tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22583086682826477852024-03-13T23:17:21.167-07:00Teacher By DayChanging the World, One Lessonplan at a TimeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-21352559487348450662015-06-17T14:53:00.001-07:002015-06-17T15:08:04.201-07:00Teacher Problems<p dir="ltr">June 16 just passed by. I didn't want to commemorate by wearing school uniform and I certainly wanted nothing to do with teenagers. I didn't want to share with them how important education and learning is. I didn't want to talk about the struggle or Hector Petersen. All these things are our day to day;our 9 - 5. Every day we are faced with young people who don't fully grasp the opportunity they have to learn that so many don't have. Give us a break on these holidays!</p>
<p dir="ltr">It's that time of the year. It's nearing the midterm and I have very little energy to get up and teach something new. But I know there is work that I need to cover because after midterm, the mid year exams will come and I don't want to think that I have done these kids an injustice.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Maybe it's some way of consoling myself to say that I have not sold them short. It's just that with all of our lesson plans and term schedules, one would think we have some train of thought and intention with our teaching, right? But then there are assessments and marking of assessments and loading of marks and setting up remedial work then tracking their progress then filling the gaps then.... I feel myself drowning</p>
<p dir="ltr">And in the end I wonder what I have really done to help them....</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-48475425124101750332014-11-21T21:56:00.001-08:002014-11-21T21:56:29.897-08:00The Red Abyss<p>I crawled out of bed, showered and dragged myself to school. Fortunately, where I teach we only go in when we have to invigilate and that particular morning wasn't an early one.</p>
<p>Shoulders drooping I walked into the staff room. Craig, my colleague was sitting at the corner scrolling up his phone. He looked up at me with the same vacant look I'm sure you'd find in my own eyes at this time of the year. We exchanged details about marking deadlines and he went silent. "I'm dying!!" I confess in melodramatic exasperation. Everything I've been doing for the past two weeks has been revolving around how many scripts I've marked or am going to mark. Such  monotanious living really does drain the spirit. Relief swept over Craig's face. He knew exactly what I was talking about and I suddenly felt better because for the first time, I didn't feel so alone. </p>
<p>I'm sure there are hundreds of teachers out there who seriously consider alcohol or some kind of drug abuse to help get them through the messed up answers we get in the endless pit of exam scripts that sit staring at us from our study tables. We question our career choice just a little bit as it becomes clear that a vast majority of our learners still cannot identify a simple pun even after a very elaborate and exciting lesson on the subject. You begin to wonder if you are the problem or if these kids just really don't care, don't get me started on their parents. Are they sure their offspring is studying on those ipads or are they going through social networks and watching schmoney videos? What does it even matter? You will never be free until all 200 scripts have your red marks of approval - or disapproval.</p>
<p>I've tried compiling rules on how to get through the exam season. I've tried to be optimistic and to keep somewhat busy, but at the end of the day, exams mark the end of the honeymoon phase of our career. We're faced with the ugliness that is teaching. The reasons why most people become teachers as a last resort if at all. It all boils down to the the deep dark red abyss.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-86041972491645325452014-10-15T04:25:00.000-07:002014-10-15T04:26:58.871-07:00Another SonnetWhile this one did not follow all the the conventions of an English sonnet, I found that it was the most pleasant to read. Enjoy!<br />
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<b><u>By Ana Fuca Pedro</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Your poems make me feel all warm inside.<br />
When I'm with you, my heart glows<br />
Sometimes I just can't decide.<br />
What would I do without your prose?<br />
When we are together, the world is alive.<br />
You make me feel like a princess<br />
how could I ever survive?<br />
I can't focus on any other business.<br />
Let's run away<br />
you and I<br />
This coming May<br />
My oh my...<br />
We'll forever be<br />
Just you and me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-14300059917940336812014-10-11T04:53:00.001-07:002014-10-12T13:31:28.231-07:00Desk Job<p>The first school I taught at had few of the luxuries the standard teacher would like. One of those luxuries was having your own classroom. We had to move from classroom to classroom and we could never maintain the desk arrangement we wanted.</p>
<p>This year at my new school I was assigned my very own classroom! Al my paperwork and my work space is on one place! I was getting so much.more work done than ever before. But these las few months I have become more and more comfortable, too comfortable in fact, behind my desk. I don't walk around as much as I used to and as much as I know this needs to change, I find that I am glued to my chair.</p>
