The First Wonder of Teaching: Students
Reflection on The 5 Wonders of Teaching by @TeacherToolkit
Ross Morrison McGill, the most influential educational blog in the UK, encourages his readers to remain positive about teaching.
Classrooms are a fascinating place in which to work. They are detailed, delicate and delightful; full of character, emotion, sound and sometimes even smell! Love your students. Every single one of them, and know this; there is no such thing as a bad person, only an affected person. We come into teaching knowing that we can make a difference to the lives of all students. There will be challenges. There will be times when the toughest students make teaching impossible, but know that it doesn’t last forever.
We can’t do it all, and we will need help; but what we can do, is that we must love every child.
Ross has 5 Wonders of Teaching and 2 of these are participation and students. Our Senior School formal provides the perfect setting to contribution and participate in the wider school life at the start of each year. The evening is all about recognising milestones, having fun, laughing, sharing, taking photos and developing relationships.
Senior secondary years can be tough but this email from one of my ESL students at the end of last year made me realise why I love being a teacher- to challenge and to inspire and most of all to offer friendship and support.
Dearest Ms Rooney,
Thank you so, so, so, so much for everything you have done for me throughout year 12. Without you I could not have received a merit for ESL and an ATAR of 99.55. I am extremely keen to share my happiness with you… You have been an absolutely amazing teacher and friend. … Thank you for helping me actualise my dreams.
It is valuable to take time and reflect about why teaching is such a great career and how we can make a difference to the lives of all students.
Have a look at The Power of Not Yet by Carol Dweck via @teacher toolkit and growth mindset.
…whatever the feedback is, it must be sophisticated and explicit, even if something is branded with ‘Not Yet’ alongside a ‘grade A’. @teacher toolkit