Things are definitely starting to take off! While it breaks my heart that it is, because that means there are people suffering as we have, it also thrills me because now we have the opportunity to give to others some of the support and love we received when we lost Zoe.
Over the past few weeks, we've been getting more and more people contacting us to ask for advice in helping their friends or family members who have suffered a stillbirth or miscarriage. Over the weekend, we also got our first call from a couple who lost their baby just over a week ago and need some help.
I don't want to go into details, because I think this couple have a right to privacy, especially in their time of grief. However, my heart really does break for them - they also lost their baby very late term, and it was their first. For those who pray, please pray for this couple. God knows their names, and their situation. Please also pray that Graeme and I are able to be wise and loving and supportive, and that we don't make too many mistakes along the way!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Angry
I just read a news story on the BBC about a mother and her new husband who let the wife's daughter live in such squalor and under such abuse that she died of malnutrition. She was about 3 years old. She lived in a room with dogs faeces, bare wires coming out of the sockets, and when she died, she'd eaten or drunk nothing for 20 hours beforehand. The room was insect-infested. The mother and new husband ran the pub downstairs, and simply carried on their life as normal, while the little girl's body decayed upstairs.
How could anyone do that? How?
How could anyone do that? How?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Holidays...
I am absolutely shattered. This past week has been the most hectic so far of the term. Thank God I've got some down time now.
Having said that - we've just appointed a new technician to replace the one who walked out 2 weeks ago, so I'll be going in to help her familiarise herself with the school and her job. Plus, I need to go in to finish some marking that I don't want hanging over my head in the new term, and to do some lesson prep for next term.
In addition, the Baba Indaba show is in less than a month and I don't even have samples of the nappies yet (although I should do by the end of next week). So on that front, I'm feeling incredibly stressed. When I was telling one of my kids about all this, he replied - 'Ma'am, you just have to make some time for yourself!' Wise words coming from someone so young. I am determined to do just that... so now I'm off to bed to read a book or something.
Thank God we've got 2 weeks!
Having said that - we've just appointed a new technician to replace the one who walked out 2 weeks ago, so I'll be going in to help her familiarise herself with the school and her job. Plus, I need to go in to finish some marking that I don't want hanging over my head in the new term, and to do some lesson prep for next term.
In addition, the Baba Indaba show is in less than a month and I don't even have samples of the nappies yet (although I should do by the end of next week). So on that front, I'm feeling incredibly stressed. When I was telling one of my kids about all this, he replied - 'Ma'am, you just have to make some time for yourself!' Wise words coming from someone so young. I am determined to do just that... so now I'm off to bed to read a book or something.
Thank God we've got 2 weeks!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Kudos
This has been a week for feeling appreciated.
Firstly, a large percentage of my kids at school have come up to thank me specifically for something I've done - from helping them achieve well in the exams to teaching them this term, to being willing to answer their questions, to being gracious with them (!!). It's been fab! As a teacher, you get used to busting a gut with no reward (teaching is its own reward... apparently), and to being taken for granted. So this has been such an amazing week in that regard.
I've also just had my appraisal meeting (called IQMS in SA education), in which I was really affirmed by my appraisers. Again, it was really nice to hear that I'm doing a good job, better than I was expecting (but then I know I tend to under-estimate myself). Of course, as in all things, there are areas to work on, but then, I'm not perfect [yet], so I wouldn't expect anything less. But it was still nice seeing the things I'm getting right being affirmed by my colleagues.
And then tonight, I made pizza to die for (well, ok, maybe not die for, but very nice pizza!). I used a new recipe. Usually I use baking powder, but this one called for yeast, so I did the right thing and gave it enough time to rise and do its thing. The result was more than worth the preparation. And the dozen or so people who came for supper agreed!
It's nice to be appreciated. It definitely makes the effort well worth it.
