Twyford: Week one, term one

Values

Prior to commencing 2015 early February, as a returning full-time, year two student, it was fair to say I was apprehensive and not entirely sure if I was ready. I understood the commitment that was necessary, and after a long run of battling health issues I was not certain if I could find the balance required, especially with strong personal qualities such as perseverance, initiative and motivation. I never give up, I am very inquisitive, maybe that comes down to being an extremely active mother of three girls, as well as working. The time management HAS to be near perfect to say the least! :)
I look forward to immersing myself into new and greater learning experiences, as these will enable me to develop successful, motivating and engaging relationships with students, staff and community. This will help me to develop and provides strategies to bridge gaps, scaffold and deepen understandings for both teaching and learning.

The instant ambience I felt the moment I stepped out of my car and into the front gates of my new partnership school on the first day was fantastic. The friendly, polite and genuine greetings from the students could not only be seen, but felt. This culture had the same domino effect everywhere we went, and from everyone we got introduced to or even seen. It was so special. The school definitely prides themselves on the philosophy of values. Duty, Courage, Honesty. Be kind to myself, be the community kind, be the learning kind, be the achieving kind, kind to the environment, kind to others. This is displayed in each classroom, and is a great representative of the environment and culture they have provided and set up.

The school had organized a welcoming assembly for us. We were introduced to each class before this took place. This was very special and hugely appreciated. We all briefly introduced ourselves and I was surprised by the interest a lot of children had when I acknowledged netball being a passion of mine. This went on to making connections with a large group of girls at lunch.

I enjoyed getting to know my group of learners for our first assignment of the year. The motivation and enthusiasm was great. It was nice to see that I was beginning to build positive relationships with this group of learners, and be apart of deepening their thinking. The responses and feedback the students were responding was positive. This made me feel motivated. I was aware of inclusion and collaboration of all students. We finished the session off with a fun game that related to forces, as I recognised from the first day in this class that they enjoyed sports. It was enjoyable for everyone, especially when all the candidate teachers actively participating and contributing :)

I look forward to growing even greater relationships. Also, I am thoroughly looking forward to returning to my school to learn more, reflect and create opportunities to assist with my professional development. I just hope my health is on the same page :D