Inquiry Focus 2022| Wonderings so far...

 

Like a waterfall falls constantly, I have been thinking and thinking and wondering and wondering about what my focus is going to be for my CoL journey. 

Every year brings it's own new challenges for us educators and especially the last two years have been grappling with and making adjustments to not only our teaching programmes but our teaching approaches to cater for the ever changing needs due to the ever changing landscapes in education due to our dear friend Covid. Covid has enabled me to think outside the box not only in my professional life but also in my personal life. 

Since the last two years we all have at some stage felt "oh maybe this Term might be a straight up free flowing (free of covid) Term but it has not been like that and in particular the last two terms of 2021 for us in Auckland were really challenging. However, we all did what we had to do and did our best. For me I think I learnt so much about my learners and their lives. It absolutely enlightened me and has made me a better teacher and person. It has humbled me in life and slowed me down a bit and has made me appreciate the small things more in life both at school and home. 

So, when I sat down to think about what will I be focusing on this year it was apparent to me to consider how our climate has changed in education due to covid. This Term has been all about thinking on your feet the whole time and changing your course like an ever flowing river and cut across the hard rocks and paths and just paving the way. With 80 percent of my class going into isolation and coming back to school from it and I myself have been in isolation with my family this year so it has been challenging to engage learners in different and a variety of not only physical spaces but their individual conscious spaces as well. It has been most important to know and understand , not just know but understand the emotional state of my learners as I believe that if we have our learners emotional wellbeing sorted then learning comes naturally or sometimes easily. 

So my wondering or inquiry focus or question in the current times is - 

How can I engage with my learners and establish relationships with them and their whanau and at the same time engage them in their learning irrespective of the circumstances we are in?  

A few wonderings - 

How can I support my learners and whanau in these current times?

What are some other colleagues of mine at Glen Taylor doing and my colleagues in the wider Manaiakalani cluster?

This is the focus for now but it might change in a few weeks or a Term maybe. Or it might not change but one thing is clear to me that I am passionate about engaging my learners in their learning and do it through building a strong foundation with them that is nurturing and positive relatioships are the key through which everything is unlocked. 

That's it for today. I will be reflecting soon on my inquiry and blog. 

Kia Ora.