Public Domain Photo source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Geraet_beim_Optiker.jpg
First week (and a short week at that) is done and I am wiped. It’s early days, of course, in this teaching exchange experience, but getting my head wrapped around everything is very taxing. There’s new curriculum, program acronyms, unfamiliar planning and assessment practices, not to mention a lot of names, personalities, and a new timetable to get used to. Even a different length period means getting used to pacing a class differently.
I really want to understand why things are the way they are. The well-understood philosophy in my home school division in which I have worked for so long is, of course, the lens through which I see educational issues. This last couple of weeks I’ve been working hard to develop a second lens with which to understand my new professional environment.
Prior to the start of school I flipped through a lot of stuff in the office trying to understand what I was even looking at, often without success! It was rather like looking at pieces of a thousand-piece puzzle without the benefit of the picture on the box. Now, thanks to my fabulous Aussie colleagues, I have some context which is enough to get me started and gives me enough understanding to know what questions to ask! I really appreciate their patience and support as I adapt myself to this new system.
image source: http://milestomes.com/?p=464
A couple of years ago I wrote about my sense of teacher professional growth over ones’ career. In a new situation we simply mimic processes while reflecting on its’ meaning and analyzing the results. Through that experience we developing understanding and underpin these processes with a philosophy to guide our practice. I feel a bit like I’ve been punted back to the starting line again, but it is exciting, and it’s challenging, and it is a bit of a puzzle…
and I like puzzles.
