They say life has its twists, turns, and setbacks; and it can certainly throw up a few surprises. The last two weeks have been one wild ride, as I’ve embarked on my first full-time contract teaching position for the duration of Term 1, 2011. Michael Graffin (2010) An “Interesting” Start To the lady who left […]
Continue reading →As of 9AM this morning, on the first day of school, I became a classroom teacher for the very first time. While sitting there watching this mornings #edchat, and contemplating the QLD cyclone, I received a phone call from the Department of Education – and began a new phase in my professional journey. I’ve been […]
Continue reading →Well, 2010 has been an incredible year. It was a year in which I passed some significant milestones in my fledgling teaching career, and it was a year of immense, transformational change in my personal and professional life. As my year draws to a close, I am finally starting to realise my aspiration to become […]
Continue reading →As the Australian school year draws to a close, I have had the time to reflect upon and review my experiences teaching upper primary science during 2010. March-May 2010 – Year 6/7 Science & Arts Earlier this year, I replaced a science/arts teacher in a small independent Christian school in Perth’s southern suburbs. I taught […]
Continue reading →I excelled in my academic studies at university; however, as a result of my youthful inexperience, I always felt vulnerable and unprepared during my practical teaching experiences. While I had some excellent mentor teachers, on several occasions I found myself working with unsupportive, and in one case, overly critical teachers. One almost drove me to […]
Continue reading →Today marked the end of my first year of teaching. I have awaited this day for a very long time, and it has come about through my work in 23 schools across the Government, Catholic and Independent school sectors. To commemorate this day, I thought I would share excerpts from my very first reflective journal […]
Continue reading →One: Watching my students learn & grow up Over the past 20 months, I have had the wonderful opportunity to watch hundreds of my students grow up; forming into the young people & young adults they are destined to become. Watching the transformation, learning & growth of my students over time has been one of […]
Continue reading →To build positive relationships with your challenging students, teachers need to demonstrate an active interest in their lives, really listening to their thoughts, opinions, interests and silences. You may only spend a few minutes talking to a student, but actively listening to them for those few minutes helps to build trust and mutual respect. The […]
Continue reading →Starting out as a relief teacher in early 2009, I was surprised to receive a student’s invitation to visit the morning Breakfast Club. What I found even more surprising was that this particular student was a member of the infamous “Room 15”, a troubled Year 6/7 class about which I had heard no end of […]
Continue reading →Becoming an Effective Relief Teacher In my first year of teaching, I have learnt that effective relief teachers: Work to develop positive relationships with students and staff Demonstrate sound classroom management skills, and Have a repertoire of instructional strategies and relief fill-in activities In my experience, the development of strong relationships has underpinned my survival […]
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