Heya Folks, bit of an update.

I live in Queensland now. I also retrained to be a teacher.

Things are not so good in our educational system, they are wasting the educational opportunities of a generation – and that’s just the teachers! Don’t get me started on we, as a nation, are doing to our kids, with that blasted standardised tested which evidenced based research showed it reduced rates of literacy and numeracy over time decades ago. The head of American Education came over here before we installed it and said “We did this – it didn’t work – so we are doing different things now!” In some states they use the low numeracy and low literacy numbers to estimate how many new jail cells that they will need to vuild. So at least big business is doing well out of it and someone is making money, because that is all that matters. /end rant

So as I told the Principal (at one of my schools) I wouldn’t make teachers do more or any useless paperwork because they need to be preparing for their lessons and spending time with their students, he said I would never make the fast track for management promotion, because truly that is what it is all about! I said well yes of course I don’t want that. Afterwards the teacher’s told me that I had done myself out of a year’s contract, and I told them that if a school like this would hire me I would go to therapy to find out what was wrong with me. They all laughed but I wasn’t joking.

Anyway negativity aside I have found little cracks and crevices outside the system in which to do student based teaching and inquiry at their developmental level in fun ways using games, outdoor activities, art, and of course being outside Citizen Scientists testing water outside, testing pH levels outside, so I have been moving between a few spaces like the one below.

https://gecko.org.au/educationcentre/kidsclub/?fbclid=IwAR2e0Q3TAaiPrKVh6iHUsEBF2Ifur6CmaP0zGLomnWMGDfpc3k4mOqvnMT0

I am not going to fit in to the system as I won’t do pointless paper work, and I won’t torture students with pointless busy work that makes it look like I have good classroom management despite the fact no one is learning anything. So I am looking for those little crevices and cracks – teaching nutrition to homeless older people, youth refuges, kids who have been kicked out of school, domestic violence refuges, LGBTI youth, and etc. It has been great what I taught last year, but they didn’t treat their workers that well, and that is why I won’t work in the mainstream system because it is abusive in it’s demands of teachers.

I taught a great outdoor science based program over the holidays and it was brilliant, all outdoors, and all the kids got to be hands on. Aged 5-9 and they were hilarious and so inquisitive!

I also got to teach a Talented and Gifted Aboriginal kids programme and that was so fulfilling and heartening.

So up to mischief!

Just joined the local Wildcare people up here so I will be wildlife rehabbing again soon.

Hope you are all good, and I would love to hear all your news since I haven’t been about.

Do you want to teach at daycare? Just got this email, seems they need a decent teacher for kindy kids.
(Names omitted to protect the ignorant)

Good Afternoon Families,

Happy Australia Day, Next week we start in our new rooms. I’m so excited to be venturing up with the children :) This Friday we are starting Beach and Bush kinder. Attached is an information sheet for your convenience to read about beach and Bush kinder. Last year we only participated in beach kinder, but this year we are going to also participate in bush kinder. If your child is attending Friday’s in 2019 then this information sheet will be for you,

A few other exciting things that we will be doing is:

S.T.E.M- An interactive and fun activities for the children to learn about science, technology, engineering and maths. The children will be involved in these everyday and have the opportunities to explore and learn new skills.

ELLA- The ELLA program for this year is Japanese, the children will be involved in this everyday, a fun and interactive app that allows children to explore and develop new language skills, There will be a brochure available for you to have a look at in our room for your convenience. If you would like to know more please come and see myself and Miss A for more information.

Extra curricula activities- cooking lessons will take place on Monday’s, Tuesday is Honey bee sports, Wednesday is yoga, Thursday is dance along and Friday is beach and bush kinder.

Throughout the day your child will be involved in different learning activities that will enhance, broaden and work on different skills that will ensure your child is ready for prep in 2020.

If you have any questions please feel free to come see myself, Miss A or N. See you all on Tuesday for the start of our new journey.

Sounds absolutely brilliant!

Where is this?

Divine Angel said:

Do you want to teach at daycare? Just got this email, seems they need a decent teacher for kindy kids.
(Names omitted to protect the ignorant)

Good Afternoon Families,

Happy Australia Day, Next week we start in our new rooms. I’m so excited to be venturing up with the children :) This Friday we are starting Beach and Bush kinder. Attached is an information sheet for your convenience to read about beach and Bush kinder. Last year we only participated in beach kinder, but this year we are going to also participate in bush kinder. If your child is attending Friday’s in 2019 then this information sheet will be for you,

A few other exciting things that we will be doing is:

S.T.E.M- An interactive and fun activities for the children to learn about science, technology, engineering and maths. The children will be involved in these everyday and have the opportunities to explore and learn new skills.

ELLA- The ELLA program for this year is Japanese, the children will be involved in this everyday, a fun and interactive app that allows children to explore and develop new language skills, There will be a brochure available for you to have a look at in our room for your convenience. If you would like to know more please come and see myself and Miss A for more information.

