absolutwillie

Category: PGCE

  • A dancing bear I am

    Great news! I managed to find a fun poem to use in my Poetry 4 Enjoyment class:

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2o9xmFw8g?si=x0q2x-Pf3DFkyV3G]

    I presented the lesson to two different Gr.11 EFAL classes, as well as my Visual Literacy lesson on Poster Design. That completed the circle – I have now done my song-and-dance for all five Gr.11 EFAL classes at our school.

    It was interesting to note how many learners reacted positively to my lessons, and to see which of them knocked my socks off with their Prepared Reading assignments after! I must admit that I am especially keen to see what the learners from today’s lessons bring to class on Monday!

    Poetry remains one of my main passions in teaching.

  • Annoyed

    Annoyed annoyed annoyed
    I am viciously annoyed.
    Ticked off, miffed,
    agitated and
    oh
    so very
    vexed!

    Some of you will remember that I had presented a lesson on “Poetry for Enjoyment” when Prof. Beets came to critique me. The lesson served as a bridge between the movie “Dead Poets Society” and the Grade 11 Prepared Reading task, which made up their oral assignment for the term. After the D-day lesson, I presented this lesson to my Mentor’s other Gr.11 class to their surprised delight.It’s a fun lesson, carefully crafted to achieve the “unthinkable” – making poetry so much fun, that you’d want to delve into it at home, in your own time, and love it.Following my two presentations in my Mentor’s classes, she suggested that the other Gr.11 English teachers consider having me present this lesson after they’re classes have watched the movie. A suggestion which seems to’ve been received quite well, judging by the bookings I received. Of course I had to make room for these lessons in my L.O.-schedule, but I figured it was worth it for me, for the learners, and for the love of poetry!

    Today saw me presenting this lesson to 11B, with both their teacher and the Department Head in the classroom. The light wasn’t ideal for the overhead projector, but the lesson went down without a hitch. The learners seemed to love it, and their teacher said how enjoyable he found it. The Department Head, whose classes are up tomorrow and the day after, was however not as enthusiastic about the poem I used at the end of my lesson to drive it all home. She asked that I change it to one of the Gr.12 EFAL poems she had on a DVD.

    This is the poem I have been using all this while as an exercise in performing a reading:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpwAP36-w7E?si=X8fGGxRjUGePY040]

    I’m sure you can imagine the hilarity (enjoyment) that ensued once learners were given the text to this poem and told they had two minutes to prepare a fun way of reading it, and then reading it in front of the whole class. Right there. (Yes, I’m incorrigible – with purpose.)

    The plaintiff flat-out refused that part of the lesson.
    These are the poems I’ve been asked to substitute it with:

    Guy Butler – A Prayer for All My Countrymen
    Roy Campbell – The Serf
    John Donne – Death Be Not Proud
    Charles Eglington – Cheetah
    John Milton – On His Blindness
    Oswald Mtshali – The birth of Shaka
    William Shakespeare – Sonnet 116
    Karl Shapiro – Auto Wreck
    Stephen Spender – An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum
    W.D. Snodgrass – Mementos, 1

    WTF? Let’s switch out a light-hearted, nonsensical and funny little poem for something more… well, either high-browed convoluted-ness or death and misery. Great.

    Of course these poems are all fantastic works of art – in the same way a Rembrandt is fantastic. They’re also just as much fun…

    I’ll have to make a plan.

  • Two and a half fortnights in

    … and only one and a half left to go! Where did the time go? And what happened?

    Standing in for my English mentor all of last week gave me a good idea of what life as an English teacher – particularly the one running the drama-related extra murals – was like. Honestly, I don’t know how one manages two compulsory curriculums at FET-phase. Very few people do, it seems. It is a bit of a frightening prospect that one could be employed with the expectation of managing three or four!

    This past week was also a personal trial on many levels. Not only did I have to deal with my own issues of having to deal with colleagues who don’t seem to be as passionate about our work as I am, but I also had to try and find a way to help people see outside their own cages…

    It was also a week of lovely highlights, affirmations and good old fun!
    This was a week I will have to hold on to in days to come.

    It helps to know why one teaches, and even more so to feel appreciated for it.

  • 40 Days

    The Matrics celebrated their “40 Day”-milestone today. With the end of their High School career in sight, they came dressed as whom/what they wanted to become. There were nurses, race car drivers, lawyers, engineers – even a teacher or two! Naturally there were also those who took the Mickey out of it, and came dressed as wildlife, witches and wh… alternative traders (post dusk).

    I wonder how their teachers felt about the day. Was it a joyous celebration of a path well travelled, or more of a lookout post half-way up a mountain: from which one gazes with both trepidation and relief?

    At this stage of the game it really is all about academics, and a large portion of Grade 12s start realizing it ’round about now. The Record Exams starting on Monday, and the Final Exams of next term, are the culmination of 12 years of learning, studying and the choices each learner made along the way. Those who started taking their studies serious earlier on have an advantage over those who only realized today that their scores directly influence how and when (even “if”) they are going to reach their life goals.

    Making your dreams come true is a conscious decision and a daily choice all through your school career. Now impacts what comes next – in fact, now causes what comes next. (Duh!) Let’s look at an example from my L.O. class:

    Say your dream is to have a family one day, what do you need to make it happen? Perhaps a spouse, a house, a car and some kids? Maybe even a pet or two? Now… how are you going to afford it? “Work!” you might say. Absolutely, that’s kind of obvious. But how much do you need to earn? Keep in mind that every child is a Ferrari in financial terms. From pregnancy to 18 years of age, each child will cost you the equivalent of a Ferrari purchase. (Not necessarily the top of the range model though…) Then there’s the home you want to live in, and the car you want to drive, and the vacations you want to take… Realizing such dreams all depends on what you do now. Which depends on everything you’ve done so far.

