Anne Hastings – Principal

The Joy and Trials of a Teacher

Teaching is a complex and rewarding career, in which one devotes themselves to the education of children. The word ‘education’ here is used in its very broadest sense. Not only are teachers concerned with their students’ academic growth and in enthusing each student with a love of learning, but also with their students’ spiritual, emotional, physical and social growth. Managing and engaging a class, whether it be of 10 or 25 students, or of 5 year olds or 18 year olds, requires highly honed skills, as well as patience, organisation, preparation, the ability to multi-task, to be aware of what each student is doing at all times and to explain a concept in multiple ways, among many other things.

This is an excerpt from Tim Hawkes (with his permission) when he was Principal of Kings:

“Let’s take a forensic peek at what a teacher does in a typical lesson. Twenty students file in … A quiet word to John, being new he requires encouragement, and a check to see how he is getting on with the ‘catch-up’ work sheets. Separate Steve and Eddie, they distract each other too much. 

Cheery, energetic start to set the mood. Identify with students by a quick review of last weekend’s awful weather, a big disappointment for our cricket teams. Link this with the theme, ‘What synoptic conditions cause rain?’ 

The lesson is divided into group work and individual work; teacher directed and student directed. Discovery learning, use of technology, visual aids and anecdotes are all employed as mood and interest demands. Homework handed back. An extra-long note on Jill’s – making her a special project this week – she is drifting. Wayne doesn’t want to work at all. Attention Deficit Disorder or bloody-mindedness? Perhaps still distracted by the death of his grandmother last month. Watch him carefully and encourage. 

Ben gets a question right for the first time. Congratulations inappropriate with others listening as he is too self-conscious of his learning problem – so he gets a whispered word of praise later in the lesson. Some graffiti in Anne’s homework diary suggests some problems with her stepfather, worth checking this with her tutor. Trying to balance left and right brain presentation of information. 

Reinforce class-rules about respecting others’ opinions when the back row – isn’t it always the back row – begin to display intolerance. Accept Stephanie’s project early but collect it discretely as you don’t want her to be labelled a geek. Write two notes in homework diaries, one reinforcing Albert’s improved classroom behaviour, the other chasing the McVicar’s for Sue’s excursion form. End of lesson test abandoned in favour of a quiz. 

Key concepts reinforced – ensure James is on the winning side, he needs encouragement. Turn a Nelsonic eye to Bill’s whispered conversation with Sally, he needs all the social interaction he can get. Bert wants to go early – note clumsily written…a clear forgery! Why does he want to leave? Class files out, a sullen and reproachful Bert awaits inquisition, counselling and sentence. Twenty new students troop in. 

Repeat the sequence six times a day, five days a week, month after month, year after year and you begin to realise that teachers are very special people.”

And this is just the teaching. There is so much more to a teacher’s day than this, such as emails to answer, reports to write, playground duty to do, programs to revise, parent teacher meetings, professional learning to do, school meetings to attend.

I pay tribute to our teachers – they are outstanding. What committed, hard-working, caring, multi-talented people they are! 

Survey

Our biannual survey, being conducted by MMG, is open until Sunday 13 August. We would love to have feedback from our whole community about all that we do, so that we can continually improve what we do as a School. If you have not already done so, please take the time to do this survey by the end of Sunday. MMG will have sent you a few email reminders in the past two weeks with your own link to the online survey.

 Mazal Tov to

• Dean Klugman and Aidan Kanevsky (Year 5) for their achievement in developing an app, DnA Pet Care, and participating in the Young ICT Explorers Competition
• Daniel Melamed, Jesse Herdon, Myles Cohn (Year 7) and Jordan Fleischer (Year 8) for moving through to the semi-finals of the Metropolitan East Chess Competition

Coming up

• Science Week, 14 – 18 August
• HSC Visual Arts and Drama Exhibitions, Wednesday 16 August, from 6 pm, LLC and Theatre
• HICES Music Concert, Wednesday 16 August, 7 pm, Town Hall
• Night of Song, Thursday 17 August, 6:00 pm, MPH
• Comedy for a Cause, Saturday 19 August, 7 pm, MPH
• Year 11 Examinations, 21 – 25 August
• Book Week, 21 – 25 August
• Book Week Author Talk – parents, grandparents and friends welcome – Wednesday 23 August, 1:10 pm, High School Library
• Jerusalem, Islam and the Temple Mount, a talk by Adi Gefen-Adler, Sunday 27 August 2:30 – 4:30 pm, Primary Library
• Alumni and Senior Chamber Choir Concert, Sunday 27 August, 5 pm, Millie Phillips Theatre

Quote of the week

“They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even when you don’t know it” [Nicholas Sparks]

Best wishes for an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.