Monday 23 January 2012

Oh yes – I am back!   I have been dying to  blog about my new year in the classroom but life is happening and it has been crazy! Not that I am complaining – I am loving every minute – there is just so much going on and keeping up is a challenge.

As I have blogged before, it was never my intention to get back into full time teaching – but then this happened and here I find myself the teacher of 31 little princesses for at least another year.  Everyone I tell that I am back teaching retorts with the same words – Are you insane –

Well, in this job, perhaps you have to be – but who wants to be normal anyway – a little insanity goes a long way to helping one have an interesting life – At least I’m not bored!

Every year there is something new an innovative at my school to  inspire us. This year we are gearing ourselves to making a digital difference – we are preparing our children for the future and to do this we have to get them aware of all the digi-stuff out there – Google, Facebook, Ipads, Kindles, smart phones and the rest.   Access to the internet must be easy and the children must be trained from a young age how to use what’s out there in an educationally sound way.

I am very excited about this because I am a digigran of note and my husband tells everyone that my computer is an extension of my body and has to be surgically removed if it needs to go in for any kind of repair or upgrade!.  I just live technology and all it has to offer.  When I heard that we were pushing digi learning I was thrilled and expected an interactive board to be installed in my classroom forthwith! Some classes might get them but I doubt mine will be one of them – sigh!  But never mind – I wait with excited anticipation to see how this exciting year of digi awareness will unfold. Whatever happens – I for one am ready for it.

Believe it or not this is the first time in my long and chequered career that I have actually started off a Grade 1 class.   I have taken over a class from early in February to the end of the year and that was indeed a rewarding experience – but that was in the nineties and Break Through to Literacy was the rage and I loved it and couldn’t believe the miracle that happened before my eyes when the little mites began to read.  Now I have to get with the Thrass programme and teach in a completely new way.  Am I up to it? I think so – I believe kids learn in spite of their teachers and the methods employed – As long as they’re enjoying the process – they will learn – and boy are my girls enjoying the process – they can teach this old gran a thing or two!

Each Grade 1 class has an assigned colour – mine being pink so on the first day of school I dressed in  which went down very well with the fairy princesses – pink being the favourite colour of every real girl.   The parents brought their precious ones to the hall where they were entertained by the gap students and played on balancing boards, batted balloons, bounced balls and jumped on mini trampolines until it was time to follow their new teachers to the classroom at 9 o’clock.  Yes, the parents said, their children had all been up and dressed by 5:00 a.m. and begging to be taken to school immediately.   I had to confess that I too had made an early start that Wednesday morning – probably just as excited as they to start thenew year.

Our principal’s words to the newcomers were – “your parents are going to find it very hard to leave you – tell them to be brave and tell them to go home and that you will be just fine!  One of my very confident little ones turned loudly to her parents – You won’t have any problems with me – you can go right now – I’m not going to hang on to you.  But there were one or two others that were a little tearful and nervous about starting their new adventure – but as soon as those moms and dads made the break they were just fine and thoroughly enjoyed their first day.

I thought myself lucky that we were being broken in slowly – the first three day were from 8 to 12, the next week school closed each day at 1.  But wow – did we need that extra time – what a lot there is to do at the beginning of a term.   Staff training and meetings nearly every afternoon, download books to prepare (it takes hours), case histories to read and a myriad of odds and ends to see to.    It has been all I can do to keep up with the pace.

Today was the first full teaching day and I am relieved to report that all went well due to the prior preparation  that was done.   My class are wonderful – I love them to bits and they have settled down so well.  I have some real little characters with the most marvellous idiosyncrasies which keep me on my toes but smiling too.

One amusing little story – My girls had to make a cover for one of their books – “I want lovely vibrant colours ,” I said.   “I’ll do it!” piped up a little voice “Even though I have no idea what vibrant means!”

Choose your words carefully Teacher – they’re only six years old!

Well the year has finally ended – that is to say we have said farewell to our kids but the staff will return to finish off some admin, change classrooms and prepare for next year.

My six months in Grade One have been so rewarding.  It is amazing how those kids just creep into your heart and have you wanting to return for more. So return I shall – I am lucky enough to have been offered a contract for another year.   Many think I’m crazy – and of course I am – but who wants to be normal?  As I’ve said before the call is strong and I cannot resist it!

I have not written about school for some time because after returning to school at the beginning of the fourth term, I stayed only a week and then went off to The Kruger National Park for three weeks and I am still blogging about that!    There is only time for so much you know!

To sum up – the term as all fourth terms tend to be – was hectic.  Final reports, marks schedules  and certificate comments were just three of the tasks I had to catch up on.  Then there was the Grade One Assembly – awesome – the colleague who orchestrated it is a genius.  The rest of us just obeyed her instructions and the only thing I can claim to have contributed was the power point slides that flashed as the children sang a song.   It was my grade head’s idea and she helped choose the slides.

Our final two weeks  were full of functions.   The pre-school presented an amazing nativity and because they come to us next year, the Grade One teachers helped to dress them and then watched the show.  We have some real characters coming up – we’re in for an amazing year as we can already see they’re bright little sparks.   Each phase has an award ceremony and the Foundation Phase  was first up on Wednesday – the older kids got the day off while their teachers looked after our little darlings while we were in the hall and we returned the favour next day.   Each teacher has to pre-record a message and this is played over the sound system as the children walk up to receive their certificates.   It is just wonderful listening to how each teacher felt about his/her class and it brings back all that has been achieved and enjoyed during the year.  Everything is just put into perspective and the pressure and hard work melt away when the rewards of it all are apparent on the stage.   Slides of the year are flashed on a screen behind the children and this is also just so awesome.

On Thursday night we said farewell to our Grade Sevens – and for me this was special as I’d taught many of them over the years when I came in to relieve one or other teacher.  My grandson is also part of that group and is the second of my grandsons to finish at this school.    Tears flowed again – the Grade Sevens presented the evening themselves and they were so mature, confident and competent – it all went off without a hitch.   What an amazing bunch.

All the parents who’d helped in one way or another at the school and had their last child leaving were called up to receive a gift.  I was stunned to be included among them thinking that as a teacher it wouldn’t count!   I was also bowled over when my grandson received the award for service to the school.  His mom received it when she was in Grade 7 too!

I work with such stunning colleagues – and this is part of the reason I choose to stay on.   Sadly two of them retire this year.   And the school gave them a joyful send off.  The entire school gathered on the school field.   One  of the teachers accompanied by another went to collect the ‘old girls’ in his sports car.   They dressed up as chauffeurs and drove them onto the field where the children were dancing and singing and welcomed them with great fanfare. (Much to the amusement of the kids the principal and I  danced together while we waited for the VIPs to arrive.)   The speeches expressed how much these amazing teachers had contributed to the school and how much they had meant to many, many children over the years.   There was dancing and singing and great fanfare as they arrived.   Of course we were all overcome by emotion and many tears were shed!  B and L – I am going to miss you both so much.  Go well my friends and enjoy this next adventure in your respective  lives – it is not the end!

Our end of year staff function was beyond wonderful.    What a good idea to hire a spit-braai team and have it in the hall.  The tables were beautifully set with Christmas crackers etc and we each brought an inexpensive present to be exchange.    Teachers are so creative and what were  wonderful things came out of those gifts – earrings, pretty stationery, colourful marking pens, speciality jams were just a few of the useful items.   The vibe was great and I did not want to leave – but the weekend away to Struisbaai was calling and reluctantly I took my leave at 2.

Two more days and then its off for the holidays.