This morning I participated in my first “Kiwi Spark’ breakfast tweet chat, which operates under the hashtag #BFC630NZ. This mornings topic was on Student Leadership. For a 15 minute speed chat, early in the morning, I was impressed at the collaborative nature of the chat, and the great ideas people were sharing. I always feel…
Day 7: Educational Piranhas #28daysofwriting
Mary and May (2009) Earlier this week I was in a meeting with my appraiser and we were having a long conversation about all things education related, and of course what my goals might look like, and how we were going to get the 360 feedback. As part of our conversation we had a general…
Day 6: Coaching Questions for Tactics and Habits #28daysofwriting
In previous posts I have discussed coaching in education using the GROWTH coaching model. On day two of #28daysofwriting I used the GROWTH coaching model to set my goal for this challenge, and outlined each step of the model. In this post I want to go into a little more depth around the Tactics and…
Day 5: How Challenging Students’ Teach Us #28daysofwriting
Last night as I was trolling through my twitter feed, I came across a retweet of the above. It instantly sang to my educators heart because it is the most important lesson a teacher can learn about teaching. Challenging students, tricky classes, and tough days at the chalkface can leave teachers drained, stressed out and…
Day 4: Our Greatest Asset #28daysofwriting
Last night I wrote about how To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee had shaped and influenced my life. Tonight, I want to highlight another influential woman, someone I consider to be an ambassador for women and equity. A woman who is articulate, strong and intelligent. A kiwi leader whose reputation here in New…
Day 3: The Influence of a Good Story #28daysofwriting
‘Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.’ Today the media is awash with stories about how a new book is set to be published,…
Day 2: Setting Goals Using GROWTH #28daysofwriting
Day two of the challenge, and I have decided that if I am to keep myself motivated, then it will be smart to set a goal. Even smarter, is to use the GROWTH coaching model to do so. It is interesting actually, because initially I had thought I would not have much to say,…
Day 1: Challenge Accepted #28daysofwriting
Last night I was fascinated to read a fellow bloggers post on #28daysofwriting. At the time I thought it was terribly clever to come up with such an idea, and I was very impressed that someone would decide to take on a challenge like that at this time of the year – especially an…
Relationships, Love and Memories
A friend shared this Meme on Facebook, and it struck a chord. Initially I was a little tongue in cheek and my first smart mouth reaction was “what if they came to the car with me…”, but all jokes aside, it left me thinking. I imagine its your loved ones and your memories that you…
Educational Coaching as a Resilience Builder
Working within an educational context is not the most cushy job one could choose. It is fraught with tensions that are often counter intuitive to what it is to be an ‘educator’. The constant juggle of competing expectations (societal, parental, political) and the ongoing changes in education, can take its toll on even the…