Born2Read
Just the other day, I was teaching Sally, about the concept of sharing. We pretended that we were hosting a tea party, and we drew the pictures of the invited guests – Mum, Dad, Grandma and Lilly; a total of four guests, or so I thought. I got twenty counters out, and said that these […]
You know the rules! We all know the rules, right? You know the ones that are repeated, time and time again. “If your child does not know the word – sound it out!” “Learn these sight words.” Well let me tell you a story about a little girl named Sophie. Sophie was in Year One […]
‘I want to be a teacher – the holidays are great!’, said no real teacher ever!! I don’t know why, but even after twenty-five plus years as a professional teacher, it still really, really bugs me, when someone unwittingly says, “Gee, on holidays again. I should have been a teacher – you wouldn’t last in […]
So they are in a uniform, but do they have to conform? You have got to love little kids!! They just don’t care – they say what they want, do what they want, and rarely show much remorse. They show the full range of emotions, often within a space of ten minutes, and they sleep […]
My relationship with phonics, or the teaching of phonics (or is that phonetics??), is akin to one of those relationships. You know the one, where it is either in a state of pure blissfulness, or one of total despair. In this relationship, there never seems to be a happy medium, and every time I swear […]
Just the other day, I was reflecting on my earlier teaching days. As they are now over twenty years ago, some of the memories are dimming, whilst others, I’m sure, will continue to shine out like beacons, even in another twenty years’ time. On such memory was created in a small country town, in a […]
I love my job!! Working with young children is so rewarding and it is also very, very grounding!! For years, I have been sharing stories about imagined characters with the Kindy Kids. They loved the stories, and through their questions and comments, have helped shape their characters. Over Christmas, I decided to record these stories […]
Sometimes, I think even with another three of me, I still wouldn’t get everything done! So over the past few months, I have taken to list writing and prioritising the things on the list. It used to be a random list of everything that I had to complete, over the next two years (or at […]
Do you remember your child’s first steps? I can’t remember the exact moment, but I can remember the first time our daughter stood up. It was on Australia Day, and my husband could not be prouder!! It is a magical moment when your child begins to walk. No more ruined clothes, no more paranoia about […]
Remember the good old days – the ‘before starting school’ days? They seem like a life time ago for me, but in hindsight, they were the most precious (yes Narelle, now I’m hearing you!). Before school days, our home was a sea of books. I tripped over them, I picked them up, and I read, […]