I love children. My own.
But in fact, the reason I fell into teaching was that I love learning. I live for the moment when the 'lightbulb' goes on and learners can see what they're really capable of.
What I hadn't anticipated in this process was that part of the reason I enjoyed being part of learning spaces so much, is because of my own learning.
I came into teaching at the ripe old age of 25. Not very old, many would argue, but still a few years older than many of my fellow teachers began, and also as a young mum, who had finished having her children by the time she entered the classroom.
These two factors put me in an entirely different headspace to where many young female teachers would be. Firstly, I saw education through the eyes of a parent right from the beginning of my career.
Secondly, I would not be taking maternity leave at some point, which is often a time of reassessment and reprioritization. Due to this, I was also motivated to seek a larger degree of fulfilment within my career and a pathway that would allow me to feel I would be continually accomplishing new things, both things to offer my learners - and also for myself.
Part of the reason I sought additional opportunities within my career was that despite the fact that each year brought new children with new strengths and challenges, I also saw an education system that I believed was NOT going to meet the needs of our children in their futures. We could not continue to educate our children in the same way that they had been in the days when they were being prepared for an industrialized workforce. Their reality was changing and our classrooms were evidence that we did NOT acknowledge that change. In fact, it appeared as though we had our blinders on.
My own three children were incredibly different - one a musician, songwriter and wordsmith, one a mathematician and computer scientist, and the third, an excellent communicator with wonderful social skills and incredible sporting ability. Three children from the same parents, raised in the same country farming community and yet all so different from each other and none of them were really catered for within the current education system, particularly at the secondary level, when engagement really seemed to matter.
While I was not going to be able to reform, nay, create a new education system I the few years my children were at school I did spend a large amount of time trying to add in what I thought was important in the classrooms I worked in (some of these included my children amongst the learners as well). That at least is possible within our NZ curriculum constraints. Environmental education, languages and the use of technology became aspects of our classrooms and I dedicated a large amount of my time and energy to upskilling myself where necessary, in an attempt to meet these needs. What needs to be made plain is that the 'movers and shakers' like myself are often only celebrated and supported when we conform to the current mould.
That means that yes you can teach differently, but only if you're still doing all the same stuff. It's like being asked to rebuild the classroom structure, without moving a single wall or letting a draught in. Like making soup from scratch with all the ingredients in the pot at the same time.
With every year, the effort I put into study and new learning felt wasted and I became increasingly frustrated at my determination to do better by our kids and their future and being continually held accountable for keeping the system the same.
Did the kids enjoy the language classes, environmental learning, the digital tools incorporated into their learning time? They sure did.
Did it motivate them and prepare them for a global future where we'll need to connect, collaborate and problem-solve to meet the needs of our failing planet and changing career spaces? Absolutely. So as long as my areas of passion were igniting enthusiasm in my learners, I kept including it. So, when the lightbulb kept going off for me... it often brightened the experience my learners had in our classrooms too.
It was with a heavy heart that I left the classroom in search of an alternative that I felt would provide me with the vehicle and support to educate in a way that was in keeping with my own values. In many ways, I felt I had failed by simply giving up. (Did you know that many teachers need to find a counsellor who is willing to give them permission to leave the profession before they feel they can actually make that choice?)
Working for an independent, privately funded organization that puts me in a role where I support teachers and learners to use digital technology in ways that are authentic, purposeful and prepare all concerned for the classrooms of tomorrow has been a breath of fresh air. Like a new lightbulb, one could say.
I finally feel I am able to contribute in an authentic way that is true to who I am, valued and at the end of the day leaves me with still enough emotional capacity and physical energy to advocate for my areas of interest and passion. It finally feels like I've found something worth jumping up and down about. Not only that, but this current organisation works hard to meet the needs of our most socially disadvantaged learners and still encourages me to grow in ways that I'm passionate about.
Recently, with the encouragement of my organization and my local Trust, who fund my role within the organization, I was lucky enough to attend the Google Certified Innovator event in Sydney.
More on that next time....
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