I don't know why it is, but in the last couple of weeks everything seems to have just clicked into place. I'm still teaching some fairly average lessons and there's still annoyances left, right and centre, but overall they don't seem to matter as much. I've settled into what I think is a good routine with all my classes and am finally, finally, beginning to make some progress with my seniors.
The sudden collapse of possibilities with my future might have something to do with it, I suppose. Now I know what I'm doing it gives me a bit of freedom. Relief of other pressures in my life is probably helping as well. Plus I'm really, really excited about space again, and I'm trying to pass this on to my standard grade class.
Life, and work is good. I'm looking forward to stuff. I'm still doing the things I want to be doing (mostly) but need to try harder with some of them. Oh, and I need to start thinking about a holiday. Yessss.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Speak, See, Remember
The week-
Well, a mixture of good and bad. Nothing amazing from my end, but nothing terrible either. My examination classes continue to vex me, although the test my Int2s did seemed to show a little progress which bodes better for the upcoming prelims. First years were scrappy as ever, although they responded well to working quietly on Monday. The lessons that my SG class prepared weren't exactly world shattering, but they showed promise and I'm sure we can build on them later on.
Currently hoping to prepare a standalone unit for the Space topic on rockets, using my new Rokits, some fizz poppers and the free motion tracking software I was shown at SSERC. So, keep your fingers crossed for good weather.
The online presence of my OU course has beefed up this week, with the course forum, website and tutor groups going live. It looks like an interesting mix of people and the first assignments appear to be just about right in terms of challenge vs. time requirement. I've already started the first couple, even though the first one isn't due in until April. Too keen?
Progress with my job application as well. Kevin has been writing my reference (I hope), but they asked some very specific questions (e.g. how would X respond to working in a foreign capital) so I'm not sure how the generico references I'm sure to get at this stage in my career will work. I can only hope they accept me for interview so that I can WOW them with my witty banter. Have been doing a little research into the school. Thought I'd found a snag when I noticed mention of a certain High Level Member of the Hussein Regime, but it turns out it's a different Tariq Aziz! What japes.
And finally, I now have uncorrected-better-than-20:20 vision! Or hopefully. A large number of checkups still remain, but the process so far has been fairly hassle free! Plus it meant I got to go shopping in Inverness and buy a wok. Yay.
Well, a mixture of good and bad. Nothing amazing from my end, but nothing terrible either. My examination classes continue to vex me, although the test my Int2s did seemed to show a little progress which bodes better for the upcoming prelims. First years were scrappy as ever, although they responded well to working quietly on Monday. The lessons that my SG class prepared weren't exactly world shattering, but they showed promise and I'm sure we can build on them later on.
Currently hoping to prepare a standalone unit for the Space topic on rockets, using my new Rokits, some fizz poppers and the free motion tracking software I was shown at SSERC. So, keep your fingers crossed for good weather.
The online presence of my OU course has beefed up this week, with the course forum, website and tutor groups going live. It looks like an interesting mix of people and the first assignments appear to be just about right in terms of challenge vs. time requirement. I've already started the first couple, even though the first one isn't due in until April. Too keen?
Progress with my job application as well. Kevin has been writing my reference (I hope), but they asked some very specific questions (e.g. how would X respond to working in a foreign capital) so I'm not sure how the generico references I'm sure to get at this stage in my career will work. I can only hope they accept me for interview so that I can WOW them with my witty banter. Have been doing a little research into the school. Thought I'd found a snag when I noticed mention of a certain High Level Member of the Hussein Regime, but it turns out it's a different Tariq Aziz! What japes.
And finally, I now have uncorrected-better-than-20:20 vision! Or hopefully. A large number of checkups still remain, but the process so far has been fairly hassle free! Plus it meant I got to go shopping in Inverness and buy a wok. Yay.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Catch Me Up
I won't go into horrendous detail about school so far, but basically the first term has been great. There have, of course, been ups and downs but on the whole I'm having a wonderful time in my probationary year.
Everyone at school is very supportive and my department is great. I have some amazing classes and no downright horrible ones. The school has many problems, but I firmly believe that the first step towards solving anything is a pleasant working atmosphere, something that is definately in evidence.
I'm enjoying myself and I've had the opportunity to try some ideas of my own - some of which have even worked! I seem to be getting into my stride with the whole 'teaching' thing and even though I have bad (baaaaad) lessons, I think now is the time to be pushing the envelope and challenging myself to use more of my own and others' ideas to improve the quality of the learning in my classroom. Oh, and I received a 'satisfactory' for the first term on my GTCS profile, so I'm well on the way to registration.
I don't want to make a huge retrospective about term 1 (even though this blog is meant to be about reflection) because I reckon it'd be much more useful to look forward. For now, then, I'll stop the teaching chat and fill you in on the rest of what's happening in the land of Wick.
Mostly, I've been good and actually kept to some of my promises. Unfortunately the airport no longer does flying lessons, so that hasn't happened (yet!) but I have signed up for an Open University course, carried on with my driving lessons, applied for my Master's, am trying to do a weekly piano practice and have dived headlong into a couple of sports things. I haven't managed to get back into painting exactly, but a notice in school about a writing competition spurred me back to the pan so I've now got a notebook that's gradually filling as something to fulfil my creative urges.
