Today was one incredible day. I am in the super advantageous position at the moment of having more time ( in theory), more money ( once again in theory) and Great people to spend it with.
My darling Tiago is on holiday (well deserved might I add) and is about to graduate in an area of public safety and police science. Impressive hey! I am unfortunately not on holiday, however, I have been in the most fortunate position of having a personal assistant to request all of those favours ( including our new and amazing business cards thanks to EDRO Comunicação, check them out for all of your graphic design needs) that just can't be done when you work a 9-5 along with a 7-10 and study.
It probably wasn't his first thought of a vacation but it has certainly helped me out enormously and having a lunch buddy everyday has been great too!
Today though, was one of those amazing days where the planets align and you feel like the Earth is giving you a "me day" just to say thank you for all that you do day in, day out.
I woke up to a glorious morning, before my alarm sounded the gentle awakening falsetto of Robin Thicke's voice, feeling rested and ready to face the day. I had a lovely cuddle with each of my two boys and went and had a shower. The water didn't go cold on me once, nor did it go excruciatingly hot and when I got out of the shower and came into my room the bed was made ( hospital corners, just the way my grade 5 teacher Mr. Leahy taught me) and then as I stepped into the lounge room I saw before me breakfast ready and a gorgeous pot of steaming tea, ahhhh she cried! I knew today would be great at that very moment! Breakfast was stunning and the company perfect.
Then it came to lunch, and my usually lonely lunches at the new job (usually because I am resolving problems at the school or organising demo classes) was poignantly turned as I went to toss my salad-good-girl-gone-bad style, I paused to chat, which then became stopped to chat, with two new colleagues which turned out be such a lovely discussion of culture, circular breathing and the spiritual side of having a baby.
The post work rush took me from office to brief passing in mi casa, puppy time and a quick change act to go on to classes. Final class with one of the babies I teach. A classic class if the friends of the letter 'H' ( them being letters P,S,C and T). These cheeky letters always change their sound when they hang out with their friend H. We practiced the sounds of the aforementioned in the words top and think, song and shop, cat and chocolate and pink and photograph. Such trickers are this bunch that you always need to see who they are sitting next to in the word to know how you are going to say them. Ai, que falsidade!
Post lesson took me to Cafe Savannah at the veeeeery end of Asa Norte, for a business meeting with the PoGo Partners. Always a good laugh in that I tell ye! Dinner was delicious and the company fantastic but by gosh the service was below standard. However, when a meeting is both productive and relaxed it makes you a little less concerned about things like the service ( not the hygiene though!).
I have finally arrived at home, my lessons planned for the weekend, my studies done for my impending return to university on Friday, my tea piping hot next to me as write this rather longwinded entry. And just when you think that everything is OK you see that when you thought that instead of mending your pup's play toy/girlfriend that it would be cleaner to throw it out (their relationship was rather spicy!) you see that you dog is not going to simply let that one pass and wait until Saturday when you have a minute to go and arrange him a new wife, he is going to make you pay for tearing him away from the love of his life. And when I say make you pay, I mean to say he is going to make your arm his substitute. Poor little Paco, desperate for a little bit of lovin' was really having a dog of a day, it was written all of over his tiny little puppy dog face, "How could you do this to me?".
So seeing as I have had not only wonderful day but a productive and enjoyable week, I decided to donate the smallest decorative pillow that generalliy resides on my bed to Paco as an acknowledgement of the gross error committed on my behaUlf.
I guess I will have to add a trip to Casa Park for a new decorative pillow to my to do list for the weekend.
As far as my learning curve is going with my new job, so far so very good is what I hear from the head honchos. A little smile did creep on to my face when I was told, I do love a bit of praise! The learning experience is a bit daunting at times, and it is never fun to be out of control and have to ask questions all of the time. Yet it is so important to never forget just how it is to be a student and a good student at that. It is nice being the teacher and controlling what is in the lesson, keeping it safe s that you are always in a comfort zone. Remember the importance of development and continued evolution though as it is what keeps us from being a monkey, and it validates our existence. Why settle for mediocre when we have so much out there that can make our live and the lives of those around us great?
