Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Saturday 4 August 2012

a love note to teaching



On Friday I began placement at my new school – the beginning of my second teaching rounds! It has been quite a few months since I finished my last placement, so I was feeling pretty nervous!

I spent the day following my new mentor around, observing her classes. I had become a bit unenthused about teaching over the holidays – not hugely excited about going back to simultaneously being a teacher and a student. By the end of the day, however, my attitude had completely reversed. I had reverted to my old super-excited-to-be-a-teacher self.

It was so lovely to spend the day sitting in on English classes. I got to listen to discussions on The Wife of Martin Guerre, Antigone and Romeo and Juliet. I’ve since been re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird in preparation for the classes I will be teaching next week!

I feel so genuinely excited. So excited to know that I will be spending the rest of my working life reading, teaching and learning about books. I know that books are only a tiny part of what I will be doing. I know about the hours and hours of marking, the crowd control, the mediocre pay and the fact that I will have to teach Lord of the Flies/1984/Of Mice and Men every single year. And I know that most kids won’t be half as excited about To Kill a Mockingbird as I will be. But there is something so lovely about knowing that books and language will be the vehicle behind it all.

I never thought I would be a teacher. I always saw it as a bit of a cop-out – the predictable and obvious next step after doing a Bachelor of Arts.  I never really thought I would be suited to the job either. I am ridiculously, painfully shy. I often feel quite literally sick at the prospect of meeting new people and am almost incapable of having a conversation with people I don’t know very well. I was surprised by just how easy those kind of problems are to overcome in the classroom. I guess there just isn’t really any time for anxiety when you have a room full of twenty-five teenagers to control.

Now I’m not expecting some kind of To Sir with Love/Dead Poet’s Society experience, and I know I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Maybe I’ll feel differently in 10, 20, 30 years, but for now, I can’t think of any career I would rather! 

Monday 16 July 2012

A Love Note to Winter


Recently, I’ve found myself dreaming about summer a little too much. Like a lot of people, I spend most of summer yearning for winter and winter looking forward to summer. I missed out on a lot of summer 2011/2012 due to being overseas.  While I did spend a couple of stinkin’ hot weeks in southern Mexico, America and the northern parts of Mexico in December and January were freakin’ freezing!

In the back of my mind, I’ve already started planning this summer – summer dresses, icy-poles, trips to the river and the beach, etc. etc. etc. Not anymore! I have made a little pact with myself to spend the rest of winter focusing on all of the indoorsy things that I really love about winter. Snuggling up on the couch with a good book, drawing, baking, doing crafty projects.

It’s so lovely to spend the day doing some drawing.



The other day we made these delicious grapefruit yoyos! They are just the same as my passionfruit melting moments, but with ruby grapefruit instead of passionfruit. So delish!



I’m currently reading this book. While I’m only about half way through, so far I am really enjoying it!



And as always, sewing is my favourite way to spend a wintery afternoon.


I'm also a bit excited to be spending the rest of today listening to this

Tomorrow we're heading off to another one of my favourite winter things - the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces

XXX



Tuesday 26 June 2012

Weekly Wishlist: Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh is my number one, all time favourite painter. I love his work so much. First Steps, when I saw it in New York last year, actually brought a little tear to my eye. I would love to add a few more Van Gogh books to my little collection. And wearing a bit of your favourite art is always nice!



1. Black Milk Starry Night Leggings 2. Vincent Van Gogh: The Drawings 3. Van Gogh's Letters 4. Poppies Vincent Van Gogh Pendant 5. Starry Night Pendant 6. roses candle 7. Starry Night ring 8. Van Gogh: The Life

Monday 18 June 2012

Sunday 12 February 2012

Weekend in Pictures



i dooo like teal + lace collars + gold buttons + red lips on Friday night



finally finished War and Peace. Phew.. that was a biggie!



gettin exercisey!





this cute boy is staying with us for a while until he finds a new home. he was almost shot by his owners! so sad.







aaaaand back to uni I go. first notes I've takes since 2010. 100 pages of reading before classes even begin! timetable sorted. good to go!
xox