This is my story... by Sarah Taylor

My first year of teaching was difficult in many ways, however, what I learnt about myself and my teaching style made it all worthwhile. At the risk of sounding cliché, the most difficult times were necessary for the good times to happen.

Challenges:

Classroom management

I had 3 classes this year, each one was completely different. My grade 10 class were an incredible group, they kept my sanity. There wasn’t a single day when I didn’t look forward to seeing that class.

For 8 months I struggled with my grade 8 class. They were naughty, obnoxious, rude and worst of all indifferent. Most of them didn’t care about work, they basically ignored me. What made it worse was that there were a few kids in the class who were willing to work and I felt their education was being compromised by the majority. For a few months I struggled onwards, always facing that lesson with trepidation and a knot in my stomach. After reading Teach like a Champion, I decided to require 100% from my class. I became a dragon. I hated myself, but I called them up on every single little issue and made it a big deal – drawing parallels between being 2 minutes late for class and how this could result in you being a homeless person when you leave school etcetera – extreme I know, but it was all I could think of. After August exams, the class became a completely new set of kids. The relationship we had towards the end of the year was fun, respectful and productive. They were a challenge in the beginning, but the turnaround showed me what is possible with a difficult class.

Just as the grade 8’s were growing up and turning into interesting and responsible adults, the grade 7’s were undergoing a metamorphosis too. The first half of the year with the grade 7’s was plain sailing, apart from the childish questions and behaviour, they were manageable. But after the August exams, they changed into teenagers of the worst kind. Each child in my class had some disruptive qualities, whether it was drumming on the table, singing while working or fighting and shouting with one another across the classroom. Some particularly “cool” girls made my classes hell with their back chatting, eye rolling and outbursts of inappropriate laughter. Was I going back in time? These were the same issues I had been having with the grade 8’s just a few months before!

Feeling the pressure of being a perfect teacher

Lebone is a wonderful space; we have top quality teaching and learning and are consistently trying to do even better. We have weekly professional development and our lessons are observed regularly. These are some wonderful philosophical ideals, and it was one of the reasons I wanted to come here, but it puts a lot of pressure on first year teachers to be perfect.

There’s no room for a “free lesson” when you are feeling tired and under prepared, every minute of the lesson should be planned for and used as productively as possible – after all, we have to close the “Achievement Gap”! When you are standing in front of a class of kids in disarray and start thinking about the Achievement Gap, it really puts the pressure on!

What helped:

My Head of department

The head of my department has been exceptionally helpful to me this year, on an emotional and academic level. If I am feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work I have she insists I not worry and go home and rest. She ensures that we have enough time to relax so that we don’t burn out. In a way, even though we sometimes take time off, it makes us more productive because we are confident and refreshed when we do work.

She has also helped by providing me with materials that I might need: notes, old tests and other resources. This has helped because instead of doing a lengthy internet search for materials, there are some appropriate resources already there.

She has also been helpful by providing a formidable force in the department when I have classroom management issues. She is terrifying when she needs to be and this helps me as I can simply mention her name and my issues begin to resolve themselves!

New Teacher Cafe

Murray was extremely helpful to us this year. By simply being a non-judgemental ear to hear the woes us new teachers faced, he helped a lot. He led us to realise that the problems we were facing are not because we are useless, but they are problems that EVERY teacher faces at one or other time in their career.

New teacher cafe also helped by giving us some time to reflect on our teaching and think about what we were doing. It gave us the space to think outside of the daily grind of lesson prep and children management.

First year teacher Friends

Being friends with first year teachers made this year MUCH easier. We spent a lot of time brainstorming possible strategies and commiserating when things weren’t going well. But, the best thing about being friends with first year teachers is when you have an AMAZING lesson, and you can tell someone who will be just as excited as you that you made some progress. My friends helped me to look at those breakthrough lessons and find out why they worked so we could reproduce those results!

