Back in the saddle

I am participating in a 28 Day challenge to blog for 28minutes every day...

After having a baby and taking the year off in 2011 to be a stay - home mum, I have pursued several avenues to help contribute financially to our family unit. In 2012 I worked in Distance Education but my role was unfortunately made redundant, this was followed in 2013 by a year of exploring teacher aiding and relief teaching and in 2014 I tried another avenue which partnered well with my studies, being a high school chaplain. All of these roles involved me being in the classroom, but with a little one I only wanted to work part-time and unfortunately not much part-time work in the area I was hoping for, was on offer.

This year I have been blessed to be back in the classroom for three days a week teaching English grade 10 and 11 (OP) and grade 10 history (and my little person has started kindy...time flies!) Towards the end of last year I was offered this position and I fell in love immediately. My heart wanted to be back in the classroom more than I knew. I felt that even though the chaplaincy was a wonderful experience and opportunity that confirmed my long term goal (to be a school counsellor/guidance officer) that right now, being in the classroom, learning alongside students and challenging myself as an educator is where I want to be. 

I have to admit that I have been inspired by the teacher I share a house with, my legendary husband Jacques (known as @jdtriver in the Twittersphere). His passion for his students, his love of teaching and his dedication and desire to learn more, know more and share this with others 'wows' me. He is totally invested in teaching, in his students, in education and thus offering his best to his students and fellow staff. He is hungry to learn and has also introduced me to Twitter where there is a wealth of knowledge and sharing. It is a platform like no other and it has become a valuable tool in my teaching kit, though as the year progresses and I get into the swing of teaching once again, I hope to use it more frequently to get ideas, share ideas and participate regularly in Professional Development that is free, informative and valuable. 

I am so excited about being back in the classroom. The new school year for students only started on Tuesday (after Australia Day - though teachers were back the week before) so I am slowly trying to get to know my students, build a relationship with them and hopefully embark on an epic journey where I provide tools to enable them. I hope to inspire them to push their limits and not feel that they are constricted by the curriculum that the journey for them is fun, worthwhile and one where they learn more than just a subject, but about life, about expressing themselves and about thinking for themselves. I hope to encourage ponderers, students who challenge what is put before them, students who feel that the classroom is their place to share ideas, bounce opinions and thoughts around and in so doing also learn about life. I am so excited about this journey and hope you will join me on it, as I document how I am learning and loving the life of teaching.