<p>So here's the plan. I will from now on ensure that I am standing when my learners arrive and remain so for the duration of the lesson. </p>
<p>On the bright side, it's good to experience such things, because one learns new ways to solve problems. And being able to identify the problem is really how we move forward and be better teachers</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-32261090467087273572014-10-08T03:25:00.000-07:002014-10-08T03:32:21.874-07:00The English SonnetThe most rewarding thing about teaching is when your learners surprise you. They take an assignment that you have given them and they run with it. I have been teaching my grade 9s the English Sonnet,its structure, thought patterns and themes. I then challenged them to write their own sonnets using the same conventions. Below are two of the sonnets I enjoyed the most:<br />
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<b><u>Burn My Heart By Lehlohonolo Dube</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Your eyes compete with the sun's glare every day<br />
questioning if later yourself would be the sun.<br />
Oh how I'd watch you rise every single day<br />
your brightness pierces me like a bullet from a gun<br />
The sun is too hot for me to hold<br />
although you are just as hot, you aren't as big.<br />
you would make the perfect fit, truth be told<br />
If my love for you is a hole, so on I dig.<br />
But let the sun be for we can't live without it<br />
as I can not be without yourself<br />
to replace it you would become with it<br />
but with you out of this world I'd be by myself<br />
shine on, that is what you are meant to do<br />
as forever you will burn my heart too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>By Keletso Nakedi</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
What better word to use than love<br />
because it is all that you give<br />
as white as that beautiful dove<br />
you are all that I need to live<br />
Your voice as deep as the base in that song -<br />
the beat that is pumping at the pace of my heart<br />
what could ever possibly go wrong?<br />
our love can never fall apart<br />
oh yes my love for you will always grow<br />
even with the pains it may come with<br />
when you are in my sight my eyes will blow<br />
your love only comes once like snow<br />
I vow to love you as big as the sun<br />
and promise you never to run.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-18331227817641260862014-08-06T03:16:00.001-07:002014-08-06T03:16:29.969-07:00Nearing the EndAn old house builder who was approaching retirement was asked by his employer to build one more house before retiring. He had spent many years building some of the most beautiful houses ever seen and he was now tired. He did not put much thought into the materials he used and really just worked to finish the house so he could stop working for good.<br />
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Finally the house was complete and he was eager to take his package and rest. To his dismay, the builder's employer handed the builder the keys to the last house he had built as a retirement gift ....<br />
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It's two days before we close school for a month long holiday and I am bushed! It would be so easy to just go with the motions and put in no effort. After all I can pick it all up again next term when both me and my learners are fresh and ready to work. But it is important even in the last few days of school to keep working hard because hard work now will pay off later. It's too bad this particular pay off won't be in the form of a beautiful house, though ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-29321255619260205132014-06-27T01:30:00.004-07:002014-08-06T03:16:51.333-07:00How to Survive Exam Marking SeasonI've been teaching for four years now and I still don't really have a handle on marking. Mark is the guy that has us procrastinating as teachers. Our houses are never cleaner than during exam season and we tweet and facebook more about the silly answers our kids give us as we mark. Not to mention gym. My muscles are cut faster now than they were doing before the exams. It's all coping mechanisms, really. I have some mechanisms of my own and they have proved pretty reliable.<br />
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<b>Rule Nr 1</b>: Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. The biggest mistake after my paper is written is making up excuses like, I'll start over the weekend. It's not going to happen. Sure, you'll get started but by the end of the weekend, you will have marked about 5 scripts, 10 if you're lucky! So, on the day that your exam is written and they hand you that mountain of papers; START!! Which leads me to <b>Rule Nr 2:</b> How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. In my first year of teaching, I used to lug my papers from my work desk at home to my work desk at school and get very little actual marking done. I then discovered how much easier - and lighter - it is to carry smaller packs! Commit to marking a certain amount of papers during the day at school, even if it's just 5 scripts, and another 5 when you are at home. Some days ( only <i>some </i>days) I feel so motivated about the work I've done that I do just a little bit more!<br />