Learning about myself as a teacher

My biggest lesson this year was: being calm makes a HUGE difference. Talking quietly, waiting for quiet rather than shouting, not getting flustered when things aren’t going smoothly – all these things translate onto the kids.

Learning what routine worked for me was something very useful to learn about myself. It was not something I could have known at the beginning, but by constantly changing routines and then eventually sticking to the one that worked, I discovered calmness in the fact that the kids knew what to do without me having to tell them every day! I discovered that standing at the door when students arrive was particularly helpful. I would try to remember each ones name in the morning and we would make a game of it. It was the best way to learn names!

LEARN NAMES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!

From Teach like a Champion, I learnt that it’s okay to over-plan. I learnt that I am a micro planner and I am much more comfortable when my lessons are very well prepared, to the minute! I learnt that I don’t have to squash my control-freak tendencies, but I can rather use them to my advantage!

Knowing that kids are kids

Kids are kids and when I realised that they weren’t “out to get me” I felt much more at ease, and in control. They were just behaving as they normally do and it had less to do with me than I thought it did!

Teenagers (grade 8’s and 9’s in particular) love to choose what they are going to do. Wherever possible, I would give them a chance to choose which type of work they were going to be busy with. Every time I do, I am AMAZED at how much more work gets done and how motivated the kids are to work. If you can make the choice into a competition, all the better, for example: choose which questions you want to answer – let’s see who can answer the most! (be warned, you may need to prepare a lot of questions!)

Something that will keep me sane in future that I have learnt from this year, was that the kids you are teaching, will grow up and will probably become fully functioning adults when their teenager ways have subsided.

Being reflexive:

Sometimes, especially if I had a good day with my classes, I would spend some time really thinking about what I did differently that day. Once I asked a more experienced teacher why they thought the class went better than normal. Her insights helped me to reproduce these great lessons and learn more about myself and my classes.

We are so lucky

Remembering how lucky we are to have small classes, endless resources, supportive co-teachers, understanding management, beautiful facilities, and freedom to do amazing things with our teaching... made me realise how easy we have it.... We are so, so, so, so, so lucky!

Regards,

Sarah 

Kopano Modisane: This is my story...

This is my story...

Being a teacher is all about giving and instilling a love for learning in the student. I came in thinking that I was hired to perform as a piano teacher, but little did I know that my role would be so much more than that.

For the first few months I thought I was going to work to do my job, and at the end of mu duty I would go home, leaving my job behind. I soon learnt that being a teacher is not just another job. Those calls at 9 pm from parents are just a small example of how being a teacher pervades your whole life.

As a teacher I thought my main duty was to impart the knowledge I have onto my students, and that was that. Nothing more. But I soon learnt that that being a teacher is much more than just knowledge transfer. As a teacher I became aware of how critical my role was. Students don’t go to school thinking that they’re going to a ‘job’ and nothing more. The students I encounter go to school hungry and searching for some purpose to their existence – a chance to learn not only about arbitrary stuff, but more importantly to discover who they are and how they fit in their own lives. As a teacher I often found myself not only just teaching the content of my subject, but also giving lectures on how important and necessary it is to show compassion towards one another. As a teacher it quickly dawned on me that I wasn’t teaching a child the wonders of interrupted and plagal cadences, but to function as a positive, productive member of society who exercises compassion and humanity towards achieving a just and prosperous society for all in which to live.

So to a new teacher coming into the profession: in addition to you teaching the content of your subject, be it maths, accounting, biology, art etc...you should also prepare yourself to teach and model compassion, respect, love, sympathy and understanding to your students, because whether you like it or not, you are shaping the human being in front of you everyday to become some person in the future. Make sure you shape someone you can be proud of.

A NTC Production by John Naiker

Thoughts on a Year of Teaching                        John Naiker

A NTC Production

I am sitting on the grass just outside what will be my classroom next year. The scorching heat of the afternoon has past and a welcome coolness blows by on a gentle breeze. I can hear the far off hum of some piece of electric machinery. Over the hum, birds colour the air with their concerto of song.

