The start of every year brings about many new challenges both professionally and personally and this year was definitely one that was determined to test my limits. Being a Reading Recovery Teacher and an EMU Specialist provided an uplifting and satisfying experience, which proved an invaluable contribution in the midst of the many huddles this year.
In Reading Recovery I was faced with very unique learners who were unwavering in their quest to make me the learner. I was challenged to observe with an opened mind, humbled to seek support and confronted in recognising that if learning didn’t take place then the teaching needed questioning. I am grateful for each one of them for pushing me to be the best teacher I can be and keeping me grounded.
My role as EMU Specialist was equally energising. I had three groups of three students all with unique needs. I watched them move from a very concrete stage of problem solving to using various mental strategies and verbalising their reasoning as they helped each other out. I noticed timid, reluctant learners become enthusiastic mathematicians who welcomed their rich task and worked together passionately to come up with a solution. Their thirty-minute session seemed only minutes long and they would leave always insisting they should stay longer the next day because I never give them enough time.
For me this year was full of experiences deemed to make or break but as my mum used to say ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. So in honour of her memory I chose to focus and celebrate the successes in all aspects of life regardless of the challenges involved.