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<b>Rule Nr 3:</b> "I don't have time" is the grown - up version of "the dog ate my homework". When marking season comes upon us we often stop doing everything else in our lives. Gym takes the back burner,you don't eat properly. Your house is basically the equivalent of what your res room looked like when you were writing exams at Varsity. I find that I am much more productive when I am under more pressure. On a Saturday morning, for example, I will do the laundry and clean all the while marking. Relax gentlemen, I don't mean do it all at once! A load of laundry takes a minimum of 45 minutes right? Surely you can do 3 - 5 scripts in that time! That's 9 - 15 scripts by the time you get to your darks assuming you split your laundry into whites, colours and darks and do your laundry in that order ( I think I take laundry way too seriously!). By lunch time you can reward yourself with a shower or a snack! Which leads me to <b>Rule Nr 4:</b> Being organised leaves more room for spontaneity. Don't stop going to gym or socialising just because you have to mark. Instead, make the other things in your life a kind of reward for the work you are doing. If I have the whole day, I don't shower until I have marked a certain amount of scripts ( overshare much?) after that, I don't have a meal until I have marked another certain amount of papers. After say, 15 scripts I go to gym or that braai a friend invited me to ( even if it's for just an hour and I have to head back to the marking). Before you know it, you will find that you have covered much more work than you would have if you had put the whole day aside for marking.<br />
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To be quiet honest. I find the marking season rather depressing. It is during this time that you come face to face with your work and realise what your kids know or don't know. I can't spend too much time marking because eventually I just want to cry because sometimes it seems like they just don't get it. These rules have been very helpful for me. It's like chasing smaller deadlines and has actually made my marking a lot less rushed. Try one or two of these rules and tell me what you think, ok?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-57820552004908541992014-01-31T00:07:00.000-08:002014-01-31T00:07:53.703-08:00How it isI can't believe we are seeing the end of January already. In many ways this new school is exactly what I was looking forward to. My focus is solely on the lessons I prepare and the various additional duties I have. So far there hasn't been a dull moment.<br />
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For some reason, I was expecting smarter children here; kids who would challenge what I know, but I'm learning quickly that kids are kids are kids. Sure, these new ones have iPads and speak fluent English, but they, just like my previous kids, mix up parts of speech and figures of speech; the need is the same.My fear in that regard has been eased.<br />
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I wish I had the ability to separate my personal life to my work life or rather, I wish I could base my happiness on the success of just one aspect of my life. If that was possible I really would be the happiest person in the land ( yes, exactly like a princess).<br />
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I hope I will resolve to this and at some point be happy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-75573615961770265342014-01-02T07:58:00.001-08:002014-01-02T07:58:10.095-08:00New Beginings<p>Last year I not only ended my third year in my teaching career, but I said goodbye to Leap Science and Maths School...</p>
<p>Part of me is so excited for a new work environment that will no doubt bring with it new challenges.The other part of me is sad to say goodbye to this group of learners. We've been together since their grade 9 year and I would've loved to see them through their final year in high school, but as my friend always used to tell me, every year there is a new excuse to stay just a little bit longer and so it is important to go with your initial gut feeling.</p>
<p>I will always be grateful for the opportunity Leap gave me when no other school would take a second look at me without a qualification. It is here where I gained my confidence as an educator and also where I became brave enough to accept that I will never be good a good enough teacher. I will never arrive. It's important to feel like this because our children deserve teachers who always strive to be better than what they already are and changing schools is the best way I can do that.</p>
