All things withstanding

Passing the half-way point in my practicum yesterday, I think I have snapped a little back from my early week highs, and have retreated past even mediocrity. I really need this weekend coming up. My battery is low and my immune system seems to be only just withstanding the juvenile bugs that I am assaulted with daily.

I was observed today and had a lesson so foul. It was ill-conceived, ill-managed and ill-executed. My visiting lecturer commented: “You seem a little frustrated.” And yes I was. She suggested revamping my classroom management for my own style (and not just the adopted system of my associate). Interesting advice, my associate teacher suggested some things although I just had a brainwave about something that I would like to try. I need to stop the triggers that lead to negative spirals that I get into. I try to be positive but when it is not noticed by the children (from whom attention needs to be obtained to continue).

Although illness didn’t precipitate like I thought it would, I felt sick by the lunch-time phase. I was close to telling my associate that I felt unwell and just leave for the rest of the day. Not professional at all. But I went on lunch-time duty with her and felt much more at ease afterwards.

Onto other things…

One intriguing thing I noticed tonight was TV3 was the most progressive channel in terms of correct pronunciation of Māori. Both TVNZ and TV3 seem to be including more Māori phrases such as “Poo marie” (commonly by Judy Bailey) and Hei konei ra.

I heard the most correct pronunciation of “Taupoo” tonight by the unlikely person, Dion Nash (cricketer now TV3 person on Sportzah). John Campbell on TV3 is currently doing a series called “A Queen’s tour,” in which he goes all over the place, and I noticed that he was pronouncing different placenames as accurately as possible. As was Richard Langston (another kiwi journalist).

At the recent staff meeting at school, one other teacher raised the mispronunciation and wrong words of the Māori and English national anthems sung at assemblies. If I felt more included and not an outsider criticising, I would have said much the same.