Keep learning and enjoy your education.
Miss Hayley
PoGo Communications
segunda-feira, 25 de julho de 2011
segunda-feira, 11 de julho de 2011
Keeping focus while having fun. Learning shouldn't be synonymous with boring.
Drawing a line in the sand. Marking your territory as teacher and demonstrating your student's as pupil. This can be one of the toughest battles for a teacher.
I tonight had to balance carefully, with a delicate little kidlet, the act of friend and teacher.
I don't teach in a classroom and I don't sit in a teacher's special chair and this, at times, makes my job a little bit harder.
Being a freelancer I have the freedom to create my own classes, write my own syllibus and even create my own children's learning method but I also have to; create the image of a classroom that isn't there, the sense of focus and structure that that in itself brings (all very important for a condusive learning environment) and constantly engage children in places of distraction and general relaxation, usually at a time where the little one is tired and not really interested.
So, how do I do it you ask? Well, yes, sometimes it involves me acting like a clown, or an elephant or a seal in tonight's case. Sometimes it is by bringing serious matters to the table such as no TV, only a white paper and pencil to eliminate distraction and other times it is by sitting that little person down and saying enough is enough - playtime is over or Miss Hayley is going home if the bad behaviour doesn't stop (obviously a last resort).
Keeping classes dynamic and interactive is the key part in making education fun and the learning process a bi-product of the laughing and roleplays etc. Planning and knowing your student helps to support this, and facilitate the dual process of education and positive experience/memory association.
Remember that as a teacher you are not there soley to entertain, nor are you there soley to sprout information. Your role as teacher is to find a way to move information from you to the student in the best and most enjoyable way possible.
Learning is sometimes necessary and always important, why shouldn't it be fun too?
I tonight had to balance carefully, with a delicate little kidlet, the act of friend and teacher.
I don't teach in a classroom and I don't sit in a teacher's special chair and this, at times, makes my job a little bit harder.
Being a freelancer I have the freedom to create my own classes, write my own syllibus and even create my own children's learning method but I also have to; create the image of a classroom that isn't there, the sense of focus and structure that that in itself brings (all very important for a condusive learning environment) and constantly engage children in places of distraction and general relaxation, usually at a time where the little one is tired and not really interested.
So, how do I do it you ask? Well, yes, sometimes it involves me acting like a clown, or an elephant or a seal in tonight's case. Sometimes it is by bringing serious matters to the table such as no TV, only a white paper and pencil to eliminate distraction and other times it is by sitting that little person down and saying enough is enough - playtime is over or Miss Hayley is going home if the bad behaviour doesn't stop (obviously a last resort).
Keeping classes dynamic and interactive is the key part in making education fun and the learning process a bi-product of the laughing and roleplays etc. Planning and knowing your student helps to support this, and facilitate the dual process of education and positive experience/memory association.
Remember that as a teacher you are not there soley to entertain, nor are you there soley to sprout information. Your role as teacher is to find a way to move information from you to the student in the best and most enjoyable way possible.
Learning is sometimes necessary and always important, why shouldn't it be fun too?
terça-feira, 5 de julho de 2011
Playing games and learning the past tense- Is it too good to be true?
Tonight I was full of energy and scouring (searching) the internet for new material for the kiddies that I teach.
To my surprise, I realized that there is so much material out there that I didnt realize was available to me!
I found after an exhausting conversation as to why we say ´t´ ´id´or ´d´ to pronounce éd´correctly according to the word written when reading, a wonderful site that has a basketball game for the kids to play as practice (almost playing, nothing like actual study) where the words are all pronounced by a native speaker as options before being selected. If the student gets the answer to the question right then he/she gets 2 points for an easier shot and 3 points for a more difficult shot. Fantastic!
http://www.marks-english-school.com/games/b_past.html
This is the link. Check it out and show it to your children who are in the early learning phases of the English language.
