What is in a space? At our place, our buildings may be a little older than others, but it is what you find on the inside that counts. Not only is our community varied, but our classroom and learning environments are also varied, oftentimes reflecting the teachers, teacher aides and students that you find in…
Author: Principally Mused
Better Late than Not #EdBlogNZ Challenge #1
I am a bit late coming to the #EdBlogNZ Challenge. In my own defense, I have been busy. Firstly, on holiday where I was tech free for 8 days (both a gift and a curse, but more about that another time) however, it meant I missed the whole challenge and only stumbled upon it by…
Year End Reflections for New Year Beginnings
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o’ lang syne! For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne, We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet For auld lang syne! And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere, And gie’s a hand o’ thine, And…
We Are Who We Love; in memory of a great man
Several days ago, a great and wonderful man passed away. He was my Uncle. This is my tribute to him. I confess that I struggled to find the words to articulate what I was feeling. To try and sum up someone who was as incredible as he was, was difficult. No words could really capture…
A Leaders Curse: It’s not rocket science, or is it?
I have just had an epiphany. Again. I blame my ability to read and social media. It is not a bad thing – on the contrary it is a powerful tool for reflection. This is what I like about social media. It is full of hidden wonders waiting to be discovered, and much like Forest Gump’s…
Student Voice and Agency – ‘Pushing the Edge’
A short time ago I got asked by Greg Curran, mastermind behind Pushing the Edge Consulting, if I would mind being interviewed for a podcast. Initially I was a bit sceptical.Not because I didn’t believe in Greg, who does great things, but more because I wasn’t sure I had anything worthy to share in a…
Gallipoli – the NZ Story
Earlier in the year I was in Wellington for a conference. Our conference dinner was at Te Papa Tongarewa, our National Museum, and as part of the evening, we were able to go and visit the ‘Gallipoli: The scale of our war‘ exhibition. It was OUTSTANDING. I am not often left speechless, but…
Are National Standards An Excuse?
How often have you heard an educator say ‘If only I didn’t have to teach the standards” (insert assessment or standardised tool of choice). Often, it is in the context of ruining creativity or killing off ‘fun’ in the classroom. I am going to be controversial – so here is your chance to stop reading….
Social Media and the Dark Side
Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube have revolutionised the way we connect, communicate and collaborate. When I first started teaching, connecting with other classrooms around the word was problematic, took a long time, or it was expensive. You could write a letter and hope for a response, make a phone call (teleconferencing came later) but most times it was expensive…
We Grow When We Are Challenged!
Forgive me dear reader (all two of you), for I have been remiss! It has been some time since my last posting. I should feel guilty and I should be berating myself for not publishing, but instead, I am going to be a little kinder on myself. It is not like I haven’t been writing…