so many words

I am doing my Masters and my current course is about play based learning, the value of play, in early childhood. I took the course thinking it was about play based learning fullstop, I just didn’t notice the ECE caveat because of course ECE is play based (aparently not!!) I thought. There are so many…

Scary  blank page

Today, I woke up after being sick for a while, and my brain was a buzz. When I was last sick, I wrote to a friend of my mother’s, and before I posted the letter she died. My mother and her were really good friends, one who believed in God and one who didn’t. They…

Our days are numbered

Helena has said repeatedly now that she will go to high school. Mostly, she is consistent with this. This means we only have until the end of this year left. I am of two minds. I know that high school is primarily a waste of time if your interests are academic .. well, depending on…

Modeling

I am doing Masters. As it is about education, I am sharing  it with my one student. Firstly, thinking about how we think of ourselves within education.  Secondly, thinking about our place as pakeha in a Maori country, how to be tangata tiriti. We listened to the RNZ history podcast together. I bought a beautiful…

revisiting

I know that one of my last posts was on revisiting, but I am revisiting revisitng until I get it straight in my head!!  I remember ages ago when I worked at the toy library, hearing a parent say to their child, “Don’t get that one you have had it before”. It made me think…

what I have noticed at pretend school

1- most often we have not finished at the time the bell goes and can be mid train of thought, or just at the nitty gritty good bit. It is totally unsatisfying. 2- the before lunch, Nayland college has a very late lunch (1:30 to 2:15) if you ask me, period is a total waste…

choosing a teacher

We belong to a community gardening group. It was Helena’s idea to join years ago and it is now so integral to our life. We go every Thursday morning. Most of the people are retired, bar us and the ex rocket scientist who is in his early 30s. It is community. Mostly H just does…

testing

There is always something in the press about testing and how the kids are failing. Testing is a thing I associate with science. The importance in science is a fair test and this requires This makes sense right. If, for instance, you grew a plant in two different places but were actually testing the the…

the Tests

I found some UK kids tests in my teachers college stuff, we must have been given them as a ‘this is kinda like a P.A.T test with out us giving you one’ thing. They are for year 5, level 3-5. I have taught in the UK but couldn’t tell you if that us the same…

Playing school

It turns out homeschool kids play school. Helena plays it with her neighbors (7 and 4), her toys, and me!!! This has happened before. I go to bed to find a note on my pillow letting me know I have to sign up to some school like activity. I am currently not doing my Science…