Firstly, a large percentage of my kids at school have come up to thank me specifically for something I've done - from helping them achieve well in the exams to teaching them this term, to being willing to answer their questions, to being gracious with them (!!). It's been fab! As a teacher, you get used to busting a gut with no reward (teaching is its own reward... apparently), and to being taken for granted. So this has been such an amazing week in that regard.
I've also just had my appraisal meeting (called IQMS in SA education), in which I was really affirmed by my appraisers. Again, it was really nice to hear that I'm doing a good job, better than I was expecting (but then I know I tend to under-estimate myself). Of course, as in all things, there are areas to work on, but then, I'm not perfect [yet], so I wouldn't expect anything less. But it was still nice seeing the things I'm getting right being affirmed by my colleagues.
And then tonight, I made pizza to die for (well, ok, maybe not die for, but very nice pizza!). I used a new recipe. Usually I use baking powder, but this one called for yeast, so I did the right thing and gave it enough time to rise and do its thing. The result was more than worth the preparation. And the dozen or so people who came for supper agreed!
It's nice to be appreciated. It definitely makes the effort well worth it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Neuroeducation
A bit of a mouthful, but apparently very good for you.
We had a (VERY) short ProGro presentation yesterday by some staff who'd been on a course. I found it fascinating, because it linked in with what I already knew about VAK learning and Brain Gym.
VAK stands for Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic. Kids predominantly learn in one or tow of these three ways. As teachers, if we want to help our kids, we need to be teaching in such a way as to allow kinesthetic and visual learners to access the curriculum, because most teachers teach in a predominantly auditory way.
Brain Gym are little exercises that help both hemispheres in the brain to be working simultaneously (rather than alternately in isolation).
So - neuroeducation.... The basic idea behind it started with a desire to use modern MRI scans to try and identify whether there really is a biological difference in the way that boys' and girls' brains develop, and if so, whether there is a biological difference in the way they learn. Once established, implications for pedagogy have been explored and discussed. The answer is that yes, there are biological differences, and that (as a gross generalisation) most teaching methods are aimed at girls.
Here are some stats I found fascinating (as I'm doing this purely from memory, I hope I get them right!):
> girls hear 17% louder than boys
> girls have 15% more bloodflow to the brain than boys
> as a result, boys struggle to concentrate and are distracted more easily
> age = length of time during which knowledge can be embedded, i.e. 13 years old = 13 minutes (after which concentration is lost)
> boys cannot process auditory information as well as girls can, so in a long sentence, the boys will only 'get' the first part - the rest is simply a cacophony of noise (and if you speak softly as well, they lose even more)
> boys have bigger eyes than girls, so are more visual than girls
> as a result, boys will not focus on your face, but will rather focus on your hands that are waving around (or fiddling with a pen)
> boys needs a high level of dopamine in their brains to embed knowledge (girls don't) - dopamine levels are increased by physical activity
I can't remember the rest. Sorry. What I found fascinating though is that some schools in Cape Town have already cottoned on to this to the extent that their timetable is structured around exercise. One school has 45 mins of compulsory exercise for all learners timetabled in every morning before lessons start. Another has built a walking track around the entire school and lessons are structured so as to make use of the track, with learners stopping at various points around the track to take part in an activity. The first example I can see working. I just don't have the creativity to see how I could structure my lessons around a walking track.... not on a regular basis.
At the conclusion of the session, we were encouraged, as staff, to get our kids dancing every 20 minutes. A selection of songs was made available to us, and some Brain Gym type of movements were demonstrated. In those classes where this is already being done, the teachers commented that the impact on learning is immediate - the kids still more quietly, the focus is increased, and the learning is increased. I really love the idea, but I'm a bit nervous about doing it. Given that I'm a visual learner, maybe I need to see it in action first?!?!
We had a (VERY) short ProGro presentation yesterday by some staff who'd been on a course. I found it fascinating, because it linked in with what I already knew about VAK learning and Brain Gym.
VAK stands for Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic. Kids predominantly learn in one or tow of these three ways. As teachers, if we want to help our kids, we need to be teaching in such a way as to allow kinesthetic and visual learners to access the curriculum, because most teachers teach in a predominantly auditory way.
