In class

Vacillatingly

And again we turn in a new direction. I am not surprised anymore, I'm beginning to realise that this is what is to be expected, but this constant change of direction and pace is making me weary.

Today is the first day of the semester. I should be full of energy, and the plan for the semester should be done. Neither one is as it should be, due to aforementioned vacillation.

*sigh*

Only three more semesters to go. Oh joy!

No lessons

This week I only have two lessons. The rest of the time will be spent on invidiual talks with the students. I'm looking forwards to it, it's an opportunity to hear how they see things, what they as individual need and what they feel they need me to help them with. In short, it's a chance for me to find out how I can be a better teacher for them.

Good times!

Heading home from the second meeting with 'my class'. It's very interesting to be a student, I notice things I normally just walk by. I find myself being very critical, both towards myself as teacher and towards my teachers. Things like structure and correct information matter. It makes a huge difference to know ahead what'll happen, and to be able to trust that what's been said really is what goes.

I also find that it makes a huge difference to have a teacher who makes himself or herself available to the students, and one who's only there in the classroom but very absebt at other times.

I think these reflections will help make me a better teacher. I hope so, at least. What is the most important difference between a good teacher and a mediochre one?

Proud teacher

A long day filled with presentations. I'm still in school, have redecorated the classroom where we'll move in on Monday morning, and I'm very tired but oh so proud.

My students this year is so inventive, so creative and so generous towards each other.

Now, homewards bound, just wanted to brag a little first.

Old students

Our students go out into the big wild world and do amazing things, become amazing people and every now and then I come across them again. As I mentioned last week I've spent a few days at a university in a different part of the country. Today one of my fellow students posted this to say 'thank you and see you again in October' and to my suprise I find an old Hvilan student in the video and once again I'm proud to be able to show the world the musical talent of our students:

*tilt*

The first two weeks of school. Dear darling students, do you feel any hint of the utter chaos going on behind the curtains?

This year is worse than ever for me, I've been working almost non stop for two weeks now, and there's one more to go before everybody's settled in. To a different part of the country I'll go during next week too, oh such a great idea! Silly university, couldn't you have waited one more week? I will need to sit there and look as if I'm not only awake, but am also paying attention. Idealy I would actuall be paying attention too, but I fear my mind will stay with my own students.

This week an extra Sunday would be so welcome!

Library

This beautiful school has got a new library. It's very small and very nice, and I'm very happy to be able to show it to you:



I hope that in a few weeks it will not only be nice, but also frequented by students who will feel welcome and at home in it.

Graduation day

So it's over, graduation day has come and gone, and the classes are no more. This is by far the proudest and saddest day of the year in a teacher's life. Those who, only this morning, were still our students have now moved on and are walking paths that will lead them far away from us. I hope they remember to listen to the wind that whispers to them that they'll always have a home at Hvilan.

My class gave me the most beautiful gift one could imagine: a photoalbum with photos of them all, showing their year at Hvilan from their perspective. Thank you!

Power to the People

I was not really going to talk about my job, I had a whole different subject in mind but something came up. So here we go.

Sometimes my students fondly (I hope, at least) call me Darth Vader. It’s because I wear black and appear kind of scary when I sneak up on them when they least expect it, they explain. But there’s more to it. There’s the power too.

In my position as teacher I have huge amounts of power invested in me. I decide what we do, when we do it, for how long we do it. If it pleases me we could spend an entire school year studying adverbials and how to use them. If I choose I could decide that some students have privileges others do not have, and some might have duties others don’t have.

In short, I could be as corrupt as I please, because I have the power to decide who passes and who don’t. I do. And all my colleagues do too.

Therefore one of the most important characteristics in a teacher is humbleness.

I must humbly remind myself that even though I know things the students need to learn, they know vast amounts of things I don’t know the least about. They have done things, seen things, and experienced things that I cannot even dream about.

I must, at all times, remember that I work for the students. They are not there for me, I am there for them. I must constantly remind myself that the fact that I have the power means that I have the power to share it with them, and they have the ability to handle it.