My first day at St Luke’s was a staff development day packed with information central to working at St Luke’s. I sat with mixed emotions of excitement and apprehension, whilst feeling privileged to be able to contribute and make a difference to the education of future generations. The day was filled with positive energy, which showcased a determined and motivated community driven to establishing a new normal in education, something I have been passionate about ever since I became an EMU specialist. Having been involved in introducing the new thinking around Mathematics as a method of promoting a growth mindset, I felt that I was up to the challenge to be apart of this new team.
One particularly interesting event on my first day was the panic I felt during the induction presentation when the words ‘no bells’ appeared on the screen. I am almost certain that the text was getting bigger as I stared at it. Anyone who knows me would recognise how dependent I am on bells to break up the day. But with an open mind and a strategy in place, I began to understand the reasoning behind it. Now, five weeks later, I reflect on that day and marvel at how far I have come with that small challenge which seemed so huge at the start.
I can now see improvements in my own time management and prioritisation of tasks, especially with the structured nature of Reading Recovery.
Another challenge I faced in my first five weeks at St Luke’s is the classroom experience. As a Learning Support Teacher, my involvement with students was on a one on one basis and on the majority of occasions in small group situations, so taking a whole class in the absence of the classroom teacher, is a challenge that I am slowly overcoming. Apart from the trials of classroom management, for which I am steadily getting a handle on, having the experience in a flexible learning environment is inspiring. It gives me the opportunity to be part of a team, and to be involved in creating and implementing a learning environment personalised to every child, irrespective of their starting point and promoting self-directed learning which holds collaboration, problem solving and creativity at its core.
The first five weeks have definitely been challenging at many levels but as Fred DeVito said, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”
On that note I find myself exactly where I want to be.