New horizons

So I have answered my previous question - should I stay or should I go - and the universe has spoken! My new professional journey is beginning to unravel and excitement is brewing...
do you know how you wander form this tweet to that post to another entry and you stumble across something amazing and then click on  and on again to find that you can't remember where you first were at that amazing moment?  Yep I've done that a-lot lately (lucky for history) and I am so ecstatic that I have come across this part of my journey.  I feel so excited about all the things that's going on.  I have just started the google innovator w/s online and this is just soooo right! Making sense! Now all I need to do is mission on into the classroom:-)

Sources of inspiration

This whole experience has been a source of inspiration!  I have been able to connect with many, many people that I would have never been able to prior to creating my blog and taking the challenge!. The fact I am able to read blogs from like-minded professionals and learn from them has been very powerful.  Some blogs I've read have lead me to link with other blogs and the cycle goes on so I have then had the opportunity to read many different ideas, theories and practices.  Initially, I had to sign up to Twitter (which I find completely different than FB), then because of my email/blog/poeple I reactivated my google+ account and so now I have this huge variety of portals to communicate and learn from various people, groups and organisations!
Besides everyone :-),  htpp://curiosity.com, sustainablog.org and weinquireandinspire.blogspot.com are inspirational blogs/websites that share excellent information for learning - for myself and my students!

Once I'm on a roll I can't stop and so the reading continues.  It's really opened my eyes to the impact that blogging can have on professional development and also the benefits of actually writing my thoughts down.  Something I can always look back to and reflect on :-)

Blog I admire

I'm following this blog as I'm passionate about a sustainable future and I believe there is a place for this in all classrooms.  This type of blog can become a provocation for students to wonder about what's happening in the world right now.  They can become curious about sustainability and learn to investigate and take action.  

An inspirational person in my life

Sonia Mudgway...she'll probably kill me (dramatics I know) for mentioning her name but really, the most inspirational person I have met - that is not an inspirational speaker/lecturer/professor etc!!
So I met Sonia about 11 years ago as a 2nd year student teacher - she was my Associate Teacher.  As soon as I met her I instantly liked her.  She had a calm but get-up-an-go attitude that is contagious. Her class environment was magical, her planning immaculate and her teaching style inclusive!
Sonia has a passion for teaching and it shows in her interactions with students.  She also has a sense of humour to match! OMG perfect!
When I became a PRT, my classroom oozed Sonia!  I basically used everything that she had said/given/made for me and modelled myself on her qualities.  As time went on I found my Niki mojo but it still has the foundations of Sonia.  Even now when I reflect on my teaching practice I think to myself - how would Sonia cope with this situation? I've only bumped into Sonia once or twice over the years but she is still as loving as ever and never snobs me. Except about a month ago - I intentionally needed some Sonia time so I emailed her and asked if I could come and have a chat with her - well of course she said yes and it was the best catch up with this inspirational person.  Still is, after all these years, my most motivating person.
I have learnt so much from her, new teaching ideas (this was her most recent share with me..I also shared a fantastic writing strategy with her and it was sooo great to give something back), strong professional advice and character building experience,  but mainly how to stay enthusiastic, fun and energetic!

An inspirational clip about relationships

Do you know how long I have spent searching the ideal inspirational video that was suppose to motivate something new in my teaching practise?  HOURS!!  I watched several, actually very good videos but nothing that went into any depth. Yes they were entertaining but they only skimmed the surface of wanted I was looking for.  Others were far too long (over an hour...which I watched btw) to blog about.
I really wanted to find an inspirational video about personalized learning... hence the hours on youtube and TEDtalk.  Even so, the related videos still weren't detailed enough for this blog (or short enough).  I ended up watching Rita again!!  Now I saw this clip awhile ago as you do, and a collegial discussion follows and something else ensues...
Revisiting this video, I was able to reflect on my relationships with my students.  Relationships are an integral part of our school kaupapa so I think I'm pretty good at forming positive relationships BUT this clip reminded me of how mechanical "relationship forming" can be because it's the "thing" to do rather than the organic "relationship forming" that happens through a natural involvement and commitment to the individual.  I loved the way she turned negatives into positives for the child which always meant she new how to bring out the best in them.  That's what I want to improve on.  Bringing out the best in my students through relationships but also through a personalised approach to each individual.  Getting PERSONAL is the key word.

Before and after

The below blog link was just what I needed to stumble on...if I am to go then this sort of reflection is perfect for me to think about as well.  When looking at my first years of teaching, I relied heavily on what I had been shown/told/observed from my tutor/associate and mentor teachers.  Teaching has changed so much in the last 10 years. What you know is ever evolving  and I need to evolve with it.  I think teaching is so much more exciting now than when I first started!  Students are the centre of my universe and their input/ideas/interests/values are what drives me to create engaging and empowering learning.  I look back to my ways of old and neh bring on the current focus on collaborative student-directed teaching and learning!  https://kerrithompsonblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/edblognz-week-one-no-1/  

My true focus for now is personlised learning.  I want to know more about this..I have been hearing whispers...Now is this just what we do when we individualise or differentiate or is this a pedagogical framework for empowering learners to take charge of their learning?  I will investigate more and keep you posted...

Crossroads

So when did I become 40 something? Where is life leading me? What adventures does it hold for me?  One thing I know for sure is that I am the only one who can lead my life.  In my thirties I knew that life was not going to wait for me.  I had to take control and do what I could to lead the way.  Going back to uni at 30 something was the hardest but most exciting thing I had ever  done!  Success at 30 something - finally! Now at 40 something, and teaching for nearly 10 years, I am again at the cross roads of my life journey.  Do I stay or do I go?