Retired teachers - Keeping records
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 2, 31 March 2023, page no. 32
Hi to all current and soon to be retirees reading this article. I was reminded this week that I have been retired from teaching for a long time and how things have changed in the past ten years. Too many to list, but I am sure you can think of those relevant to you.
How will changing school times for students help them and their teachers? Studies on the amount of sleep required by teenagers and how having to start school at nine (or earlier) affects their learning and general mood swings, suggest that changing school times may suit some students.
Other suggestions include changing the number of days students have to attend school and the amount of actual curriculum content that would still need to be covered. Sounds very complicated and far distant from the teaching that many of us experienced in days gone by. Time is still the problem for the teaching community. How do you juggle all that has to be covered in the classroom, as well the administrative tasks required?
One thing that I’m sure you wished you had more time for was keeping a record of all the “funny” things that happen in the classroom. I know that when a group of teachers get together there are many tales to tell of times gone by. Younger teachers who still have the time should compile a folder of beautiful things that children say. I know I didn’t at the time and now I wish I had.
Here’s one that still makes me smile every time. In a classroom of Year 1 students, I was reading a story about the countryside, which included mountains, rivers, and lakes. I wondered if they understood what these natural features were. So out came the white board and the pen, and I asked if they knew what a “lake” was.
One little boy put up his hand to answer. “Well Mrs R, you’ve seen a puddle? Well, a lake is the same, only much, much bigger.”
If you have stories of your teaching time, please let me know so they can be shared in the monthly newsletter.
While teaching is forever changing, so is the world around us. It is eye opening to travel in an unfamiliar area of Brisbane and see the new houses, apartments and shops being constructed.
In the near future, we will also have an extended rail service. To keep up to date, the Queensland Retired Teachers Association has organised a trip to the Cross River Rail Experience Centre and the Metro Experience Centre on 18 April. The newsletter will have all the details.
Looking forward to seeing you at one of our outings.