The question: Well there’s more than one, but as I have learned, more than one question can confuse a student so I’ll pick just one: What advice do you have for a new teacher at lebone; experiences, reflections, discoveries, stories...

Dear New Teacher,

Would you be disappointed if I told you I have nothing for you? Would you feel lost if I said I have no words of wisdom? No simple techniques? No enlightening abstractions?

• At year end, I feel more unsure of what is right and what is wrong than ever before.
• Calling out or hands strictly in the air?
• Focused, attentive silence or a productive buzz?
•  Friendly and jovial or strict and uncompromising?
• Planned meticulously or a good night’s sleep and some improve?
• Technical and analytical or emotional and heartfelt?
• Serious or Funny?

A balance must surely be the answer but if one year has taught me anything it is that there is no way to learn to tightrope walk from a chair.

What I do know is that the balancing act of teaching doesn’t last 7.30 to 4.30, Monday to Friday. It extends into your every waking moment.

So, I watch the ants crawl past my feet. I realise it’s time to leave for our final New Teachers Cafe meeting of the year. “Written rather late?” you may question. Yip, I was doing other things J

Sincerely,

John Naiker 

"Dear new teacher" by Chris Harrison

Dear New Teacher

War is an unpleasant thing. It is accompanied by tremendous suffering, massive ideological conflict, destruction of property and the inevitable loss of life and limb on both sides.

War relies on manpower; the foot soldiers... Cannon fodder. The life of a foot soldier is one of fear, apprehension, pain, terror and, if you’re lucky enough to escape death, you are served up a healthy portion of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is much like the life of a first-year teacher.

My first year of teaching included all of these feelings and, although I am glad to have escaped death (albeit narrowly), the post-traumatic stress thing is no fun.

These were the low points; the points when I felt like I was not cut out for this, the points when I was exhausted mentally and physically, the points when I was sure that my students had a coordinated vendetta against learning anything in my class. But soldiers soldier on. Deserters will be shot.

So, congratulations on enlisting as a foot soldier. A noble profession, indeed. The enemies are well-armed, well coordinated, guerrilla fighters. To succeed you will need intel and basic weapons training. Intel helps you know the enemy and weaponry helps you subdue the enemy. Intel comes from your superiors, your fellow soldiers and enemy moles. You already have all the weapons you need but the knowledge of which weapons to use when comes from Teach Like a Soldier... er... Champion.

So, congratulations on becoming a foot soldier. Soldiers feel the burden of duty upon their shoulders to fight for a higher cause. Isn’t that why we enlisted? We enlisted because we believe that our combined efforts can somehow get our nation to where we’d like it to be. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to see this big picture when you’re dodging Gr. 7 artillery fire, but just remember that there is a big picture. This helped me stay on course.

So, congratulations on becoming a foot soldier. It is neither glittery nor glamorous. And don’t expect the enemy to shower you with praise. But there is a certain valour associated with being a foot soldier; a sense of honour and pride that only comes from fighting for one’s country. It is a sense that each individual can contribute to a combined victory.

In my mind, a combined victory has nothing to do with defeating the mighty armies of Lesotho or Swaziland and annexing their mountains. A combined victory is a better South Africa. A combined victory is a generation of young, well-educated South Africans who can think for themselves, question everything and make informed choices about their futures and the futures of the country.

So, congratulations on becoming a foot soldier. There will be good days and bad days. There will be days full of energy and days full of lethargy. There will be battles won and battles lost. Celebrate each victory and reflect on each loss. Learn. As long as the ups outweigh the downs (and they will), you’ll live to fight another day.

So, welcome to the ranks, soldier. Now drop and give me 20...

How has my first year been? Caitlin Mason

The first thought that crosses my mind when beginning to think about this question is: Flip! This year has been really really tough!  I have both hated intensely disliked and loved my class and both intensely disliked and loved myself as a teacher and as a person. I add that ‘as a person’ because in your first year of teaching it feels that everything that you used to be falls away and all you are is a teacher. You eat, sleep and breathe teaching which is not usually the best thing, because often it’s not a tasty treat. It took me three terms to realise this and in the fourth term I slowly started pulling myself towards myself and working out who I was again, independent of teaching.

