We farewelled a great lady from our family last month. As family members and friends reflected on her life and legacy, one common thread emerged. In the trail of her walk through life, she left a legacy of readers. And as far as legacies go, I think this might be one worth appreciating, because makingContinue reading “Who made you a reader?”
Tag Archives: teaching tips
Do less.
I worked at Meals on Wheels as a receptionist while I finished my teaching degree. It was the perfect job. I loved the people I worked with, talking to the clients and the mandated coffee break at 10am. I learnt a lot from that job, about people’s generosity, commitment and kindness. However, one of myContinue reading “Do less.”
Dear New Grad
I was recently reminded that it has been over a decade since I graduated teaching. I’m what you would call “young-minded” and always conveniently forget that I’m not 24 anymore. You think for someone who is about to have her third baby (yahoo!) that I would have started realising my age. So, I’m starting toContinue reading “Dear New Grad”
Who is that talking while I’m reading?
Do you remember the excitement of the big book? I was lucky enough to have a teacher for many of my primary school years who adored books. And she read to my class often. I still remember the feeling of seeing the big book coming into the classroom. Carried in its over-sized bag. The pointer!Continue reading “Who is that talking while I’m reading?”
When is a noun a thing?
I got a message from a friend the other day, “Libby! How are you? We are having a staff room discussion and need your help! When you are describing a noun why is there a specific order of words? Like why would you say ‘the small blue ball’ rather than ‘the blue small ball?” Yes.Continue reading “When is a noun a thing?”
Do you want some context with that?
“Chicken.” “What?” “Chicken” This was the discussion that my husband and I had tonight. My husband is sitting on the sofa watching TV and I am in the next room working on my laptop. Sufficed to say I have little, to no idea what he is talking about. Had he drifted off to sleep andContinue reading “Do you want some context with that?”
Should I freestyle?
Now you may be thinking, “Is it necessarily one or the other, self-directed or planned?” Well, in my experience this tends to be the case… I have often started inquiry units with the good intention to allow students space to direct their own learning. However, I would succumb to the need to control what wasContinue reading “Should I freestyle?”
How can pop music teach?
Woman by Public Domain Pictures available on Pixabay under CC0 1.0 In Year 11 my English teacher asked us to bring in a song and analyse the lyrics attached to it. “Analyse, uck!” I thought, “This is going to be awful.” Not only were my music tastes very different to my peers (see previous postContinue reading “How can pop music teach?”