I had a tough start to the week, but then number 27 happened, and number 14, and number 37 and well who can focus on the negative when the good completely outweighs it? Come Friday I was having the absolute bestest day. 

Forty Pieces of Teaching Joy - Week 4

1. This email I received after sending out the cast list for my play,
“im super exited and i can't believe that we are putting on a play!!! 
this is so awesome.” (Clearly the only grammar we are teaching in schools is exclamation marks!)
 
2. Listening to the childhood memories of my seniors in a class workshop.
 
3. The arrival of the nun costumes for our Creative Arts evening.
 
4. Work that engages my students to the extent that they stay in all lunch because they don’t want to stop.
 
5. Tutor group birthday celebrations.
 
6. The cheer and the smile of the teacher who sits behind me. Her joy is catching!
 
7. Being able to help a student in need.
 
8. Watching faces light up as year 9 discuss their roles for our play.
 
9. The opportunity to push my students outside their comfort zone.
 
10. Starting The Genius Project with year 10. (More to come on this.)
 
11. Hearing from the kids what they really want to learn about at school. (More to come on this too!)
 
12. Laughing to the point of crying after finding an error in a film we are showing to an audience of hundreds next week. (Note: We don’t have time to refilm! At least we can laugh about it.)
 
13. Rehearsing an excerpt from Matilda with year 7 and 8. So cute!
 
14. The idea to use Marianne Williamson’s poetry as a script resulting in twenty students repeating over and over again, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…”
 
15. Students that remember lunch time rehearsals and happily attend.
 
16. This beautiful note from a student.

17. School wide RUOK Day celebrations.
 
18. A cow visiting my classroom with a “Free Hugs” sign around her neck. (At first I though it said “Free Eggs” and I was slightly confused.)
 
19. Hearing my student’s ideas and excitement around The Genius Project.
 
20. The chance to pass on some wisdom about happiness.
 
21. The moment in a student’s performance that made every other kid go “Oh, we get what Miss is saying now.”
 
22. Cupcakes at staff morning tea.
 
23. Students that complete their homework above and beyond what is asked.
 
24. Telling my daughter that she could accompany me to a Sunday rehearsal. #teacherinthemaking
 
25. The kid that asks a hundred questions. She asks because she doesn’t want to let me down.
 
26. Students talking about what their mums mean to them.
 
27. Someone took the time to leave this thought in my pigeon hole -  “You add such colour and energy and passion to these halls and I just thought you should hear that.” Yep, I needed to hear that this week.
 
28. Ok…. someone’s locker stunk and I don’t do smells well. So, a little piece of joy included a colleague who came and helped me find the source of the smell! Beyond grateful.
 
29. An ex-prac student sending me a resource he introduced me to last year… which I happened to lose in my somewhat creative filing cabinet.
 
30. A meeting about Creative Arts evening with two easy-going staff members who make my job so freaking easy.
 
31. Early morning starts meaning I have the photocopier to myself.
 
32. An AP who drops what she is doing to help out whenever needed.
 
33. Waking up with the most amazing idea to assist younger students with dyslexia. All I can say is #watchthisspace .
 
34. One of my students has been having some medical tests. Today she told me the biopsy came back clear. Her relief was palpable.
 
35. A conversation about a kid with another teacher. She said, “I spoke with her mother and all she could say is how much she loves drama.” :)
 
36. An excursion resulting in a cancelled rehearsal. Why? It meant I got my lunch break for the first time all week!
 
37. Ok, I saw some AMAZING work from my year 9’s today as they took a leap and stepped out of their comfort zone. MIND BLOWN! I was left completely speechless. I need to find somewhere to show this work.
 
38. Watching fifty kids run around the basketball courts sword fighting, playing tip, creating dance moves and secret handshakes, wheel barrow racing from one end to the other and making friends as they go. Completely made my afternoon.
 