Teaching at Lebone has its challenges, however the moment you think this you start to remind yourself of the challenges one does not have to deal with at a school like this. Then I get back in my box and realise how lucky I am to be here, albeit the tough times; which of course, would come in their various forms in anyone’s first year of teaching.

Looking back I breathe out a sigh of relief that I got through it and have some much-needed experience under my belt. Remembering of course that next year won't be a breeze either! I am in a very supportive department and this has really pulled me through this year. There was always someone to talk to about anything and give direction without judgement or criticism. My co-teacher has been a cause for lots of important learning too, as sports rather than admin is his forte, and so I have landed the job of doing most of the planning and admin for my grade. While at times this has been tough, I have also been completely stretched and now can do things and take responsibility in ways I couldn’t 11 months ago. He has also taught me lots about interacting with the kids and seeing the other side of teaching which can often go unnoticed when one is too focused on the academic enrichment of the young minds in front of us.

The difficult things I have experienced as a first year teacher...

• You have no structures in place in your classroom. You don’t know how you are going to organise homework or where they’re going to put their reply slips. You don’t know how you are going to make sure the classroom stays tidy without you tidying it. You know the kids need a routine, but you don’t know what it is yet because you don’t know what needs to go into it.
• You think you are much stricter than you are. Actually you’re a push-over and the kids have worked that out by the time first break on the first day has arrived.
• There is a whole bunch of admin needing to be done after or rather before, you have planned teaching time for the next day.
• Classroom management. That’s the most difficult thing.
• What you are going to do when kids lose their pencils on the 2^nd day.
• How you manage classroom conflicts when it’s everyone’s fault but no one thinks it’s theirs.
• Etc etc etc.

As a Lebone teacher you are always thinking how you can be better. This is good because it keeps you on your toes. It’s difficult though because the extra pressure makes you topple over. It’s difficult but we need to find a balance between saying... “hey, it’s ok that you are not closing the achievement gap every single second”...and “Come on now, too much time is wasted in your classroom, get these kids moving!”.

In trying to reach for this balance I have realised...

• It’s ok to just be ok. (Even at Lebone)
• Lebone is NOT your whole world...it’s important to have some down time. If you’re too stressed you can't be creative and then you get stressed because you’re not creative enough and then....
• Sometimes it’s better just to go to sleep.
• If you mess up and don't say the right thing. It’s ok; just remember what to say next time. Apologise to the kids if you haven’t been fair.
• Plan as much as you can. It’s impossible to have EVERYTHING planned. Really, it’s impossible.  So you can't beat yourself up if the lesson isn’t perfect the first time you teach it (try again next year!) or even if it is well-planned and it flops. It’s ok, try again next time. And it’s ok to admit to the class that the lesson was a bit rubbish...perhaps they can give ideas that may help you make it better.
• Have a really well planned lesson at least once a week.
• It’s ok sometimes to play games, chat or just read in class. These things are important too. And the kids enjoy this time of connection, it shows that we’re all just human after all.   

These are perhaps only a few of the very-well learnt lessons that 2012 hurtled towards me. I’m pretty sure that as I have mastered some things I’ll face new challenges next year, and to be honest, that’s a pretty scary thought. But at least I’m here, surrounded by people who are always willing to help and develop you to be the best teacher, and the best person you can be. 

Caitlin Mason J

Bex Marriott - 2012 reflections

This is my story... of the past year, at least. My story of my life working - and living? - at Lebone II College of the Royal Bafokeng.  The name says...well, not all of it... but it does come out to greet you... beating it's Djembe drum of pride... and purpose... giving you a hearty hug of welcome. The longer I've been here the more complex they both seem to have become. The name and the place. In terms of understanding them. A school of excellence: a mother ship, a flagship. A symbol of what will be? The now and the not yet. A spiritual truth, in fact, though yet to be fully realised in practice.  It contains promise of something hoped for, believed in.  A vision, glimpsed by some, blinding others, longed for in the depths of weary hearts whose bodies obey the call to pilgrimage, adventure, to faithfulness, endurance.

