its been a while!

Mmm – what have you been doing lately? I look back on my last post and shudder at the time between that post and this. Why the gap? Have I stopped learning or thinking? Of course not, but time does get away from you!
I have had the privilege of moving into a new building with 300 new students this year. One of the many advantages is my new office has two walls made entirely of glass. It means, that each day I see students engage in many activities ( most of the time their learning) and the best thing is they see me working!
Yesterday I looked up and saw a group from my core class staring at me and laughing – they then grabbed their liquid chalk pens and began writing their own poems all over my fresh , clean glass. How great is that! Kids engaged , having fun and learning- all at the same time – does it get any better.
The other benefit of my office being in the centre of the building, is that I hear all the learning going on in the classrooms. Often these are incidental conversations which happen when the kids walk past my open door.
I was disturbed to hear the other day a couple of kids referring to their Maths class as the “dumb Maths” class. They had obviously been put in a class for students who struggle with Maths and felt as though it defined or pigeon holed them.
I think we all have experienced that it our lives – we are judged or put in a box for a skill or character trait we may or may not possess. How do we help our kids understand that its okay to be a learner?, its okay to struggle with some aspects of schooling and not to see it as a label but more importantly a learning opportunity. Resilient kids accept the situation and see it as a challenge not as a stop sign.
I love challenges and I am hoping in my new role that I can change the perspective of some of our kids. That at their core they will be learners and acknowledge the fact that this time at school is not the only time that this will be the case. Instead it will be a life long experience!
Go well