Planning

I've put it off long enough - today I sat down to work on the planners for our new unit. They're the first planners I've written since PYP training, and I've got to say, as well as I understood the whole process before, there are areas that are clearer now, such as the lines of inquiry and how to use the key concepts. With each successive planner I do, I find it takes less time...it's just a matter of making myself sit down and write them (which is, actually, much easier than making myself sit down and complete the reflection end of it).

I got feedback from Stephanie last week on my classroom environment. She was positive about it but there were a lot of things I needed to put up in my classroom to be PYP friendly. One of them was a poster for writing student inquiries, and that was the first thing I added, since generating student inquiries is probably one of my weakest areas. I haven't officially begun the year one UofI but the first round of classes with year two has given me several inquiries already. So all this monitoring isn't for nothing - it actually does us (okay, possibly just me, but still) some good.

I've been reflecting a lot lately on what makes a good teacher; some of my friends have had difficulties here for different reasons, and I'm going to leave it at that. So good teachers...yeah, I've never really considered myself to be one. I hate to admit it, but I sort of fell into this profession. I didn't grow up dreaming of being a teacher. I love children, I love art, I love learning and so I decided - in an absence of a better idea - to go ahead and get a degree in art education. I personally feel that my classroom management leaves much to be desired, and although it gets better with each passing year it's probably never going to be a strength. I'm shit at dealing with recordkeeping and paperwork, and all those administrative tasks. And don't even talk to me about reports.

But this is what makes me an asset - I love children, and they respond to that. When I walk down the hall or come into an assembly, I get a rock star reaction. Because of that, and because of my enthusiasm for art, my students get excited for art class each week, and if I tell them they're having an extra lesson it's like announcing a snow day back home. My kids are happy, they enjoy art, and they're confident. But outside the classroom, within the school, I am still a valuable team member. I may not be the greatest collaborator (yet - I'm working on it, folks), but I am a teacher that my colleagues know that they can go to for ideas and a helping hand, or even a shoulder to cry on. And in an expatriate community like this one, that's pretty important - knowing someone's got your back. Which is why it's frustrating and scary, what's happening to my friends. They are the people who hold me up, and one of them has already resigned for next year. And that makes me nervous about how the next year of my life is going to go.