Extra curricula activities- cooking lessons will take place on Monday’s, Tuesday is Honey bee sports, Wednesday is yoga, Thursday is dance along and Friday is beach and bush kinder.

Throughout the day your child will be involved in different learning activities that will enhance, broaden and work on different skills that will ensure your child is ready for prep in 2020.

If you have any questions please feel free to come see myself, Miss A or N. See you all on Tuesday for the start of our new journey.

Mini Me’s daycare. She starts kindergarten next week, school next year.

Okay it is not really my age group but I will talk to you on Facebook about it. I would love to see how they run their program.

Divine Angel said:

Mini Me’s daycare. She starts kindergarten next week, school next year.

How time flys.

ms spock said:

Okay it is not really my age group but I will talk to you on Facebook about it. I would love to see how they run their program.

Mini Me doesn’t go on Fridays so I don’t know much about it. She has been on a few excursions though, the kids wear hi vis vests and play for an hour or so in an area designated for kids. This year they will go to CREEC Environmental Centre in Burpengary. It’s a decent centre, lots of interesting things. We went to their open day a couple of months ago.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Mini Me’s daycare. She starts kindergarten next week, school next year.

How time flys.

Hopefully I’m a rich and famous author by then, and working on the sequel 😛

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

AwesomeO said:

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

Do you rush out and tell them to get off your lawn?

sibeen said:

AwesomeO said:

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

Do you rush out and tell them to get off your lawn?

“Just keep a-pedallin’ pilgrims” I say whilst cleaning the shotgun.

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Mini Me’s daycare. She starts kindergarten next week, school next year.

How time flys.

Hopefully I’m a rich and famous author by then, and working on the sequel 😛

I can’t understand why anybody would spend so much time and effort writing a novel. You can buy one for a few dollars.

(misquoting Fred Allen)

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Mini Me’s daycare. She starts kindergarten next week, school next year.

How time flys.

Hopefully I’m a rich and famous author by then, and working on the sequel 😛

Hopefully you’ll remember us little people. You better or we’ll sell your story to ‘New Idea’. :-p

AwesomeO said:

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

The kids in Penshurst walk from the school to the pool. Might be 1km. In Hamilton the walking school happens sometimes too. Gray Street School all put on their hats and stuff and walk up the main street to things at the town hall. They probably walk to the pool too, but they don’t go past the practice for that one. And you are right. They are noisy. I remember the Casterton primary school used to have bike rides too. They wouldn’t be able to use my street there any more though, it’s lousy with log trucks.

0.74km primary school to pool.

Divine Angel said:

ms spock said:

Okay it is not really my age group but I will talk to you on Facebook about it. I would love to see how they run their program.

Mini Me doesn’t go on Fridays so I don’t know much about it. She has been on a few excursions though, the kids wear hi vis vests and play for an hour or so in an area designated for kids. This year they will go to CREEC Environmental Centre in Burpengary. It’s a decent centre, lots of interesting things. We went to their open day a couple of months ago.

Sounds really cool!

Divine Angel said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Divine Angel said:

Mini Me’s daycare. She starts kindergarten next week, school next year.

How time flys.

Hopefully I’m a rich and famous author by then, and working on the sequel 😛

:)

AwesomeO said:

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

:))

buffy said:

AwesomeO said:

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

The kids in Penshurst walk from the school to the pool. Might be 1km. In Hamilton the walking school happens sometimes too. Gray Street School all put on their hats and stuff and walk up the main street to things at the town hall. They probably walk to the pool too, but they don’t go past the practice for that one. And you are right. They are noisy. I remember the Casterton primary school used to have bike rides too. They wouldn’t be able to use my street there any more though, it’s lousy with log trucks.

I am the noisiest one in my group! LMAO

ms spock said:

buffy said:

AwesomeO said:

About once every three weeks or so several groups of 30 or so kids all wearing hi vis with teachers come bicycling past, you can hear them approaching from a street away with all the shouting.

The kids in Penshurst walk from the school to the pool. Might be 1km. In Hamilton the walking school happens sometimes too. Gray Street School all put on their hats and stuff and walk up the main street to things at the town hall. They probably walk to the pool too, but they don’t go past the practice for that one. And you are right. They are noisy. I remember the Casterton primary school used to have bike rides too. They wouldn’t be able to use my street there any more though, it’s lousy with log trucks.

I am the noisiest one in my group! LMAO

Why does that not surprise me?

Thanks for the insights. I happen to be retraining as a teacher too! I finish in a few months and I’m worried about what’s to come.

Can I ask, if you don’t give your students busy work just to have the semblence of good classroom management, what does your classroom look like? Are the students disruptive and if so how do you handle that so they still learn?

Everything I’ve studied emphasises the paramount importance of “student centered learning” but what little exposure I’ve had leads me to fear that hardly any of it happens in the real world.