Should it be THIS hard? A small, peaceful oasis... nourishing hungry minds. And eager siblings make their nests together... within the green... mantle of inclusion, following the song of those who've flown... from out of and beyond the guiding wings... of knowledge, the light, airy canopy of protection, of shelter. Their minds free yet only partially sighted, for now... The prehistoric land, and beast, keep their silence, their mouths closed.. as they watch over the young family, finding its way, discovering and relearning the language of their inheritance.

I see, as though through a glass darkly. Scales and scratches impair my vision... of what will be. Thin rays, no, momentary flickers.. of light... speckle my path. Revelation is fractured as I strain to look. Colour, variety, pattern, Light... I see. Clearly. But culture, time, history, old and new, and language... I do not understand. I only hear sounds. The many tongues... of experience, expectation... make music. And disonance. The tension of the strings, not seen but felt, attached. Vibrations both deep, and rich... played out on instruments made for the purpose of harmony, composing a future symphony of musicians, doctors, artists, lawyers, actors, engineers, designers. Such music as will hover, like the dew each morning... refreshing, reminding, inspiring new growth... of ever widening landscapes... of green.

Maybe compost is MY name. Organic matter, composed of things that are, and were, and might have been. Things pruned or put to death. Or killed. Waste? No, wasted not by those with eyes to see. And no less useful for seedlings struggling to survive.  Wild, and random seeds... still fertile enough to brighten a landscape. Over time. Longer than I imagined. It does its work, improbable its fruitfulness. Unglamorous.  Difficult to ignore, at first but left alone, it yields the unexpected. In its own way. Carried in sacks, cloth impregnated with aroma. Stench to some. Life to others. Fit for purpose. Some nourishment... for roots that might have died, or withered, at least. Encouragement for pioneering plants, uprooted though not so far from home. Thirsty, weary; torn and damaged, determined and feisty. Giants among their own... not seen... but felt. And always growing. Still growing. Still striving, struggling towards the light.

Sight. And insight. The healthy plant survives, grows, sows seeds of wisdom.  They lodge, wither... From among the plethora of indigenous species sprout seedlngs, like off-spring: the resemblance not obvious but True. And evergreen. Though colour, character, pattern, sound are variegated - the core is unmistakeable. And good.

And so is Lebone. The second. But this is a First. For all of us, wherever we come from. Whatever part of the curve we are riding. Whatever the speed. And there's no safety here. From self. From challenge. From the extra-Ordinary ones - all of them my siblings, your brothers and sisters. Waiting to share, play, irritate, love; to feast on your gifts, your offerings, to shun but... still demand... your difference. The dignity of you. Welcome! This is your time. Your day. The ground is hard... but soft enough for you to leave a footprint. The shoes are large but you will fill them.  Step into them and keep walking. Every now and again run. The fun is not knowing where you'll land. And if you fall, the most surprising, limping, smiling in your midst will help you. Encourage you. They'll be grateful that you let them. The camaraderie of community works well.  Not always, but enough... to turn the 'normal' on its head... and make you smile.

Enjoy. Have hope. Work hard. Relax. Aim for perfection. Settle for excellence. Some of us can only dream of even that!

BJM/19.11.12

Bernice Douglas - final thoughts 2012

Back to School – A reality the minute you walk into the beautiful classrooms, wide-eyed children staring back at you, loads of paperwork to finish off, bustling rosters to get your thumb around, names… and yet more names to add to your check-list of “what to study tonight”… Yes, your first few hours, days, weeks could seem simply overwhelming, until you realize you are not alone.

I came to Lebone aiming to become one of the best teachers they had; however, I soon came to realize that I could not do this on my own. There is no “I” in TEAM soon reflected a deeper meaning, and this was when my learning really kick-started.

