricular activities.

    But the more you do – the more you can do! (Although this s also only true within limits. Something I have to be careful not to forget.)
    At today’s Eisteddfod rehearsals my Mentor informed me that the Deputy Principal has tasked me with organizing an assembly program (showcasing the Eisteddfod work) for the week after next’s hall assembly. It’s an entire stage production, with items to be selected and staged, programs to be developed and orchestrated, lighting, music… It’s going to be fun – and a bucketload of work. I asked my colleague (Mr. Van Huyssteen) during tonight’s orchestra rehearsal if he would like to help me out. Thankfully he is pretty amped to participate!
    Good people make all the difference.
    Speaking of good people, my colleagues and I have been thinking about additional ways that we could extend a helping hand to the school. When we compared notes this afternoon – I suggested we consider a voluntary evening class in “test-taking techniques”. Under this umbrella, we could lump all our experience and expertise together, and hopefully help participating learners improve in various aspects of their work simultaneously. I intend to discuss the idea with the Deputy Principal (our liaison member of staff) in the morning.
    The morning… it’s already here, and I need to get up early to finalize a lesson plan. Possibly to type up an additional presentation as well…
    (it seems my broadband provider is experiencing serious technical difficulties… I’ll try and publish this post at 5am, when I get up again.)
    Happy half-past midnight!
    Catch you later.

  • A week in review

    The first week at HTS Drostdy was dedicated to the orientation of the visiting Stellenbosch students. Having been assigned mentors for each of our specializations was exciting to most, and less so for some. I was extremely fortunate to be assigned to Mrs Lambrechts for English ( EFAL) – who also steered extracurricular activities relatd to the arts. I was also afforded the great honour to be assigned to Mr. De Lange – the Senior Deputy Head of the School – for Life Orientation.

    Focusing on Eglish lesson allocations for the term were more successful than those for L.O. That being said, it has to be noted that I was only allocated one English lesson during the first week, and two during the second. Thankfully, the first was critiqued by my mentor, which fills me with hope that I will make my required number of critiqued lessons in English. I hope to be allowed to be more involved next week!
    In L.O. I was only assigned one lesson for next week. At first I was a bit demotivated by this, but being able to observe a week of Mr. De Lange’s classes turned out to be immensely valuable! Experiencing how this subject was handled in practice cleared up a lot of my questions and concerns. On Friday, I managed to schedule a meeting with Mr. De Lange, where he informed me that he was going to depend on me a lot during the coming weeks, as his other duties promised to take up a lot of his time. I was both excited and concerned about this, as it meant that I would be allowed to be allowed to dive into the curriculum quite extensively. My concern, however, is that my mentor in L.O. might not be able to critique the required 8 lessons. Perhaps I could arrange for other teachers to observe my lessons?
    Colour me nervous.
    As far as extra-curricular activities were concerned I hit the proverbial jackpot! I was invited to join Mrs. Lambrechts’ activities, and welcomed to join in with the School Orchestra as well as the School Newspaper: Die Aambeeld.
    Overall, I am extremely excited about the coming term!

  • Saturday’s Fry-Day duty

    Drostdy played Bishops today, and we had a loooooot of rugby kids and their peeps to feed. As student-teachers, it is pretty much accepted that we are also free labour and are to be made use of wherever and whenever possible. It’s a kind of right-of-passage, I guess *lol*
    I see it as paying my dues.
    And I don’t mind one bit!
    I was fryin’ fries for free :0)
    There is a lot to be said for building camaraderie around a sports-day at a boarding school. (Most of it good!)
    It is a great pity that some of my colleagues do not seem to share my optimism with regards to doing service at/for the school. They really are doing themselves a disservice by not participating – or begrudgingly if they do. People can be so much fun to work with!
    And you get to see behind the severity of everyone’s class-faces ;0)
    Good times!

  • Winter Ball

    Quite a lot went down today, but I’m simply too tired to do this entry right. Reason being that we had to chaperone at the Winter Ball tonight.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW34t-iswgg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata&w=320&h=266]

    What day is it anyway?

  • Opportunity knocks

    I had to be a bit of a policeman today, when one of my colleagues came in late, and stomped his way across the staff room in the middle of morning prayer. As visitors to the school and representatives of our University, it is expected that we respect the traditions and values of our hosts whilst maintaining a professional attitude and demeanor. In this case, habitual tardiness has developed into disrespectful nonchalance. Having addressed the issue of tardiness in a friendly manner before, with no effect, I stepped it up to a stern talking-to. Here’s hoping for improvement tomorrow.

    I got to sit in on some other English classes today, and was delighted to see a class of 10th Graders fully immersed in poetry! Especially the jocks! There is hope for the future!! That particular teacher invited me to sit in on one of her Matric classes tomorrow. Woohoo!!
    In one of my English Mentor’s classes, whilst working through a memorandum with the class, I was surprised (delighted) at the large extent of participation, and positive attitude I received from the learners. I’ve seen these kids in action before, and generally one would be tempted to label them as a tough crowd. There is no way that I can claim this as a feather in my cap, as I am by no means a super teacher (yet). I do suspect that getting a “clean slate” in class, with the chance to be viewed through a stranger’s perspective, motivated some of the “more difficult” learners to sit up and try harder.
    Four days into the first week of our school visit later, I finally got a chance to sit in on a Life Orientation class! Some of the learners in that class were faces I remembered from the Eisteddfod. I might have a shot here! If I can get to know at least some of the learners outside the classroom, I might be able to present successful lessons to this class. 
    Colour me surprised when the Eisteddfod kids asked me wether or not I would come watch them again tonight. Obviously I couldn’t say no – and despite all the protestations my body could come up with after lunch, I went back to the Eisteddfod. And boy am I glad I did!! At the venue, I was surprised to find several learners from my English classes – including some of the roguish boys! And when I saw how their eyes lit up when I walked in, something clicked. The mere act of me showing up meant something to these kids. Instant connections were being made left, right and center, and I experienced a sense of alchemical transfiguration.
    I wonder what tomorrow will be like?

