Exactly - he makes you want to read on because he congratulates you for your hard work and achievement so far. Then he gently tells of the possibilities and wonderful opportunities literally at our fingertips.
The key message from Stephen Heppell for me is to be gentle, not combative.
I also LOVE the line "inoculated against poverty with learning".......if I haven't said it before........my great grandfather was a miner in the Bradford Pit in Manchester. He died at 64 from heart and lung disease. He had ten children. His eldest son (my grandfather) emigrated to Australia and sadly, never looked back, BUT my sister is a doctor, I am a teacher, one of my uncles is a world leader in his field of laying asphalt, another is a media CEO. Courage and risk-taking plus learning inoculated me against a small life of limitations and the much smaller spaces of MCR, which I love.
One of the ways I choose to relate to my school community is to tailor the language to meet their needs (ie level of understanding, aspirations and life experience). Simon's letter to Cardross was motivational and conveyed high expectations...our community needs to be supported and prepared before they are ready to understand.
Great to see how you've engaged with this week's texts Ange - and that they've brought up personal things for you...education is the greatest of gifts.
ReplyDeleteToo many teachers focus upon their immediate sphere of influence - those students they share a classroom space with. They forget that if you can influence another teacher then you influence another group of kids. If you can influence teachers in another school other than your own ... it just gets bigger.
ReplyDeleteYou will never know the full impact of what your influence might achieve. Stephen Heppell and the like wouldn't really have any sense of how much their words impact beyond the lecture or workshop. None of this matters though. What does matter is that you see beyond the horizon, give it your best shot, pump out what you know needs to be done.
Imagine what could be done if everyone thought like that Angela? It has been fantastic having you in the course!
:-) Thanks Alan.
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