No, not prostitution I am writing about…

I’m still on the subject of ‘teaching’.

One way for me to improve the way I relate to the kids at school is to see them as somebody’s daughter or someone’s son and to treat them as such – someone’s pride and joy. When you are a relief teacher its easy to slip into cruise control mode and not show much interest, or take much care because you may never see these kids again. Its easy to zone out, read a book, keep your distance…

A few weeks back Ellie had a relief teacher who was quite bovine in her manner…

She unnecessarily gruff with Ellie for being a few minutes late (in front of Danelle), so much so that Danelle made a complaint. Its never nice to see your kids get the rough end of the stick, so this week I have been trying to imagine each kid in the class as my own and asking myself how I would like them to be taught.

Its a class of 31, so at times the need for classroom management and operational efficiency supercedes a genuine ‘what’s best for the child’ ethos, but it has been helpful for keeping me motivated and focused. Its definitely helped me enjoy being there even if it hasn’t re-ignited any sort of passion for teaching.