I have started studying for the OU Course, even though it's not meant to start until the beginning of February. I figure that being ahead of the curve can't hurt. So far it's looking really interesting. From the overview it seems to have a bit of everything - physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy - which is perfect for me. The course is mainly just for my own interest, but I think I should be able to use some of the things I'm going to be learning to at least make the Space topic in Standard Grade more interesting, or possibly hang more of the entire course on some interesting contexts (teaching buoyancy by volcanic processes, anyone?).
Anyway, I think that's enough of a catch up. From now on I'll hopefully be doing some decent bitesize posts, with a mixture of personal and professional ideas! Let's see how long it lasts!
Everyone at school is very supportive and my department is great. I have some amazing classes and no downright horrible ones. The school has many problems, but I firmly believe that the first step towards solving anything is a pleasant working atmosphere, something that is definately in evidence.
I'm enjoying myself and I've had the opportunity to try some ideas of my own - some of which have even worked! I seem to be getting into my stride with the whole 'teaching' thing and even though I have bad (baaaaad) lessons, I think now is the time to be pushing the envelope and challenging myself to use more of my own and others' ideas to improve the quality of the learning in my classroom. Oh, and I received a 'satisfactory' for the first term on my GTCS profile, so I'm well on the way to registration.
I don't want to make a huge retrospective about term 1 (even though this blog is meant to be about reflection) because I reckon it'd be much more useful to look forward. For now, then, I'll stop the teaching chat and fill you in on the rest of what's happening in the land of Wick.
Mostly, I've been good and actually kept to some of my promises. Unfortunately the airport no longer does flying lessons, so that hasn't happened (yet!) but I have signed up for an Open University course, carried on with my driving lessons, applied for my Master's, am trying to do a weekly piano practice and have dived headlong into a couple of sports things. I haven't managed to get back into painting exactly, but a notice in school about a writing competition spurred me back to the pan so I've now got a notebook that's gradually filling as something to fulfil my creative urges.
I have started studying for the OU Course, even though it's not meant to start until the beginning of February. I figure that being ahead of the curve can't hurt. So far it's looking really interesting. From the overview it seems to have a bit of everything - physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy - which is perfect for me. The course is mainly just for my own interest, but I think I should be able to use some of the things I'm going to be learning to at least make the Space topic in Standard Grade more interesting, or possibly hang more of the entire course on some interesting contexts (teaching buoyancy by volcanic processes, anyone?).
Anyway, I think that's enough of a catch up. From now on I'll hopefully be doing some decent bitesize posts, with a mixture of personal and professional ideas! Let's see how long it lasts!
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
So, yeah. A lot has happened in the mean time. We finally got internet access in the flat (although this actually happened a while ago) and life has finally calmed down enough to let me spend some time on the ol' Web 2.0 stuff that I promised myself I would keep up through this year. I'm not on twitter so you can follow my inane ramblings to your hearts content, should you so wish. I'm following a lot of educational and news blogs thanks to Google Reader, which I discovered today. A lot of this was done because I was meant to be getting an iPhone fairly soon, which would be an ideal place to do all this kind of thing from, but I've decided that since there's absolutely no 3G access up here and Apple decided not to release a 32GB version, I will hold my horses and wait.
But enough of that, I think. Perhaps I should fill you in on what has happened in the 7 months since I started this damn thing.
I spent the summer doing... well, not much. Reading a lot, sorting out some of my old stuff to sell, painting. The time seemed to disappear very very fast.
Before I knew it, then, the time came to move North. I packed a couple of bags and made decided on a car load of possessions that would follow me up the road after a few weeks. Catching up with a few friends on the way up, I slowly made my way to Caithness, by train and coach. I had a couple of weeks on my own in our new flat, which I spent exploring the area and finding out as much as I could. Then my parents made the drive up with all my stuff and stayed for a few days to help me explore (the highlight being a trip to Orkney in gorgeous sunshine). After that, my new flatmate Lee arrived and we began preparing for school.
But for now, I think I'll leave you with that and fill in the rest of our first term in another post, as I have to go and make some bolognase now.
But enough of that, I think. Perhaps I should fill you in on what has happened in the 7 months since I started this damn thing.
I spent the summer doing... well, not much. Reading a lot, sorting out some of my old stuff to sell, painting. The time seemed to disappear very very fast.
Before I knew it, then, the time came to move North. I packed a couple of bags and made decided on a car load of possessions that would follow me up the road after a few weeks. Catching up with a few friends on the way up, I slowly made my way to Caithness, by train and coach. I had a couple of weeks on my own in our new flat, which I spent exploring the area and finding out as much as I could. Then my parents made the drive up with all my stuff and stayed for a few days to help me explore (the highlight being a trip to Orkney in gorgeous sunshine). After that, my new flatmate Lee arrived and we began preparing for school.
But for now, I think I'll leave you with that and fill in the rest of our first term in another post, as I have to go and make some bolognase now.
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