Coming to the end of January and it's amazing how many things can come flashing at you in one go. There has simply been so much that I have had to sit down and try tomake sense of it all (much like this awfully composed sentence).
Bett.
Let's start with that shall we?
Sarsen Software (which I have been working on for a while now) pulled out all the stops and set up a stall in the famed 'Bett Education Show 2008: what a thrill that was, I tell you !
Having got up early, my wife drove me to Didcot station where I boarded the train to London. This was only the second time I'd ever been to the city (or any city at that) on my own and I was slightly nervous. However, the trip went well and I managed to tuck into my tome-like edition of Don-Quixote to take my mind off Sarsen and the stall. Within 30 pages of the book (which, by the way, is possibly one of the best books ever written) I had arrived at Paddington and pretending I knew where I was heading, I somehow managed to find the tube and head towards Earl's Court.
From there I managed to get off at the Olympia and it was here that familiarity crept in and I realised that I had been to this building a few times before. Bett is a fantastic educational show that hosts a range of software and hardware right across the educational highway. With my 'nip through the back entrance 'cos I'm with Sarsen' badge, I manged to get in early and try and find our stall inside the huge, huge arena.
Needle in a haystack doesn't cover it ! There were too many things for me to see: it was like a teacher's educational candy store where all the sweets were free: well, on trial anyway. The big guns were there: RM, Dell, Microsoft, 2-Simple, Smart-Boards, Promethean...just to name a few. There were stalls with touch-screen mini-laptops, stalls that were colourful and eye-catching, innovative ideas on every corner and then.....
Woah !
There it was.....Sarsen software ! A little, dark den upstairs, with people hovering outside, looking in at what I'd been working on with the team. There were cardboard cut-outs of the characters and a huge Whiteboard showing off the application. There was a huge screen with me on it - filmed teaching the kids - there were my kids from class on video....
It was all a tad overwhelming.
For the last few years I had come here bemoaning the fact that so much of the software in schools was appalling and now, here was our little baby: proud and bright ! It was a strange, strange feeling indeed.
I didn't get much time to greet any of the gang as I was hauled in and helped with selling the product: this was a great experience and a far flung role from teaching ! However, as I stood and chatted to many teachers who came to look at the software I had the confident feeling that 'yes' this was a good, no a fabulous piece of software that really was exciting and different and fun and easy-to-use and I'm sure I brought this enthusiasm across to all those I met - since it was all graced with sincerity.
After a while, Niki managed to get a break and I went for a walk with him around Bett: this also was a strange experience as we'd been here only a year ago together - talking about the future and all its possibilities......
He spoke to me about what had gone in Bett during the week and I was so so happy for him about how ecstatic he was. I was happy because he'd worked so hard, as had all the team: and they'd reached this wonderful point where they could show off all their work to thousands of people who wanted to see it and be a part of it.
After a few hours, I decided to hop on the train back and get back to some work (I did say that a teacher's work is never done!), but I couldn't help feeding off Niki's enthusiasm and still, today, I am very excited about the path that Sarsen is starting to go down....
Interesting times indeed.
Thursday, 24 January 2008
It's been a while
Well, to be frank it appears I am a useless blogger. It's been several months since I even wrote anything and I've only returned here since Niks poked me.
The reasons are various and yet they all amalgamate to the fact that a teacher's work is never done ! You can never get bored in this profession. Upset, elated, tired, furious, ecstatic and overjoyed all at the same time, yes: but never bored.
I'd love to say that the first two terms have flown by (by this, I mean Autumn), but they were long, hard and yet entirely rewarding ! This is my first time in Year 6 which means a brand new curriculum and planning system that needed to be reevaluated and updated (these are parts of the job I love) and new pupils to get to know. Actually, that's not totally true; I taught half of them last year which makes a huge difference to settling a class down.