39. The first rehearsal for my production. So much energy, so much fun! Every time I introduced a cast member everyone cheered. Seriously the BEST afternoon in a long time.
 
40. A husband that completely gets the demands of this job and supports me 100%. Behind every great teacher is an even greater partner!

This is my third wonderful week of identifying forty pieces of teaching joy. The practice is completely embedded now. I spend a few minutes each evening documenting these little moments. It takes little time and the rewards are big.
Do it.
Do it this week coming. 
You will be surprised by the nourishing energy it returns to you.
​
Forty Pieces of Teaching Joy - Week 3

1. Great kids thinking about how they can make the world a better place.
 
2. Writing two exams in one day! (Note: Not sure I have done this in 15 years of teaching!)
 
3. Missing a meeting. I missed a meeting after reading an email incorrectly. It happens right? Anyway, after I completely freaked out that I had made this error, I recalled the amount of work I got done in the time I was meant to be in this meeting (aka writing two exams).
 
4. The Zombie Game. #itsadramateacherthing
 
5. Watching year 9 perform a recipe as though it was a war movie. “300g of butter. Add the butter and whisk it. WHISK it. (Insert war sound effects here).” Yes, there was a point to this activity. #itsadramateacherthing
 
6. Art teachers that make stuff for you that you can’t make.
 
7. Watching students who have little confidence become leaders in Drama.
 
8. The diversity of my i-Tunes library.
 
9. The power of TED talks as a teaching tool. Who will I invite to my classroom today?
 
10. Getting away from work earlier then expected and hence, having time to get that blue piece of material I needed for that one scene.
 
11. Seeing year 12’s work for the week completely fill one wall of my classroom.
 
12. Practicing Irish accents and failing dismally.
 
13. The ‘Umbrella’ performance coming together. (See Week 2.) We can nearly get every umbrella to open in sync. #whatwasIthinkingwiththisone
 
14. The collaborative nature of my subject and the social barriers this collaboration can break.
 
15. ‘Spoken Word’ performances by year 9’s that completely filled me with joy.
 
16. Telling kids they needed to come to call back auditions later in the week and seeing their faces light up.
 
17. Teachers practicing their samba step in my classroom for creative arts evening.
 
18. Working right next door to a major shopping centre enabling me to source a hit of decent caffeine when required.
 
19. Setting challenging tasks that cause your students ‘brains to hurt’.
 
20. Meeting and getting to know some different students through the school production.
 
21. Teaching students to use their bodies expressively in movement classes.
 
22. Class lists for next year. My subject continues to grow!
 
23. The AP stepping in and scanning some photos for me to make my life easier. #likeshehasnothingbettertodo
 
24. My classroom – a safe and welcoming space.
 
25. Students that come and find me in order to clarify their understanding of the assessment criteria. Why? They want to produce the best work they possibly can.
 
26. The opportunity to teach the same lesson twice allowing me to turn it from a massive fail to a massive gain. 
 
27. Year Coordinators and the amazing, thankless work they do everyday.
 
28. One of those moments that affirm the difference we make as teachers.
 
29. Hearing from one of my most disconnected students about how connected she felt on the Duke of Edinburgh expedition this week.
 
30. The chance to sit in on a choir rehearsal… or two.
 
31. A found opportunity to pump up a kid’s confidence.
 
32. The words “Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away”.
 
33. The camomile and spearmint tea I keep in my desk draw.
 
34. The development of PLG’s (Professional Learning Groups) at my school. Can’t wait to get started.
 
35. Music and joy from the year 8 dance flooding the school.
 
36. Watching my girls rise to the challenges I set them.
 
37. Having boys in my classroom in the first time in ages.  A completely different energy.
 
38. The boys just mentioned coming to shake my hand at the end of auditions to thank me for my time.
 
39. Casting my play! Yay!
 
40. Partnerships with amazing colleagues who share the same vision as you.

Year 12's work from the week.

We all long to be seen. Truly seen.
 