<p>And so I look forward. To new children. To new colleagues. To new teaching material. The future is blurry, but is it ever clear in reality?</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6zWNs3PHc78/UsWMjJJdDaI/AAAAAAAAAU8/DO4ACIzdGTA/s1600/20131204_073853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6zWNs3PHc78/UsWMjJJdDaI/AAAAAAAAAU8/DO4ACIzdGTA/s640/20131204_073853.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-47642346576993224692013-03-08T10:59:00.001-08:002013-03-08T10:59:46.377-08:00Obituary of Moena Abrahams<p>Moena Abrahams was born on 18 March 1950. She was the youngest and only daughter of Suleiman and Sies Mariam Abrahams. She began her primary school education at Buckingham High School and went on to matriculate there. Moena stayed at home after school to help with the family business. She fell in love and married Pretty-Boy with whom she had three children. She died during a strike where was part of a stampeed. She is survived by her husband, three children, her parents and her three older brothers. Rest in peace Onse Moena.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-81050275204944313882013-03-08T10:41:00.001-08:002013-03-08T10:41:48.042-08:00Diary entry - 08/ 03/13<p>Dear Diary<br>
<br>
Visits with my dad are bittersweet. I hate that I have to lie to him. He thinks that I run a boarding house! If he found out the truth, he would be so ashamed of me. The Butterfly and the boys from Winsor Park all did such a good job putting his party together and also keeping secret safe. I can't imagine why he has never said anything about it, but the only important thing is that he comes to visit me every year.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-19434057838473867832012-12-06T05:17:00.002-08:002012-12-06T05:17:47.317-08:00End of the Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qQW0jeDeEtc/UMCZCzLGpDI/AAAAAAAAAKU/yLxplYp4T5I/s1600/20121205_073219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qQW0jeDeEtc/UMCZCzLGpDI/AAAAAAAAAKU/yLxplYp4T5I/s320/20121205_073219.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My second year in teaching has come to an end. I can't believe it! These are the guys that put up with my nonsense, helped me by collecting return slips when I was too busy with other things and so many other things that I don't have enough fingers to count. Without this group of who I call my "Uglies", this English teacher would not have been very efficient this year. I thank you guys :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-36313275315314570622012-01-07T07:11:00.000-08:002012-01-07T07:11:05.490-08:00Back To SchoolI'm back in Joburg after a (well deserved?) holiday. I have mixed feelings about this year...<br />
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There are parts of me that are so excited and ready; not like last year. I definately feel more prepared and ready -this year more than last year- to take on the aspects of teaching that I can control; as for the those aspects I can't, bring on the spice!<br />
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2012 professional year, I'm ready for you!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-83160279872343719762011-12-14T04:20:00.000-08:002011-12-14T04:20:31.721-08:00End of YearThis was my first mentor class as an educator!! These are the 19 individuals who saw me at some of my best moments and some of my worst ( probably more worse than best!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-utuA1cUgsD8/TuiRdi0yHrI/AAAAAAAAAGo/xiCb5XChcfg/s1600/IMG_4946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-utuA1cUgsD8/TuiRdi0yHrI/AAAAAAAAAGo/xiCb5XChcfg/s320/IMG_4946.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A few weeks prior, we had a reflections session. My Grade 10's had the opportunity to tell me exactly how they felt about me, no matter good or bad.The thought daunted me at first, but I have learned so much from that session and realised how much more they had taught me during the year. As much as the teacher's role is to grow the learner, whether academically or emotionally. I strongly feel that they give us so much more than we can ever hope to impart on them.<br />
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So Grade 10.2's 2011, I thank you for the lessons not only allowing me to impart some knowledge on you, but also for your unconditional love towards me during this year. You have been awesome!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-52558732724171327392011-12-12T02:31:00.000-08:002011-12-12T02:31:48.067-08:00Nolo, the Academic<style type="text/css">
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i> </i><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><u><b>Problem Statement</b></u></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> The most critical problem which could be singled out as the most critical issue contributing nationally to poor educational standards and matriculation results lies with the educator's intent. Attention is paid on educating the educator and not engaging the learner. Based on my training as an educator my 'plan of action' in teaching is to produce good marks from learners. On the surface, this can be seen as a good intention because good marks result in entrance into tertiary institutions which ultimately leads to good careers. Beneath the surface, however one finds that because my attention as an educator is on the end result of good marks, the learners ultimately become a means to an end for me therefore I end up serving myself and not the learner.