Old UVic Buzz words

Before I jumped into this first teaching post of the year I must highlight some up and coming events.
A) Spice Girls Concert January 22
B) Trip to Paris in February 14-17
C) Trip to Rome March 28-31
What a kick ass start to 2008 eh??? I'm pretty stoked. After the Christmas hump - I know I can make it to summer holidays :D

All right so a couple buzz words (or sayings) have rung through my head ever since I left University and recently they've totally started making sense. So much of Uni was hear say or just something to 'memorize' but these little gems have finally been internalized and make a hell of a lot of sense in the practical world.

First off - a great professor said - It must be physical before it can be musical. This could seriously be the thesis for music instruction because it leads so easily into everything I teach. It especially links abstract ideas to concrete practice and helps kids develop musical sense.THAAAAANKS Dave!

Second - I remember learning organization skills throughout formal education and from extracurricular involvements but recently it totally occurred to me how crucial it is to be organized to be an effective teacher. As I dragged my ass all last year I became more exhausted in a vicious circle that left me feeling pretty crappy about my job. Three simple words "do it now" have turned things around. Organization is contagious and after my Units and assessment tasks are planned out ahead of time - day to day teaching can leave me feeling energized. Each lesson can be put into context and I can see where I'm going each week, month and term. Also I no longer have piles of things to do later around my desk - a major stress relief compared to 2007. Little tasks can pile up and turn into demotivating big tasks when left to fester: trust me!!

Finally - I'm not sure why this stuck in my head but Dr.King once told a group of us that 3rd year teaching is one of the best years of our Careers because you've survived the bumps and bruises of starting off - and you're still naive enough to think you've found the perfect balance to teaching. After that, apparently, we're suppose to humble to the notion that there's so much more we can do with our teaching practices that the confidence buzz wares off going into the 4th and 5th year. I can see my self feeling really confident in the next year because I can start to recycle my Unit lessons and cut down on the Macro planning - I mean every year things will need to be tweaked and each class/student brings a whole new challenge but I do look forward to having things in place and not spend my term breaks writing the next Unit plan.

I guess University's about making a blue print to fall back on when you're stuck in the real world. I do feel well rounded when I approach teaching dilemmas - sometimes I'm not in the right mind frame to resolve conflict but a comforting discussion with a colleague gets me back on track. I just wonder if I’ll be eating my own words about "Never going back for my masters...."

New Years 2008

Happy New Year Folks!

My 2nd New Years in the UK. It's been a hell of a year and far from perfect. I think that's why a fresh start is so exhilarating because things generally get better the more you hack at them lol!! I spent New Years in a local Bar dancing my arse off and trumpeted 2008 in with a state of the art party horn :D

Compared to New Years 2007 -> 2008 started off ten fold better! I even won £100 in the door prize. Good company, great drinks and a fantastic new years smooch should put a smile on this guys face. I have some tricks up my sleeve for my students in the New Year and I'm hitting the classroom guns a blazing. Also looking forward to Mom coming for a visit in the Spring and I believe there's a Ms. Hickman appearance as well... Yippee!

My score on last years Resolutions was a mediocre 5/10... - My car blew up so rowing/erging plans were kayboshed; my Visa bill didn't survive the plane ticket home from this summer - although I haven't charged anything on it since; with the Visa bill no UK fashion could be justified; my fishing trip with dad didn't happen; and As for wedding music - Tanya's friends did a superb job sans moi. On the flip side I Got on Skype and chatted back home much more; joined a Brass Band; discovered Romance; Won my Div3 Vball league; and Completed a Rozzy recommended Detox. So this year I'm picking up some British Teaching lingo and aiming for 'smart targets'.

1. Cycle across Ireland
2. Improve my vball block - penetrating over the net
3. Compose a Baritone Duet feature for Brass Band
4. Pay off $5000 CAD against my CIBC Visa
5. Implement and Refine my 3point classroom management system to eliminate low level disruption in the classroom.
6. Travel to France or Italy
7. Decorate my Room
8. Drink 2 Liters of water everyday and have water bottles available at work & home
9. Not to skip lunch by stocking the fridge at work on Mondays.
10. What's a NYears resolution without the typical 'get fit' entry?? Well mine is to do 5 push ups before I take a shower at home. Each month this number increases.

All the best to my friends and family around the world. I hope 2008 brings great things - especially for all those Rower types back in Victoria/London Canada heading to Beijing!!!