As adults we crave the stare of our partners, the acknowledgement of our employers the acceptance of our peers. This parallels with the world of a child, a teenager. Replace the word partner with parent, employer with teacher.
 
I often have colleagues say to me, “I can’t believe little Johnny does Drama. He doesn’t say boo in my classroom.” Meanwhile, ‘little Johnny’ is never quiet in Drama because for the first time he feels visible. Teachers also say, “Oh little Annie is a ‘drama queen’. I bet she does Drama.” I want to let those teachers know that little Annie is never a ‘drama queen’ in Drama because she doesn’t have to fight to be seen or heard.
 
As teachers we are spirit builders.  We have the power to build the spirit of a child and we have the power to knock it down. The most significant way we can be builders is by quenching the thirst of our students to be seen.  We must let them know that we see them and provide them with opportunities to become visible.
 
There are many ways we can do this as teachers. The first step is by identifying the students that possess the invisibility cloak.
Which students were invisible in your class today?
Which students kept their head down?
Remained silent?
Didn’t smile?
Which students misbehaved?
Called out?
Played the class clown?
Which students fought for your attention or completely avoided it?
At the end of each day as I drive home from work I run through these questions in my mind and I begin identifying those students that lack visibility.
 
The second step is letting them know you see them. I purposely go out of my way to have a conversation with them as they enter my classroom, during the lesson or as I pass them in the corridors. I call on them in class when I know they are able to contribute. I say things like, “I think the class really needs to hear what you think about this topic….”, “I know you spent a lot of time on this task can you share your awesome work with everyone…”. Common sense huh? It may be, but it is so easy to pass them by or only call on the keen hand risers in the class.
 
Let’s take it one step further. How can we make these students visible to others?
 
I started making this my personal mission. The kid with no confidence but all the potential in the world would get the lead role in whatever production I was working on. The boy who every other teacher had written off as ‘trouble’ or ‘a waste of time’ would just about be guaranteed to play Jesus in the Easter Liturgy. Shakespeare was my ally. Every kid that was known as ‘stupid’ or ‘dumb’ would smash out soliloquies in front of large audiences changing others perceptions almost immediately. I make kids that can’t perform for whatever reason film directors, assistant directors on the school production, team leaders, stage managers, designers or writers. I work to find their strengths and give them an opportunity to remove their invisibility cloak and shine.
 
Regardless of which subject or age group you teach, there are always opportunities to move the spotlight onto each and every student. You just have to seek them out and be willing to take a risk on these kids.  
 
We, as teachers, can make the invisible visible.
We can turn ‘no confidence’ into ‘flowing with confidence’.
We can take E’s and turn them into A’s.
We can transform the bad egg into a 5 star dish.
We are spirit builders.
 
And we begin building the spirits of our students by really, truly seeing them.

mantra (noun),  a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation; a blessing; words that empower us on days we feel discouraged; a prayer; a breath of strength.

Yes, a breath of strength.
 
A mantra can ground us in ourselves, strengthen our purpose and act as a daily reminder of where we are heading or what we are striving for.
 
A few years ago I was introduced to this practice by the wonderful Hannah Marcotti. I developed a morning mantra. I said this every morning to myself for as many days as it took until I just lived it, felt it. Some days I still call on it when I need some extra strength and other days I feel it echo in my heart. These words now just roll off my tounge.
 
Good morning beautiful day.
Today I will be true to myself,
strong of heart,
kind in action,
a mother fuck tonne of awesome.
 
Yes, a mother fuck tonne of awesome.
 
This is my personal mantra, but what about my teaching mantra?
 
I was speaking with a primary principal this week. He is a kind, gentle man and we love to share a laugh together about teaching. Jokingly I said, “Who would be stupid enough to do this job right?”. He smiled and said, “When I am having a bad day, when I have just got of the phone to an angry parent or something has happened, I just take myself into Kindergarten and sit with the kids. I am quickly reminded why I do this job.”
 
