Too many ideas, not enough time!
Sometimes I wonder where the time goes in my classroom! I have so many ideas for projects and investigations with my kids, and I never seem to get enough time to get cracking on them. I guess it doesn’t help that they have 11 subjects to fit in, and I only teach 4 of them – 4 main ones, but still they are gone from me for a lot of the day. I have to admit, I do enjoy the odd day when the art/science/Spanish/dance/wellness/music/tech teacher is absent for some reason, and I get extra time!! This works really well when we have a number of different things on the go, with the kids at different stages of their work – I love to get a good chunk of time, 2 hours or so, and be able to have them plan out their own morning. They decide if they need more time to get the maths done, or to work on a particular project because they could use extra time and know they are ahead or finished in something else. There’s always such a sense of industriousness going on as they plan out their time and then get going on whatever work they have planned. I usually guide them by saying certain things are a priority, or giving them some things that have to be at a certain point by the end of the morning, but the freedom for them to allocate their time to the areas they need it is liberating for them. I just wish we could do it on a regular basis!
I’m having to rein myself in a bit at the moment, I’m ready to start a project with my kids and already have a couple on the go. I’m determined to have them communicate with schools in other countries this year – they have started their own blogs, and I’m looking on Twitter for teachers and classes to connect with so they can comment on our blogs, and we can comment on theirs. I want them to see that the internet can be an incredible resource for communicating with others, and that learning can take place all the time, in many different ways. I’m not sure they are completely convinced about the blogging yet, but it’s early days and I have faith in them! I love the fact that I can say to them ‘This is something we are going to try out. I’ve not done it before, but I think we should go for it and see what we find out as we go,” and they respond with such enthusiasm! We are having a great year!
