One of the best things about being a teacher is the school holidays! We may not be able to go where we want, when we want, but we do have the privilege of nice, big chunks of time with our children when they are not in school! When my children were young, we spent a lot of our vacation time in parks and public swimming pools and on short trips visiting extended family. As they got older, I turned into "taxi-mom", shuttling them around to summer camps and summer jobs, spending more time with them in the car than anywhere else! Now that they are grown, we are back to going on outings together, but now they do the driving! What a treat!
This summer the men in my family have been very busy with their jobs, so I got to spend quite a bit of time with my daughter and other special women in my life. I joined a summer book club with some ladies from my church. I went to a concert with my daughter, my aunt and my sister-in-law. I spent a weekend with a cousin who has been like a sister-friend since we were little girls, keeping in touch over the miles as pen-pals. I went on a cross-border shopping trip with a van load of spunky ladies. But, best of all, my daughter and I went on a tropical vacation, just the two of us, to Turks and Caicos.
For a whole week we stayed on an island that is a virtual tropical paradise, doing nothing but soak up the rays, float in the ocean and gaze on the beauty our surroundings. Our one big adventure was riding in a semi-submarine to view the amazing sea creatures that are active along the coral reefs. But even from our beach chairs we were able to enjoy the antics of several amusing passers-by, whether they be people, birds or sand crabs!
Sometimes we get so busy organizing things and the people around us that we forget how truly wonderful things are, just as God made them. To me, that's the value of a truly relaxing vacation in a beautiful place. There's nothing like shedding the responsibilities of our normal, hectic lives and sliding into the zone where you are nothing more than a quiet, peaceful observer of all that is wonderful and awesome! It puts things back into perspective and restores something to your soul.
Thank-you, my sweet girl, for taking me to one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life! My heart is filled with lovely memories and a new concept of peace that I hope to tap into when the challenges of life kick back in.
Monday, 29 August 2011
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
The Teacher's Challenge
Teachers often present challenges to their students. Sometimes the teacher encounters challenges and becomes the student! This was my experience recently, when I took a three-hour course in the art of creating a web-site.
First came the promise: The instructor enthusiastically convinced us that with just a few simple pointers we would soon have all the tools needed to create our very own web sites – something that would improve communication with our students’ families and reduce trips to the photocopier to print out numerous notices and newsletters.
Next came the lessons: I needed to listen and watch carefully as the instructor demonstrated several technological maneuvers that I had never before witnessed, let alone attempted. Admittedly, on more than one occasion I was so caught up in the newness of it all, and the wonder of what I was learning, that I actually missed parts of the lesson. Like the child with Attention Deficit, my focus was engaged, but not always on the exact thing that I would later find was missing from my newly acquired set of tools and skills!
Then came the guided practice: With the instructor moving from station to station, we had the opportunity to replicate and personalize standard web site pages that are common to most teacher web sites. Encouraging comments built up confidence. Little reminders eased us over minor obstacles. The occasional review and clarification helped to build greater understanding. When the instructor was busy with another student, my elbow partner gladly filled in as a peer mentor, helping me to remember the bits that escaped me at first and cheered me on when things started to fall into place. Thankfully, I was able to return the favour a couple of times for little things that she was having trouble remembering and I had managed to pick up!
Finally, we were released from the class and deemed to be capable of working independently – after just a few hours in a workshop setting! Our instructor smiled at us and sent us off, reminding us that the notes he was e-mailing us would be a handy reminder if we ran into difficulty, and he was setting up a conference site so that we could exchange questions and ideas for even more learning. I was certain he had misjudged me as a student and was putting too much faith in his teaching skills. How would I ever manage on my own???
So, I went home, turned on my computer and started “messing around”. I doubted my ability to do this thing on my own, but knew that if I didn’t try it immediately while things were fresh on my mind, I’d be “sunk” for sure! Surprisingly, once I was in the comfort of my own home, practicing on my own computer, and moving at my own pace, things started to come together for me. Occasionally I “muffed up”, but then I’d take note of my error and be sure to avoid that mistake the next time!
In the end: VICTORY! It may not be the most beautiful website ever created. It’s definitely a work in progress.... but hard work and perseverance won out and the student learned something she wasn’t convinced she was capable of, even after three hours of instruction and encouragement. Was it worth the struggle? Absolutely!!!
First came the promise: The instructor enthusiastically convinced us that with just a few simple pointers we would soon have all the tools needed to create our very own web sites – something that would improve communication with our students’ families and reduce trips to the photocopier to print out numerous notices and newsletters.
Next came the lessons: I needed to listen and watch carefully as the instructor demonstrated several technological maneuvers that I had never before witnessed, let alone attempted. Admittedly, on more than one occasion I was so caught up in the newness of it all, and the wonder of what I was learning, that I actually missed parts of the lesson. Like the child with Attention Deficit, my focus was engaged, but not always on the exact thing that I would later find was missing from my newly acquired set of tools and skills!
Then came the guided practice: With the instructor moving from station to station, we had the opportunity to replicate and personalize standard web site pages that are common to most teacher web sites. Encouraging comments built up confidence. Little reminders eased us over minor obstacles. The occasional review and clarification helped to build greater understanding. When the instructor was busy with another student, my elbow partner gladly filled in as a peer mentor, helping me to remember the bits that escaped me at first and cheered me on when things started to fall into place. Thankfully, I was able to return the favour a couple of times for little things that she was having trouble remembering and I had managed to pick up!
Finally, we were released from the class and deemed to be capable of working independently – after just a few hours in a workshop setting! Our instructor smiled at us and sent us off, reminding us that the notes he was e-mailing us would be a handy reminder if we ran into difficulty, and he was setting up a conference site so that we could exchange questions and ideas for even more learning. I was certain he had misjudged me as a student and was putting too much faith in his teaching skills. How would I ever manage on my own???
So, I went home, turned on my computer and started “messing around”. I doubted my ability to do this thing on my own, but knew that if I didn’t try it immediately while things were fresh on my mind, I’d be “sunk” for sure! Surprisingly, once I was in the comfort of my own home, practicing on my own computer, and moving at my own pace, things started to come together for me. Occasionally I “muffed up”, but then I’d take note of my error and be sure to avoid that mistake the next time!
In the end: VICTORY! It may not be the most beautiful website ever created. It’s definitely a work in progress.... but hard work and perseverance won out and the student learned something she wasn’t convinced she was capable of, even after three hours of instruction and encouragement. Was it worth the struggle? Absolutely!!!
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