assembly - Balancing Act

I’m on assembly this week. I didn’t do one on Monday because of Science modular exams (perils of small school with only one Hall). It’s all about vocations, following on from Nigel’s last week which was talking about commitment - devoting yourself to “something”; this week was more about the how to find out what the “something” is.

I talk about myself a lot and the kids seemed to like it this morning. I think they always want to find out as much as possible about teachers - often in lessons they’ll ask things like ‘how many children do you have Miss?’ or ‘what car do you drive?’– or maybe I’m being naïve and actually all they want is to get out of having to do their work.

I feel now, looking back, that teaching is my vocation. I also think that I was always going to be in involved at leadership level.

Humble beginnings
I start by showing a picture of myself aged 4. I talk about how each day at Nursey school we had an assembly involving singing around the piano and that at the end of the day I’d come home (to a house without a piano) and sit and ‘play’ the table; soon after mum and dad decided I should have piano lessons to see if I was any good – turns out I was as later on I taught piano.

Fine Print
The photograph was scanned in from an autobiography I’d done in an English lesson at secondary school. In assembly I mention how Nigel and Julia and Matthew – my senior team colleagues – will talk about my high level of attention to detail. In my autobiography, aged around 13, the same attention to detail is apparent as in the drawing of a “microcomputer” I’ve correctly labelled each tiny key on the keyboard….. QWERTY etc…… - I show my age by reading out the passage ‘I like to use my microcomputer a couple of hours a week’!!

I show my school report – Maths always top effort and high achievement, History and Geography are always low effort (in one inadequate) and average achievement.

Voluntary to vocation
It goes on in that vein before saying that when I graduated I was wondering what to do next and was moaning that I didn’t have a clear vocation – never mind the fact that I was running a Brownie and Guide unit, teaching at Sunday school and using my piano skills to teach 3 or 4 local children! Two out of three of those activities were unpaid and just for the ‘fun of it’ but I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a living!

I finish by telling the children to work hard and try everything to make sure they don’t miss out on their ‘signs for something’.

The one pedagogical question in the back of my mind, especially as the curriculum leader and time-tabler just about to get onto the ‘options cycle’ is about personalised learning.

Well I know some of you will have missed me!