New Teachers Café gave me, and novice teachers alike, the opportunity to expand our knowledge in profound ways. We gained insight into situations that we each shared and laughed over the craziest things children were up to these days. You know what they say: “Ten minds are better than one”. This prospect of time to discuss developmental needs of the children opened my thinking-patterns and created a world of ideas. With the aim of improving our skills, our ideas shared soon opened a labyrinth of initiatives to overflow into our respective classrooms.

We gave each other inspiration, discussed pro’s and con’s as well as commonly-faced challenges. Not to mention how to cope with everything at once, and still be teacher with a smile on her/his face, with a welcoming heart and a spirit to teach. This is where I felt at home, and suggest you do the same.

Lebone employees will soon become your colleagues, and before you know it… your Family.

Nevertheless, back to business… In this New Teacher’s Café you will receive a journal. A tip I offer you: USE this journal every chance you get! It’s very easy to say you can get along fine without it… sure. It’s also very easy to realize its potential in empowering your skills once you get a hold of it. Jotting down ideas, thoughts and so forth will show a pattern in thinking. Your challenges will be easier to identify, and problem solving becomes a strategy to be mastered one step (or one scribble) away.

Yet some of my main challenges still remain class management. Our prescribed book for these “sanity-sessions” was Teach like a Champion, and if truth be told, assisted me with this dilemma. A vast variety of techniques to practically enhance our classroom opened a huge door for me. All the way through, my journal enabled me to identify diverse possibilities; from remembering students’ names to positively grab the attention of the little ones almost every second of the class.

However; like everyone always say: In a blink of an eye your year will come to an end, and that is so true. The big 2012 rounded off with a feeling of jubilation, yet melancholy and yearning to look back, and keep on going. My year has been quite the experience.

I would like to thank each and every person in Lebone for enriching my life, my skills and my experiences. Without the teamwork, shared visions and professional atmosphere, I could not have done it.

I look now through different glasses… 

Grade 1 use group-work to describe the properties of a rectangle

The best mentoring moment is when I was observing  a Maths lesson, which involved an introduction to the rectangle. Students sat in groups of four. Each learner was given a piece of a rectangle (geo-shapes).  They had to share with one another the properties of the rectangle that they had. After sharing with one another feedback was given by each group, and as a result they all participated in describing the properties of the rectangle.This was the best mentoring moment for me because it was fascinating to see Grade 1 learners engaging in group work / discussions and giving feedback.

Guided reading in Gr.R

The best mentoring moment this week was when I was doing reading. My mentor was doing guided reading with the leaners and the guided reading has three essential steps: scanning, reading, and review. My mentor did the first step of scanning the book with the learners and I had to do the review part. It was quite a challenge for me because I have never done guided reading before. I think with practice I will be able to do guided reading better than I did on this first occassion. Nonetheless I had fun!

Dividing Gr.Rs into groups

I told the learners to sit in groups and they started calling each other's names and chatting. All this led to a noisy class. The class teacher stopped them and allocated corners for them to sit. From this I learned that when dividing learners into groups, I have to show or tell them where to sit in class in their groups.

"Teach Like A Champion" - an invaluable resource for new teachers

Our 2013 cohort of 'New Teachers' have begun their school year at Lebone. This year's group includes 16 colleagues, who teach across the school in a variety of Grades and Subject or Phase specialisms. We gather on Tuesday evenings from 17h00-18h45, roughtly twice a month, as a supportive forum dealing with topical issues that new teachers have themselves identified. The scope is therefore quite broad. We receive input, reflect together and improve our competence in a varity of ways. One resource we use is Teach Like A Champion.

"In this book, author Doug Lemov offers the essential tools of the teaching craft so that you can unlock the talent and skill waiting in your students, no matter how many previous classrooms, schools, or teachers have been unsuccessful. This must-have resource is filled with concrete, specific, and actionable classroom teaching techniques that you can start using in your classroom tomorrow."