Isn’t it easy to forget the 'why' when you are up to your neck in paper work, running from class to class barely keeping afloat? When you have been stung by harsh words from a parent or a disapproving glance from a colleague?  A mantra can be your reminder, an opportunity to return to the core of your practice.
 
This week I played with words until I found my teaching mantra. This is how it happened:
 
Passion
Inspiring
Fueled by JOY
 
Nourishing
Giving
Advocating
Driven by LOVE
 
Love for what I do: Education, teaching, learning, growth
Growth equals HOPE
Through creativity and innovation
 
My mantra was found.
 
Fueled by joy,
Driven by love,
Growing through hope.
 
What is your teaching mantra?

Oh my goodness. (NB: I refuse to write OMG.) This week has been beyond crazy. I have had auditions for a new production, rehearsals for a current one, reports, assessments and everything else. Like last week I have kept myself grounded by listing the little joys of everyday. I must admit it is hard to take notice of the small things when your mind is on hundreds of big things... but I persisted and I hope you did too. Here is this weeks list. It isn't to late to join me in this weekly challenge! 

Forty Piece of Teaching Joy - Week 2
​
1. Fun at auditions with kids giving it all.

2. A beautiful thank you gift from a beautiful colleague.
 
3. Approval to begin my Highly Accomplished Teacher Accreditation.
 
4. Students with great ideas helping me advance a performance piece to the next level.
 
5. A piece of advice from someone wiser then me.
 
6. Independent students willing to take risks with their grammar. Apparently full stops are no longer required
 
7. New opportunities.
 
8. Creating a skateboard-based lamb for a production….. yes, a lamb.
 
9. Learning new film techniques from students that have now surpassed me in this area.
 
10. Bouncing ideas back and forth with one of my senior students.
 
11. Creating production vision boards using Pinterest.
 
12. The arrival of the hotdog costume and the laughter that filled my classroom as a result.
 
13. Reading the work of a student and being moved to tears by its beauty.
 
14. A smile from a student whose smile I thought was long lost.
 
15. The kindness of the girls in my tutor group and the love they show each other.
 
16. The words, “Miss, we came to help you. What can we do?”
 
17. My colleagues allowing me to film them for a project.
 
18. A faculty that is easy going, open to ideas and supportive of each other.
 
19. Finding the right piece of music for a performance.
 
20. Videos uploading… finally!
 
21. Students extending themselves by taking on leadership roles in our school production.
 
22. Staff meeting snacks that doubled as my lunch.
 
23. Kids you know you can rely on.
 
24. A prank by my students that began with “Our subjects clashed for next year so we ended up with Food Tech instead of Drama”. Relief when this wasn’t the case. Clearly I have taught them some great acting skills.
 
25. Finishing a big project with my students on Homelessness. Check out their work at www.bustingthemyths.weebly.com . They want it to be shared across social media so I will start here.
 
26. Year 9 incursion freeing me up so I can smash through some paper work before the weekend.
 
27. Breakfast rehearsals.
 
28. Watching poetry slam with year 12... just because.
 
29. The view from my classroom – I can see angels.
 
30. The versatility of umbrellas. (Will share more at a later date about this one!)
 
31. Learning how to spell Tumblr properly. “There is NO e miss!”
 
32. Watching the hot dog dance. The joy.
 
33. Students returning permission notes on time. (Teachers will understand the joy in this. J)
 
34. Finding great talent at this weeks auditions.
 
35. The opportunity to recommend a student for a leadership position.
 
36. Being able to return a lost lunch to a hungry kid.
 
37. The stillness in my classroom after lunch.
 
38. Seeing students take pride in their work.

​39. Google drive. 
 
40. The final bell for the week. I am exhausted!

Breakfast rehearsal.