  • Winded

    Today was a bit on the (very) long side, but my work paid off! My Mentor awarded me a distinction for my work with the Grade 8s, I managed to wrap up most of the day’s admin (despite teachers being off-campus or out of town for a while) and I got to see the students from  Monday perform in the Eisteddfod!

      The Eisteddfod kept me off-campus until after dinner, but it was worth it! 
      Bugger. I would like to write more, but I’m battered and falling asleep as I type. For fear of dropping something expensive, I’d better turn in now.
    Good night.

  • They call him Lucky!

    It rained today. Chilled raindrops painted targets for an even colder winter wind to slice into any and all bits of exposed skin – and it fell on learners and teachers alike. Possibly less alike where balding crowns offered themselves up as tributary sacrifice. I must remember to wear a hat on days like these…

    The morning staff meeting was characterized by the distinct absence of yesterday’s excitement. The novelty has worn off, and it’s back to the old routine, I gather. We were informed that the periods would be roughly 10 to 15 minutes shorter today, to allow the sport teams who played Away Games to leave school early. I remembered how we were told to expect these fluctuations in scheduling before we left campus – but I was surprised that our first two days at school were to be this amorphous. Admittedly I have a bit of a thing for structure and consistency, but I can see how daily variables would require a school program or daily schedule to be flexible. Sticking to a rigid schedule whilst also accommodating any outside activities such as Away Games would surely lead to chaos?
    I had an opportunity to present the reading comprehension I had prepared to Mrs. Lambrechts. She found my worksheet to be on target, and suggested that I present it as a lesson to the Gr. 8C class during the first period. This caught me a little off guard, but I agreed without batting an eye. Thank heavens I focused on the Senior Phase CAPS document last night! With those notes at hand, and the information fresh in my mind, I was sure I would be able to present a decent class. My confidence took a bit of a knock, however, when checking their homework started to take up a rather hefty chunk of class time… Not only would I have to think on my feet, but I’d have to do so in a rush! The class and I managed to engage in successful pre-reading and reading activities, but our time ran out right as I started addressing our post-reading strategies. The class was asked to complete the questions for homework.
    Mrs. Lambrechts gave me some very helpful feedback, and asked me to present the lesson to the 8E class during the third period. The second period was Gr. 11A’s literature class, where we continued with chapter 5 of Animal Farm. As was the case yesterday, about a third of the boys had not read much of the chapter after the previous class. I am beginning to see why it is necessary for the English teacher to go through each chapter so painstakingly. If she didn’t, many of these boys would not have a clue when it came to testing the content. At the end of the period, the 11As were instructed to summarize the completed chapter for homework. Now that’s one way to get them to pay attention! (That is, if they would do their homework.)
    Teaching the reading comprehension during the third period felt good. We had to spend a bit more time on clarifying tricky words and concepts, but by the time we got to the post-reading phase it looked like the learners had a shot at completing their homework successfully. I will need to tighten up my time management though. When class duration is subject to change at the drop of a hat – or sport’s ball – I will have to be able to adjust to stay on schedule.

  • As Monday draws to a close

    Today was the first day of our teaching prac at Drostdy HTS – a day I had anticipated with a mixture of unease and excitement. To tell the truth, after our initial impressions on arrival at the residences yesterday, one could say I was feeling rather apprehensive by the time we woke up this morning.

    Thankfully we were all on time for the 07:20 staff meeting, where we were introduced to the staff and visiting students from other institutions. After the staff meeting, which pretty much flew right over our heads, we were lined up and introduced to the learners on the quad. I was surprised by the excitement expressed by the learners at our arrival!
    From the quad we returned to the staff room, where we were assigned to our Mentors and escorted to their individual classrooms. I was assigned to Mrs Lambrechts for English (EFAL), and spent the entire day sitting in, assisting learners ( Grades 8, 11 and 12) and checking their homework. I volunteered to help source new texts and authentic material – and was immediately asked to develop a reading comprehension for the Grade 8 classes tomorrow. (Me and my big mouth… bwahahahahaa!)
    On a different note, notions of class discipline have changed quite significantly since the 90s. It was interesting to see that the difference between the “strong” Grade 11s and the “difficult” Grade 11s wasn’t evident in the volume, nature or amount of talking amongst themselves during class – but rather in their motivation to participate. One student in the “difficult” class actually defended their lack of motivation by saying: “ons is darem die D klas onthou!” Obviously these learners have accepted the labels applied to the “D class” and are now living down to expectations. Living examples of self-fulfilling prophecies. This saddened me. I wonder if there is anything I could try to do to help these learners regain faith in themselves? Something to think about.
    After school I joined the other live-in PGCEs for lunch back at Noordsig Residence, where we got to share our first impressions with each other and meet the visiting students from Potch and Wellington. Mr Van Huyssteen joined me after lunch at the drama, poetry and prose rehearsals for this week’s Eisteddfod  participants. It was incredible to see the talent and desire of these young people – not to mention their eagerness to take on critique and suggestions! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to sit with them – and look forward to their performances during the week!
    What little free time remained before dinner was spent acquiring extension cables to power our bedroom, and hot beverages to power ourselves. After dinner followed admin, and sprucing up on the CAPS requirements for Senior Phase learners.
    Now to set up those comprehension tests…