I came across a great article in the Atlantic by Jessica Lahey called Teaching: Just Like Performing Magic. In it she talks to Teller of Penn and Teller fame about his time as a teacher before he became famous. He taught Latin of all things but his point was how teaching is really a performance art saying that the delivery part of the job is often under valued and rarely taught. I kind of agree although as with most things there needs to be a balance. It’s no good delivering rubbish brilliantly, so to speak.The whole article is here and well worth a read.
Talking of art – the landscapes up here are beautiful. The light falls on these majestic mountains in a way that is often sublime. Photo C. Galloway
The following statement is something that a lot of teachers will find hard to accept.
…the idea that students learn differently depending on their personal preference for visual, auditory or kinesthetic cues is just a myth.
For much of my teaching career the idea that people learn in different ways has been one that is widely accepted. This last summer in a job posting one of the requirements was to say how you would cater for the different learning styles in the class.
But more and more research it appears, suggests this is not the case. The majority of people learn in a similar way. Many teachers spend countless hours either planning activities for different learning styles or beat themselves up because they are not. If you are interested then the whole article is here, originally found in Quartz, it was flipped into my Educational Stories Worth Reading. It makes for thought proving reading.
My Two favorite people in the world. One of them on skis for the first time. He’s been out a couple of times more but is a little hesitant. Was surprised and disappointed that Whitehorse X-C Ski Club couldn’t accommodate him in a program. Apparently they didn’t have enough instructors.
The end of another year. It’s been a bit of an odd one. On the plus there’s the fact we are, for the first time in a long time, financially solvent. Christa has been working hard at PR Services and I have been an itinerant worker for the department of education and helping out at the swimming club. The beginning of the year started wonderfully with the acquisition of my teachers’ certification. Our little guy is coming on in leaps and bounds and Maggie keeps us amused and frustrated in equal parts.
But on the other hand, I am frustrated and worried that I won’t be able to get a full time teaching job up here in Whitehorse. The lack of a full time job makes me feel like I am standing still both professionally and personally. We want to stay here but the reality is I don’t have years to wait, I’m conscious of the clock ticking, so to speak. That said it’s one of the great things about life, you never really know what’s around the corner. Sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing.
So let’s hope that 2016 is good year for us all. As a family, we’ll be taking the bull by the horns and shaking them. We’ll see what happens. Happy New Year to us all.
