My Passion inMy Passion inEducation is .....Education is .....the wonderful the wonderful

world of classroom world of classroom TEACHINGTEACHING!!By Rebecca ThomasBy Rebecca Thomas

Discovering.....

He who never made a mistake never made a discovery. Samuel Smiles

There is nothing like the joy in a child's eyes, when they have discovered something new. This happens on a class trip to explore the rock pools, when making butter by shaking a container of cream, by exploring the world on Google Earth, and the best one of all... what happens when you put vinegar with baking soda in your model volcano.

Learning.....

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.Aristotle

Many children come to school simply to eat their lunch. That's when you take the opportunity to learn how to make vegetable soup. What is this vegetable? How is it grown? How do we cook it? What does our soup taste like? How could we improve it? And of course, this learning happens not just in the classroom...

Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.Sir James Dewar

Thinking.....

Our world is changing rapidly. New technologies are emerging that are both smaller and bigger than ever before. Information is at our fingertips, but not all of it is accurate.Today's children must be taught to think; to process new information, to think critically about it, and to problem solve. The creative thinkers will benefit too; they're the ones developing this new technology!

Creating.....

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.Scott Adams (American Cartoonist)

A creative mind is never asleep. Creation occurs in the form of jingles about native birds, eye-catching pastel koru on thick, black paper, expressing ideas about what it would be like to walk on the moon, dances from many cultures, and best of all... half-finished papier mache sheep hanging from the ceiling!

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.Franklin D Roosevelt

Achieving.....

Achievement comes in the form of completing a task or challenge, winning a cross country race, pushing ourselves beyond our limits to reach the top of the rock wall, presenting our speeches in front of our peers, or reaching our personal goals. To see the delight on a child's face when they have achieved something they thought they couldn't, is very special to a teacher.

Teamwork .....

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.Helen Keller

Our key competencies tell us we should teach ‘relating to others’. Our children's current heroes, our national rugby team, demonstrate what can happen when we work together. We all have an inbuilt longing to be accepted by others.

Team work is simply a class pulling together; supporting each other and cheering on the team!

Challenge.....

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.John Wooden

Challenge occurs in everyday lives. We challenge ourselves. We're challenged by others. Sometimes even the world challenges us.

Children must be taught to strive to meet these challenges, whether they be tricky maths problems, a computer that's having a bad day, or a national catastrophe like the Christchurch earthquakes. Working with challenge teaches us resilience and determination.

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right.Henry Ford

Confidence.....

A confident child is a happy child. A teacher can build up confidence in so many little ways. A positive word for trying again with a new piece of technology, an encouraging smile for a nervous speaker, a glittery sticker for giving the maths challenge a go, or a huge high five for a successful relay baton pass.

Teachers open the doors, but you must enter by yourself.Chinese Proverb

Opportunity.....

Opportunity. The teachable moment. The instant your teaching plan goes out the window for the better. Children in New Zealand schools are provided with so many opportunities to experience new and exciting things. But there's that other kind of opportunity - when a child says something, or a class seems interested in something you hadn't considered. The conversation takes off, the learning skyrockets and you wonder, how did we end up talking about......?!

Every child has a spark in them, but that spark has to be lit.Roald Dahl

Rebecca Thomas 2011