    Have you made the right decisions so far? Are you making them now?

    It is with all honesty that I can say that I truly wish nothing but success, happiness and love to all of the learners at this school. They really are magnificent young people, with great talent and all the potential in the world! Unfortunately my wishing it, doesn’t make it so. It is up to them to decide what they want, and how they are going to get it.

    Study smart, study hard, and make it work.

  • Photo day!!

    It was Photo Day at school today… this still (since my days) seems to mean chaos in the classroom, and fun everywhere else. Learners are expected to be everywhere at any time of the day, to appear in class photos, team photos, individual photos… you get the idea.

    Funnily enough the drama kids wanted me in their photo! Badly enough to petition the principal :0)

    I loved it, of course, even though it felt strange to sit in on a group’s Year Photograph after only being around for four weeks, and full knowing that practicum will be over in another four weeks’ time.

    But no matter how I declined, there was no getting out of it after they came back with the principal’s blessings. Here’s an iPhone photo taken at the same time as the official photo:

    I [heart] U too!

    The learners at this school are amazing kids – and they are barging their way straight into my heart…

    Back to academia:
    Days like today are very tricky when you’re trying to teach your lessons despite the mad-hattery around you. I suspect a better way to go about it, is to channel the excitement and turn the chaos into a learning experience in itself. Orals or creative writing projects could transform the lesson into something the carry with them whilst changing uniforms, posing with different teams and classes and just generally having a wildfire day.

  • When frustration strikes

    There is so much we can share with each other – so many ways in which we can enrich each other’s lives – and so much we can learn and discover together.

    But we don’t. 
    Some don’t know how to, and some just won’t.
    Why not?
    I suspect Fear keeps all of us neatly chained inside our boxes. The fear of losing face keeps us from sharing what we don’t know, in order to grow together. The fear of losing control keeps us from allowing freedom of thought, discovery and risking ideas that might change something. The fear of standing out of the crowd keeps us from fulfilling our own potential and reaching greatness.
    This is what frustrated me today.
    I don’t like being chained.
    I can’t stand it when people chain themselves.
    I absolutely abhor those who chain others.
    Am I the only one?

    As teachers, I believe that we should remain open to new ideas, new ways of doing as well as new ways of learning – especially when the learning party is oneself! There is no shame in stating what we don’t know, for this humanizes us and opens us up to learning whilst simultaneously encouraging our learners to do the same. I also believe that we should remember that teaching and learning are both social as well as intensely personal activities. We should work with the masses in showing the way, whilst remembering to allow for individualization. The internal learning process which should actively work towards encouraging personal growth and development of self in each of our learners. In doing this, we should be nurturing a group which recognizes,  encourages and celebrates the powerful beauty of each of its members.

    Break the chains of Fear – and live in the unique light of Potential!

  • Dear God in Heaven…

    … please let me never, ever be expected or requested to organize colleagues or staff ever again. And have mercy on my soul if it turns out that I have to, despite my plea…

    And also thank you Lord, for kids who step forward and make use of the opportunity to work with us one-on-one! My greatest joy comes from helping someone find some sort of solution. Even if that solution is merely a way to remember Figures of Speech.
    I had a learner come to me after dinner tonight and thank me for the additional tutoring (“study skills” evening class) we  had held at one of the residences. One “thank you” out of over a hundred learners – and it was exactly what I needed!
    Teaching: flame on!

  • Switching Gears

    Thus far my focus has mainly been on English classes as far as my curriculum specializations went. Today marked the halfway point of our school visit (practicum), and heralded in my focus shift to Life Orientation.

    Although I did observe several L.O. classes, I have only taught one lesson that was critiqued by my L.O. mentor. In the case of English, I’ve managed to teach my quota entirely. I will still teach my “Poetry 4 Enjoyment” class to the other Gr. 11s, as requested by the other English teachers. Beyond that, however, I’ll be concentrating on presenting as many L.O. lessons as my Mentor sees fit.

    Starting off, I’ll be focusing on adolescence (erm) and career guidance.

    Wish me luck!

  • Half-n-half

    This week was all about the matter – subject matter as well as the subjects that matter.

    Full immersion teaching, getting to know the learners, to engage with them on different levels, to see them play and excel in various extramural activities… to form some semblance of a bond with them. This is the joy of teaching. This is the stuff that lives are made of. And it is such an honor to be a part of it.

    Remember this in times to come when paperwork and admin, disappointments and conflicts as well as fatigue and frustration team up to try and overthrow us. Hold on to the joy, lest we get jaded.

  • International Schools Rugby and Big Band Brilliance

    Today was a day packed to the brim with excitement and activities. Not to mention work.


    SARU had selected our school to host several international rugby matches that were televised and broadcast throughout the rugby-universe. And everyone got a chance to take part! Even if you were part of the Under 14 D rugby team, and played waaaaay at the back on the secondary fields – you were a part of everything, and the excitement that filled the air was intoxicating.


    Even one such as myself, who barely knows what a rugby match looks like, could enjoy the day quite vigorously. Which I did. Starting with early morning security detail, to watching the sun rise over the snow-capped mountains, to supporting the U14Ds and all my kids playing before the main games. I don’t know how many of them recognized their student English/LO-teacher pacing up and down the fields – but seeing the faces of those who did light up made my heart swell.

    Similarly, at the Orchestra’s Winter Concert earlier tonight, it was such a pleasure to see kids shining in their passions, and living for what they do. I had such a great time watching them play, listening to the gorgeous music they made, and just being a part of their Big Night!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOaJkm1H9_Y?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata&w=320&h=266]

    I’m growing quite attached to these kids.