Once the children were settled, I had many targets that I wanted to achieve including, of course, the promotion and revision of the 'Sarsen Software' that I have been working alongside the Sarsen Team on. The software itself looks amazing and I'll discuss it more in-depth in another post. Other targets have been to do with promoting reading throughout the Year 5 and Year 6 classrooms as well as improving the standard of writing throughout the school. ((The standard of writing in our school is already brilliant; but you can always make things better !))
I am a voracious reader and really believe that reading a lot lends itself to assisting with writing well. I think that reading 'good' books will help you understand yourself as a person, understand the people in it and help you appreciate the hugely diverse nature of humankind and life itself. I take great pleasure in talking about and sharing books with the class and they seem to have an ever-growing respect for what stories have to offer. It has been wonderful to watch them move off reading 'commerically-driven books' and actually spend time browsing through the school library as well as the class one and choose something with care and forethought.
In class at the moment, we're reading Clockwork as a whole class and Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key as one I just read to them. They're enjoying both and both are very different types of story. We also have 45 minutes on Tuesdays where we read in small groups and discuss books; we're lucky to have some parents come in and help with that ! Also, once a term, I run a bookgroup for the Year 5 and 6 children where we discuss a particular book that I have chosen for us to read. At the moment, we're looking at Linda Newbury's Catcall and with over 25 pupils subscribed, it tends to run well over the hour slot after school that we have set aside !
What with pushing the reading, writing, trying new and fun things with homework and settling into a new yeargroup, I haven't given much thought to posting my thoughts. In fact, I have found, upon reflection, that I still have yet to post any of my thoughts but rather cataloged a fraction of what I wanted to share with you....perhaps another post is required in the near future !
Thanks for your time,
Mat
The reasons are various and yet they all amalgamate to the fact that a teacher's work is never done ! You can never get bored in this profession. Upset, elated, tired, furious, ecstatic and overjoyed all at the same time, yes: but never bored.
I'd love to say that the first two terms have flown by (by this, I mean Autumn), but they were long, hard and yet entirely rewarding ! This is my first time in Year 6 which means a brand new curriculum and planning system that needed to be reevaluated and updated (these are parts of the job I love) and new pupils to get to know. Actually, that's not totally true; I taught half of them last year which makes a huge difference to settling a class down.
Once the children were settled, I had many targets that I wanted to achieve including, of course, the promotion and revision of the 'Sarsen Software' that I have been working alongside the Sarsen Team on. The software itself looks amazing and I'll discuss it more in-depth in another post. Other targets have been to do with promoting reading throughout the Year 5 and Year 6 classrooms as well as improving the standard of writing throughout the school. ((The standard of writing in our school is already brilliant; but you can always make things better !))
I am a voracious reader and really believe that reading a lot lends itself to assisting with writing well. I think that reading 'good' books will help you understand yourself as a person, understand the people in it and help you appreciate the hugely diverse nature of humankind and life itself. I take great pleasure in talking about and sharing books with the class and they seem to have an ever-growing respect for what stories have to offer. It has been wonderful to watch them move off reading 'commerically-driven books' and actually spend time browsing through the school library as well as the class one and choose something with care and forethought.
In class at the moment, we're reading Clockwork as a whole class and Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key as one I just read to them. They're enjoying both and both are very different types of story. We also have 45 minutes on Tuesdays where we read in small groups and discuss books; we're lucky to have some parents come in and help with that ! Also, once a term, I run a bookgroup for the Year 5 and 6 children where we discuss a particular book that I have chosen for us to read. At the moment, we're looking at Linda Newbury's Catcall and with over 25 pupils subscribed, it tends to run well over the hour slot after school that we have set aside !
What with pushing the reading, writing, trying new and fun things with homework and settling into a new yeargroup, I haven't given much thought to posting my thoughts. In fact, I have found, upon reflection, that I still have yet to post any of my thoughts but rather cataloged a fraction of what I wanted to share with you....perhaps another post is required in the near future !
Thanks for your time,
Mat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