Brain Gym are little exercises that help both hemispheres in the brain to be working simultaneously (rather than alternately in isolation).
So - neuroeducation.... The basic idea behind it started with a desire to use modern MRI scans to try and identify whether there really is a biological difference in the way that boys' and girls' brains develop, and if so, whether there is a biological difference in the way they learn. Once established, implications for pedagogy have been explored and discussed. The answer is that yes, there are biological differences, and that (as a gross generalisation) most teaching methods are aimed at girls.
Here are some stats I found fascinating (as I'm doing this purely from memory, I hope I get them right!):
> girls hear 17% louder than boys
> girls have 15% more bloodflow to the brain than boys
> as a result, boys struggle to concentrate and are distracted more easily
> age = length of time during which knowledge can be embedded, i.e. 13 years old = 13 minutes (after which concentration is lost)
> boys cannot process auditory information as well as girls can, so in a long sentence, the boys will only 'get' the first part - the rest is simply a cacophony of noise (and if you speak softly as well, they lose even more)
> boys have bigger eyes than girls, so are more visual than girls
> as a result, boys will not focus on your face, but will rather focus on your hands that are waving around (or fiddling with a pen)
> boys needs a high level of dopamine in their brains to embed knowledge (girls don't) - dopamine levels are increased by physical activity
I can't remember the rest. Sorry. What I found fascinating though is that some schools in Cape Town have already cottoned on to this to the extent that their timetable is structured around exercise. One school has 45 mins of compulsory exercise for all learners timetabled in every morning before lessons start. Another has built a walking track around the entire school and lessons are structured so as to make use of the track, with learners stopping at various points around the track to take part in an activity. The first example I can see working. I just don't have the creativity to see how I could structure my lessons around a walking track.... not on a regular basis.
At the conclusion of the session, we were encouraged, as staff, to get our kids dancing every 20 minutes. A selection of songs was made available to us, and some Brain Gym type of movements were demonstrated. In those classes where this is already being done, the teachers commented that the impact on learning is immediate - the kids still more quietly, the focus is increased, and the learning is increased. I really love the idea, but I'm a bit nervous about doing it. Given that I'm a visual learner, maybe I need to see it in action first?!?!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Heartbroken
This morning I found out that my actions yesterday were the trigger for a mother pulling her son out of our school today. I am gutted. I feel utterly devastated.
I know it's not my fault directly, and that clearly my actions were the last in a string of events, but it makes no difference to me.
The boy in question was misbehaving, and so I disciplined him in an appropriate way. I was covering a lesson for an absent colleague. I had carefully explained the work, answered several questions regarding it, walked around and helped individual learners when they were stuck (it was an Afrikaans lesson, and most of them have really poor Afrikaans). After all that time, this boy had not even taken his books out. I proceeded to give him several warnings to get down to work. Following that, I then moved him to sit at the front of the class, under my nose. At that point, he took out a newspaper and proceeded to read.
So, I followed both my own moral rule, and the rule of the school - and sent the boy to the 'time out' room. In this staffed room, learners are removed from their class (where their actions may lead to confrontation with the teacher and/ or distract other learners from their work) but have to continue with the work set. Three visits to the 'time out' room results in an evening detention. Further visits result in a disciplinary hearing.
I have no idea what number visit this was for this boy, but it clearly wasn't his first.
Yet, if I had not followed the school rule, if I had given the boy one more opportunity, maybe he would still be in school.
I have no idea what this boy's future holds.... I only know that it will be forever different (and quite possibly worse) because I chose not to display mercy.
And so I am gutted.
________________________________________________________________
Edited to add: This morning the deputy head dealing with this informed us that this boy is going to Abbotts, which is probably the right place for him. He is apparently very bright, but needs real motivation to get working. In addition, I was chatting to the other deputy head about how I felt about the situation, and he informed me that this boy had been sent to the 'time out' room 5 times already this year; my one was the sixth. That made me feel better, because it was evidence of what I knew intuitively, which means that it was evidence that I wasn't the one to blame.
