Working as an elementary teacher in the public school system for the past 27 years has taught me about flexibility, accommodation, adaptation, and leadership with diversity. I do not aspire for a formal leadership position but am constantly involved in leading small groups and helping other teachers adjust their practice to the needs of today’s students and the constantly changing curriculum. People do not want to follow me; they want me to assist them in solving problems. Teaching is not a complacent career.
Straight rows. The illusion of organization.
My daughter and I moved down to the Fraser valley thirteen years ago after marrying into a new family. While my daughter is off at university, I am enjoying the embrace of 9 grandchildren. Whew! Quite a change from being a single parent of one. My step-daughter and son-in-law recently took their family—four of the grandchildren – to Malawi to spend three years in missional living through SIM. Change is always part of life, professional or personal.
I can do many things and can make myself learn to do things that are required. My favourite things to do by choice include running, hiking, reading, writing, and exploring. While the pace of life is ever increasing, the list of personal activities gets shorter due to time constraints. I have completed most of the coursework for the TWU Masters of Educational Leadership but am only able to do coursework intermittently. Patience is a virtue, right? As always, my strategy is to continue putting one foot in front of the other to complete what is before me in the present moment. I am purposeful in my choices, committed to my responsibilities, and strong in my faith.
Hi Sally,
I finally found your post! It was especially nice getting to know you in person this past summer. We had some good dialogue about our teaching careers. I hope your school year is going smoothly so far.
You mentioned in your post that you find yourself leading other teachers and helping them “adjust their practice.” I wonder if you also have had opportunities to take on practicum students and if so, what your experiences have been like? I was asked last year if I would be interested and again this school year. While I would love to help the TWU Education department and desire to give back, my plate is so full; I just cannot add one more thing to it. I do look forward though, to a day when I can mentor other young teachers in the field.
Thank you for finding me, Ursula! What an interesting start-up to this course! Tech issues heighten the stress of nearly every nuance when changes are made without proper preparation by everyone affected. Sounds like the transition to the new Dell computers has your school also in a state tech flux. we have new reporting formats and protocols to follow, new tech use procedures for parental permission, and I am in the farthest portable and have to actually carry the computers to our classroom to use since there is no lab in the school. So many changes; so much unnecessary stress!
I have had student teachers previously but I just cannot add another layer onto my current commitments. Former cohort colleagues had mentioned how much work Dr. Atha’s courses were compared to other profs and they were not wrong. I didn’t get all the pre-reading done since we had a family living with us at the end of August through the first week of school and my time was not my own outside of school. Sigh. Oh well, this too will end. The subject matter of 501 is great but all the dilemmas has complicated the process.
So glad we got to work together this summer, Ursula! It helps to know the people who are actually sharing their ideas, don’t you think? See you online!
sally
Hi Sally,
Sorry I just saw the introduction… I hope it is not too late to say hi~Although we already greeted each other in our team.
It is so nice to bring up “Patience is a virtue”. Sometimes, we are stuffed by massive information and daily issues and tend to forget to be patient, especially to the people around us. I remembered the days in Langley when having courses and taking care of my son all by myself. I was always impatient to my son when writing papers and yelled at him many times. I guess I still need to work on building the capacity of being patient in any situation or environment. Do you have any effective method of controlling tempers and could you share with me?