</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Educators are trained to grow academically through degrees and short courses with the thought that this is what will produce better results from learners, but no attention is paid to the educator's personal growth. According to Schuitema's Transactional Correctness Model, in personal growth, the focus is no longer on taking but on giving instead ( Schuitema 2004:19). It further stipulates that personal growth is an ongoing process where motive is continuously clarified. In this process of personal growth, one's motives are a combination of serving one's self and serving others. The more one matures the more emphasis is placed on serving others rather than one's self. One can therefore conclude that with personal growth comes less focus on self interest, in this context producing good marks in order for our education system to be held in high esteem.</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><u><b>Motivation</b></u></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In the attempt to improve our education system we have focused on </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">reforming </span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">what procedures, processes and technologies that already exist in order to make them more effective. This, according to Schlechty, should not be the approach. Rather, we should focus on </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">transforming </span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">these entities (Schlechty; 2009: 3). Transformation to Schlechty entails the change from one form to another form entirely (Schlechty;2009:3). Perhaps we as educators should consider the prospect of changing the way we approach education. Because my attention as an educator is on the production of good marks and meeting assessment standards set by the department of education, I am essentially exploiting the learners for my own gain. Furthermore, learners can see this exploitation, because most learners ( myself included when I was in high school) see their high school careers as a process to get through as quickly as possible to gain emancipation and independence and not a place where learning and growth can take place for that very emancipation. They move on to university with that same attitude towards the system -I must exploit to gain- they study towards a career they feel will get them the most out of society and ultimately become exploiters themselves because that is what we taught them in high school.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> </div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> In some ways transformation has already been taken place in our country since 1994 because educating is no longer educator centred. A teacher is no longer the person with all the knowledge and imparts that knowledge to learners who then take it in and regurgitate it in a test at the end of the term. More responsibility is now placed on the learner for learning to take place. The learners are now expected to depend on aspects such as personal experience as a guide towards that learning. They are required to use use critical thinking to engage with a problem or situation and not just what they their teacher told them to do. By doing this, one can see how the intent is to grow responsible members of society. One also can see how the learner's background is made more relevant and important for the learners academic growth, but if our attention is continuously on their results, all of this becomes futile. Even as I consider this form of transformation, I still feel it is not enough. We as educators, especially those who have been teaching for decades, still fall back on how we have always been doing it and say that we have done our part; any failure by the learners is their responsibility and not our own. When it becomes too hard to focus on the learners needs and adjust our teaching to those needs we fall back on familiar patterns and if that does not produce better results, we place the problem of bad results and low teaching standards on the learners' inability to work for us and not on our unwillingness to “alter the beliefs, values, meanings-the culture- in which programs are embedded” (Schlechty; 2009: 3). </div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">According to Tyler, the curriculum involves planning, implementing and evaluating (Booyse & Du Plessis; 2008). One way of understanding the curriculum is to view it as a blueprint. The blueprint of a building serves as the starting point of the building process. It is the set used to stimulate thinking about teaching and learning. It is the plan, the skeleton for learning and teaching. The curriculum stipulates the activities, opportunities and experience in learning and teaching, but the curriculum, with all its plans, is not enough because it is only the beginning of the teaching and learning process. At some point all those plans need to be implemented. To make the curriculum effective, one has to first flesh it out in terms of knowledge and content. According to Stenhouse's view of the curriculum and program development, “a plan changes in the process of implementation” ( Booyse, Du Plessis 2008: 23). Therefore the education system cannot depend solely on plans. The curriculum needs to be more flexible to the needs of the child and as it stands now, the curriculum works with where it wants the learner to end up and not where the learner is at the beginning of the learning process. According to Schuitema, “ when I look at someone from the point of view of wanting to get something out of him or her, my real intention and attention is not on the person. It is rather on the outcome that I am trying to manage by using the person.” ( Schuitema 2004: 9). In view of this, because my outcome is to get good results at the end of the academic year, the learner becomes a means to my end and not a person who is to be respected and whose needs so often go further than just the academic. I am therefore bending the learner's will to serve myself. Our actions in the classroom and in our engagement with learners counts just as much as the learner's actions do.