Can I also just say how much I appreciate everyone's support and words of comfort? I really do. Thank you.
I know it's not my fault directly, and that clearly my actions were the last in a string of events, but it makes no difference to me.
The boy in question was misbehaving, and so I disciplined him in an appropriate way. I was covering a lesson for an absent colleague. I had carefully explained the work, answered several questions regarding it, walked around and helped individual learners when they were stuck (it was an Afrikaans lesson, and most of them have really poor Afrikaans). After all that time, this boy had not even taken his books out. I proceeded to give him several warnings to get down to work. Following that, I then moved him to sit at the front of the class, under my nose. At that point, he took out a newspaper and proceeded to read.
So, I followed both my own moral rule, and the rule of the school - and sent the boy to the 'time out' room. In this staffed room, learners are removed from their class (where their actions may lead to confrontation with the teacher and/ or distract other learners from their work) but have to continue with the work set. Three visits to the 'time out' room results in an evening detention. Further visits result in a disciplinary hearing.
I have no idea what number visit this was for this boy, but it clearly wasn't his first.
Yet, if I had not followed the school rule, if I had given the boy one more opportunity, maybe he would still be in school.
I have no idea what this boy's future holds.... I only know that it will be forever different (and quite possibly worse) because I chose not to display mercy.
And so I am gutted.
________________________________________________________________
Edited to add: This morning the deputy head dealing with this informed us that this boy is going to Abbotts, which is probably the right place for him. He is apparently very bright, but needs real motivation to get working. In addition, I was chatting to the other deputy head about how I felt about the situation, and he informed me that this boy had been sent to the 'time out' room 5 times already this year; my one was the sixth. That made me feel better, because it was evidence of what I knew intuitively, which means that it was evidence that I wasn't the one to blame.
Can I also just say how much I appreciate everyone's support and words of comfort? I really do. Thank you.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
YouTube sucks
You know, for something that is supposed to be so great, I have had endless troubles with YouTube. The latest example... I've uploaded a video of Nellie jumping in a puddle after the rain. No sooner has it uploaded than YouTube has disabled it.
Now I ask you, with all sincerity, WHY ON EARTH would anyone want to disable a video of a child jumping in a puddle? It's not pornographic. It's not racist. It's not profane in any way. Since it's my own creation there are no copyright issues. So why???
Thinking about it, I've noticed recently that a lot of videos that friends have sent me via Facebook have also been disabled - both funnies and Christian. So I'm beginning to think that YouTube has serious issues.
Of course, I've emailed them asking them why they've disabled it. The response I got? Please check out these links for FAQ's, and don't expect anything more from us. No you idiots! I've already checked them out, and NONE of them answer my specific question - that's why I emailed you. So I emailed back a rather terse reply. We'll see whether it bears any fruit, but I'm not holding my breath.
Needless to say, I'm furious. So I'm going back to the old tried and tested method of using 'Electronic Files'. While it's more of a hassle to use, at least they don't disable my videos.
Now I ask you, with all sincerity, WHY ON EARTH would anyone want to disable a video of a child jumping in a puddle? It's not pornographic. It's not racist. It's not profane in any way. Since it's my own creation there are no copyright issues. So why???
Thinking about it, I've noticed recently that a lot of videos that friends have sent me via Facebook have also been disabled - both funnies and Christian. So I'm beginning to think that YouTube has serious issues.
Of course, I've emailed them asking them why they've disabled it. The response I got? Please check out these links for FAQ's, and don't expect anything more from us. No you idiots! I've already checked them out, and NONE of them answer my specific question - that's why I emailed you. So I emailed back a rather terse reply. We'll see whether it bears any fruit, but I'm not holding my breath.
Needless to say, I'm furious. So I'm going back to the old tried and tested method of using 'Electronic Files'. While it's more of a hassle to use, at least they don't disable my videos.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)