​It is the start of Term 4. I awake with a list of a thousand things to do running through my head. Term 4 is my favourite term and in some ways the hardest. Creative arts festival is coming up; I am launching the school production; working on another big social justice project; and going about the day to day jobs of a teacher including reports, end of year exams, year book reports, registers, marking etc. AND I have even mentioned teaching yet. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and automatically start counting down the days until Christmas, but I am determined not to. So I decide to do what I know best – Give thanks and be present in the moment.
 
Gratitude came tearing into my life a few years back. You can watch the full story here. Every since it has been part of my daily practice, sometimes formally, sometimes informally, but always present. So on Tuesday morning when I woke up to start Term 4, I made a decision to document forty pieces of joy a week for the entire term, giving thanks for the small things in order to keep me grounded and happy in all the craziness. So far it is working.
 
Below are my forty joys from this week. It was a great week to start! I would love to hear some of yours, so please feel free to share in the comments below. Maybe you would like to join me in this project?
 
Forty Pieces Of Teaching Joy – Week 1
 
1. Marking students work and I read the words “Shakespeare has never been so fun.”

2. A student placed a photo of Kit Harington in her work because she thought I might like it.
 
3. Rehearsals today. Kids became hysterical with laughter. We got little done, but made an absolute load of joy.
 
4. Two students in my film group making the finals of the local film festival.  (Read on to find out more!)
 
5. My erasable pen.
 
6. One of my year 9’s taught me a new word – malaprops. How did I not know this?
 
7. Lesson reflection of one of my students, “THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST LESSON I HAVE EVER HAD IN ANY CLASS EVER!” I’ll take that.
 
8. Year 11’s being so excited about their new projects they celebrate with happy dances.
 
9. Two students editing a film for me despite their current workload AND doing it with a smile.
 
10. Kind words from a colleague.
 
11. Staff prayer which just so happened to be on gratitude… my favourite topic.
 
12. Obtaining the performance rights to the first school production at my new school (and finding out they are heaps cheaper then I first thought!).
 
13. Finished a special project with a colleague I truly love spending time with.
 
14. Bouncing on the PE trampoline… long story.
 
15. The colleague that carried the PE trampoline all the way up five flights of stairs to my classroom.
 
16. Finally making that connection about that kid that doesn’t connect.
 
17. The names on the sign up list for the school production.
 
18. Another group of reports entered and submitted.
 
19. Learning to sign (in Auslan) with my year 10’s.
 
20. A hug from a student who has moved schools but popped back to visit.
 
21. Smashing my to-do list.
 
22. The name of the kid that didn’t think she was good enough to audition finally added to the sign-up list.
 
23. A coordinator that trusts and supports me in all that I do and is willing to speak up when need be.
 
24. Discussion about the new series ‘The Principal’ while hanging out in the photocopy room.
 
25. Two students cheering and high-fiving when they realised they got full marks on an assessment.
 
26. The feeling of the sun on my shoulders as I cross the playground.
 
27. Great ideas from the commerce teacher about a little joint adventure.
 
28. My students pretending to be balloons and float around my classroom.
 
29. The beautiful smile of our school receptionist.
 
30. Finding that lost piece of paper that I thought was gone forever. Phew!
 
31. I managed to write a dancing hot dog into a play I am working on.
 
32. Laughter in my classroom at lunch.
 
33. Students entering into deep conversation about things that matter.
 
34. A cancelled rehearsal at recess that allowed me to catch my breath for a moment.
 
35. The cupcake with sprinkles from the cupcake stall.
 
36. Brainstorming super creative ideas with my year 10’s.
 
37. The words, “I am glad we always have drama last period on a Friday.”
 
38. Friday afternoon “Rock For A Cause” with the neighbouring boys high school. It rocked!
 
39. The smile on my students faces when they won Best Documentary at a local film festival. J
 
40. Coming home late on a Friday evening after a full day at work to a quiet house with only the echoes of my smallest child’s snores vibrating through the air.

My big smile on the big screen at the film festival!