</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> According to Schuitema, “if you give people proper attention, you cultivate conditions where people seek to be correct with you” (Schuitema 2004: 42). I feel that lack of personal growth is the most critical issue in our education system, because according to Schuitema's Transactional Model, personal growth allows us as educators to engage learners thereby having a mutually enabling relationship with them and not one that just takes from them. According to Schuitema, where our attention is is where our intention lies therefore if our attention as educators is solely on good results, our intention is then on the data we collect and not on the learners academic and personal progress. Once our attention is on the learner as a person and not on the results the learner can produce, it is then that we can truly engage the learner on a personal level thereby cultivating an inviting learning environment where learning and good results take place. The results should be seen as a default result of our engagement with the learner and not the aim itself.</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <u><b>Solution</b></u></div><div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-style: normal;">There is a disconnect between what we teach and what an assessment tool measures. Teachers are given the standards without clarification or commentary resulting in different interpretations of those standards and therefore different interpretations of the assessments. It is therefore argued by Bambrick – Santoyo that standards are meaningless until how the standards will be assessed is defined (Bambrick–Santoyo;2010: 8). We find ourselves in a situation where our attention is on meeting the assessment standards and not on adapting our teaching according to the learner's needs and towards the assessment standards. Bambrick–Santoyo further argues that it should be the assessment that defines the standard and not the other way around. Assessment should be viewed as the starting point and not the end point. We as educators should work towards assessing first and then teach towards the standards of that assessment. In doing so, I am continuously challenged not to stick to a pattern, but to consider where my learners are and helping them to build on what they know. Meeting standards set by the department of education is necessary, but often makes it difficult to measure a teacher's success or the learners' growth based on a list of standards. Assessment therefore needs to happen at all levels of teaching and not just at the end of the teaching process where the educator is collecting marks for reports. This can be done through tests at the the beginning of the lesson. Setting up a five sentence PDN (Please Do Now) to be done at the beginning of an English lesson then doing an exit slip of more difficulty at the end of the lesson helps me to assess whether learning has taken place and if it hasn't, I can tweek my teaching to tackle the area where my learners struggle. In doing this I have paid less attention is on the standards set by the department and the production of good results from learners and more attention on what the learners do not know and consistently adapting my own teaching techniques to reach the learners' ever changing needs in the classroom, it is then that we will truly engage the learner and ignite learning in them, because it is then that our teaching is truly learner-centred.</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> This is why personal growth is so important among us as teachers because if we are truly mature we no longer see only ourselves and the outcomes we want to reach through the learners. Instead, it is at this time of disregarding ourselves and our capabilities that we can really see the learner and adjust our teaching to meet them at their needs. This is not to say that we should forget about ourselves, but rather that in being fully self- aware and in understanding ourselves, we begin to move towards no longer being so focused our insecurities as educators and what we want because we have worked through our own insecurities and are no longer so self absorbed. It is good to self evaluate, but once we have pinpointed our shortcomings we should advance towards improving on them. This, I believe is the intention of the workshops and peer reviewed classes.</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <br />