Have fun with your education and your child's education too. Be a participant and a parent.
Miss Hayley
PoGo Communications
To my surprise, I realized that there is so much material out there that I didnt realize was available to me!
I found after an exhausting conversation as to why we say ´t´ ´id´or ´d´ to pronounce éd´correctly according to the word written when reading, a wonderful site that has a basketball game for the kids to play as practice (almost playing, nothing like actual study) where the words are all pronounced by a native speaker as options before being selected. If the student gets the answer to the question right then he/she gets 2 points for an easier shot and 3 points for a more difficult shot. Fantastic!
http://www.marks-english-school.com/games/b_past.html
This is the link. Check it out and show it to your children who are in the early learning phases of the English language.
Have fun with your education and your child's education too. Be a participant and a parent.
Miss Hayley
PoGo Communications
segunda-feira, 4 de julho de 2011
Teacher: Egocentric Performer or Kind Informer ?
After a little break due to an ill tummy I am back in the land of blog!
Today I taught a great class to a wonderful little miss who amazingly is a Brazilian who at the age of 6 has developed a second language with minimal formal training but foramlly attending an American school for the past year to year and a half.
She has a wonderfully supportive family who has provided many wonderful resources, yet she is always apologising when she makes a mistake.
She reminded me that we are all in need of reasurrance. We all need a careful explanation at times and to be respectfully informed rather than spoken to as if being no more than a moron.
Sometimes, as we get used to being the centre of attention (as a teacher), the most important thing in the room, and we forget the importance and the level of the intellect of those we teach. Our tone changes and we sound egotistic, arrogant or superior. This is not what a good teacher does.
A true teacher is humble in his knowledge and willing to share it. They will recognize that educating is a two way street, that a person who is open to learning new aspects of any area of life is actully in a position of vunerability, and that in itself should be respected.
I took a class a week ago, a singing class. I felt so awkward. I didn´t like being told what to do,I wanted to excuse myself everytime the teacher explained something and I respeated it incorrectly. The funny thing was that the teacher was lovely. She did nothing wrong at all. I was made to feel comfortable and relaxed. The pressure and awkwardness I felt was completely me being unaccustomed to the hot seat. It was a very educational experience for me both in relation to the singing and the student experience (thank you GTR).
So next time you go to teach someone something, anything really, have patience and be respectful. Possessing knowledge does not make you superior or others inferior but it does give you a certain power that you can choose to use positively or negatively.
Enjoy education and be open to learning.
Miss Hayley
PoGo Communications
Today I taught a great class to a wonderful little miss who amazingly is a Brazilian who at the age of 6 has developed a second language with minimal formal training but foramlly attending an American school for the past year to year and a half.
She has a wonderfully supportive family who has provided many wonderful resources, yet she is always apologising when she makes a mistake.
She reminded me that we are all in need of reasurrance. We all need a careful explanation at times and to be respectfully informed rather than spoken to as if being no more than a moron.
Sometimes, as we get used to being the centre of attention (as a teacher), the most important thing in the room, and we forget the importance and the level of the intellect of those we teach. Our tone changes and we sound egotistic, arrogant or superior. This is not what a good teacher does.
A true teacher is humble in his knowledge and willing to share it. They will recognize that educating is a two way street, that a person who is open to learning new aspects of any area of life is actully in a position of vunerability, and that in itself should be respected.
I took a class a week ago, a singing class. I felt so awkward. I didn´t like being told what to do,I wanted to excuse myself everytime the teacher explained something and I respeated it incorrectly. The funny thing was that the teacher was lovely. She did nothing wrong at all. I was made to feel comfortable and relaxed. The pressure and awkwardness I felt was completely me being unaccustomed to the hot seat. It was a very educational experience for me both in relation to the singing and the student experience (thank you GTR).
So next time you go to teach someone something, anything really, have patience and be respectful. Possessing knowledge does not make you superior or others inferior but it does give you a certain power that you can choose to use positively or negatively.
Enjoy education and be open to learning.
Miss Hayley
PoGo Communications
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