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?
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