</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <u><b>Conclusion</b></u></div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> The difficulty with this point of view is that it is really hard to see every single learner that I teach for the full duration of the lesson. Focusing on what I need to accomplish by the end of the lesson is often easier than trying to engage them and help them grow. There are so many expectations and standards that educators struggle to meet as it is. There is curriculum to focus on, new teaching strategies to try and most importantly deadlines to meet and at the end of the day if these demands are not are not met, we have people that we will answer to for that. However I do feel that continuous assessments will go a long way to easing this load. Just by having many PDN's in one week of lessons, I can assess my learners' growth and facilitate the advancement of that growth, but I also have a wealth of data to choose from should I need to hand in marks reflecting their growth even though my intention through those PDN's and exit slips was an attempt to engage with learner and see their needs. The marks and results are now a default result of my first intention.</div><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> <br />
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</div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><u><b>Sources</b></u></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><ol><li><div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> Booyse & Du Plessis, 2008. <i>The Educator as Learning Program Developer.</i></div></li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> Schlechty, 2009. <i>Leading for Learning- How to Transform Schools into Learning Organizations.</i></div></li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> Bambrick -Santoyo, 2010. <i>Driven by Data</i></div></li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> Schuitema, 2004. <i>Intent.</i></div><div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"> </div></li>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-22111450156130639472011-08-04T03:36:00.000-07:002011-08-04T03:36:10.682-07:00I am an emotional creatureI cried this morning! First period of the day, balled my eyes out- and here I was thinking that I never cry in public and I expose myself to my grade ten learners! <br />
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I let them see me in a vulnerable moment and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Perhaps the reason is that I was crying for her and not for myself. Our kids carry burdens that I often wonder if I, as an adult,would be able to bare. The injustice of it all makes me angry, frustrated and so very sad for them, and that's why I cried...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-71957140031506976682011-08-02T04:00:00.000-07:002011-08-02T04:00:33.340-07:00Bring it!Three weeks into the term and I must say so far it's so good!<br />
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I feel much more equipped to equip my kids this time around! Hopefully this will lead to an improvement of their marks! I love it! I love my kids!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-25727883007294800572011-05-17T11:26:00.000-07:002011-05-17T11:26:33.585-07:00Under Pressure!Exams are upon us and I feel like a worried mother hen....<br />
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You'd swear that my grade 9's and 10's have never written exams before, I'm so nervous for them! I want them to do well, but there's only so much I can do for them; the rest is up to them....<br />
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So I guess all I have to do now is get ready to throw them off the top floor and hope they spread their wings and fly as opposed to plummeting to the ground... eeeeeeeeeek!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-81844618648467204232011-04-19T01:24:00.000-07:002011-04-19T01:24:00.361-07:00Second time aroundSecond term is upon us and I'm feeling good!<br />
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The first term was very very overwhelming. I felt like I was completely out of my depth and still sinking, but this term is different. Well, it is my vantage point that is different. Now I know more or less what is expected of me and I feele better equiped to handle the load. I spent the holiday eating, sleeping and typing (asssignments). Living with such little purpose is incredibly opressive. So,it is no wonder that I was eager to get back to work where a difficult purpose exists!<br />
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Bring on the difficulty! I'm ready for you!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258308668282647785.post-33921083822780004492011-03-09T23:34:00.000-08:002011-03-09T23:34:41.704-08:00I love my Job!I've been an English teacher for nearly 3 months now. It has really been something special, because the school I teach at is special...<br />
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Today, my ninth graders are going to start their own blogs which they will be using for all their English material. It's so exciting! so that's what this blog is going to be about; I'm going to be sharing with you about my career at LEAP and all the antidotes that go with sharing your everyday life with 200 odd teenagers...<br />
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I trust that you will enjoy this journey with me...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15784886754423409041noreply@blogger.com0