1. 1. Clauses are boring. That’s right, I said it –
they are dull dull dull and there is not that much you can do about it. You can
write funny sentences, you can play Jeopardy, you can be REALLY enthusiastic
(e.g. “Clauses are my favourite things in the WORLD! I LOVE CLAUSES!”) but no
matter how hard you try, most children (and most people, myself included) think
that clauses are boring. Shout-out to Mr. Clayton a.k.a. Mr. Tonclay for trying
anyway.
2. 2. Vocabulary, on the other hand, is much more
interesting. You can play vocabulary charades, where the kids act out the words
and have their teams guess the answers. You can have vocab challenges every
week where they look up an interesting word and get mix CDs as prizes. You can
also watch students use vocabulary words in their writing and their
conversations, which will make you exceedingly happy, even if they don’t always
use them correctly. Three cheers for vocabulary and the thousands of words in
the English language!
3. 3. As my fellow teacher, Ms. Kibbe says – it’s all
about the small victories. Seeing students get really into a game of Jeopardy.
Hearing a student stand up for someone else. Reading an amazing essay that a
student worked really hard on. Hearing a student say that he doesn’t need to
look at our “Banned Words” list anymore because he knows the words he shouldn’t
use in his essays now. Getting
into a serious discussion with students in class. Watching a performance come
together magically before your eyes. They all add up, these small victories,
and though they may not seem like one huge victory – in a way, they are.
T 4. The job of a teacher is a tremendously difficult one. A great teacher is part parent, part mentor, part friend, part nagging old lady, part information-giver, part information-receiver, part thinker and part listener. A teacher must always strive to “prick the mind” as Claudette Colvin, who was arrested as a teenager for refusing to move to the back of the bus in the 1950’s, said. She described one of her favourite teachers who challenged her to think and to question and to take what she learned and do something with it. It’s a hard job and an absolutely necessary one.
5. 5. Sitting with one of our students, Mr. Stevenson, working on his solo piece for performance class, listening to the sounds of other students practicing on the djembes – I am reminded of how special this place is. Not perfect, but definitely special. Students are being creative here. They are engaging and pushing and being exposed to new things. I too am learning. As I sit here and listen to the sound of learning, the sound of improvement, I fully appreciate the SCFP for the wonderful learning that takes place here.
- Kimberley Goffe (Duke '12)
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