The way you measure a society’s soul is by the way that it treats its children.
Nelson Mandela
Issue No. 119 – 28 June 2012
Welcome to Kidz Newz especially to all new subscribers, including those from the recent EYES Conference in Perth. Kidz Newz is a regular newsletter with information and teaching tips for anyone involved with young children. You are receiving this because you have attended one of my workshops, purchased a book, or you have requested to be on the mailing list. Thank you. Please forward this to anyone you feel it may be of interest to. Feedback is welcome. Don’t forget to stay in touch on our Facebook Page and watch out for our exclusive fan page competitions.
EYES Conference Winner!!
Congratulations to Leah Tiede who was the winner of the Multicultural Book and Scarf Magic Pack. Thank you to all who entered.
Having Passion
I had the privilege last weekend of attending a school reunion, not mine, but my brother’s. It wasn’t a school year, as such, that was being celebrated but rather the year that two new, young teachers started at the school and decided it would be a good idea to put on a musical production – The Pirates of Penzance. It was such a huge success that the next year they did it again with HMS Pinafore.
There were several things that were remarkable about this evening, the most obvious being the passage of time since that eventful first year – fifty years! A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, obviously, and since many of the original cast and school year students had scattered to the four winds by then, or died, the assembly was not huge. Nevertheless, what they lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm.
I had gone along because I knew a lot of the people involved and thought it might be quite pleasant. What an understatement! As the evening progressed anecdotes came out, excerpts from the production were played, along with projections of photographic images of the cast during performance. Then there were the inevitable renditions of songs from their now-fading memory banks.
By the end of the evening I felt compelled to speak. What was overwhelming for me was the outpouring of love (dare I use this word in respect to elderly conservative men?). What they were all really saying was a heartfelt thank you to the two young teachers (now in their mid-seventies) for what they had given them – a belief in themselves that at the tender age of 13 or 14, they didn’t necessarily have. These boys rose to the challenge of taking on the roles of women, if those were the roles they were assigned, of even going on the stage at a time when such behaviour was considered somewhat foppish and so had to rise above any ribbing from the other boys, and had to sing about love. What boy of 13 or 14 wants to do that? And yet these two young teachers were model teachers. They used kindness, camaraderie and friendship to cajole these children into doing what they required of them, and they went above and beyond the call of duty to do whatever it took to get the show on the road. And they succeeded admirably. This is a very difficult age for a boy (or a girl), as they come to terms with teenage years with all its self-consciousness, so to expect them to make giant steps out of their comfort zones was a huge ask. But that was the point. By achieving what they never thought they could, those boys rose to another level in their personal development. Not only that, instead of this distraction causing a drop in school marks, many of them achieved the best marks of their high schooling.
When a child achieves anything beyond their expectations, it stays with them and allows them to have the courage to tackle other difficult situations. It’s when exceptional teachers go out of their way to bring out the best in their students, and when those students respond accordingly, that magic happens. This is what happened all those years ago, and this is what those exceptional teachers were being thanked for – for showing them that anything else is possible.
I was amazed and humbled. I thought that if by the time I’d been teaching fifty years if past students were to come to me to say thank you like this, I would be indeed gratified. I am always talking about the importance of making a difference in the life of a child, but if you have a passion for teaching, as these two obviously did, then making a difference is simply what you always do. It was Confucius who said, “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.”
End of Financial Year Specials!!
For two days only — Expires Saturday 30th June at midnight. Email me directly to get these specials info@kidzfizbiz.com.
Scarf Magic
With the purchase of the Scarf Magic Pack ($55.00) get FREE postage and 2 BONUS scarves!
50% OFF Move to Learn Products
Help Your Class to Learn book by Barbara Pheloung normally $29.95 – $15.00
Help Your Child to Learn book by Barbara Pheloung normally $29.95 – $15.00
These specials expire on 30th June – that’s only two days so get cracking!!
To order these specials, email me info@kidzfizbiz.com.
Quotes of the Week
“Many people go far in life because someone else thought they could.” ~ Source Unknown
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ~ William Arthur Ward
Entertainment
An elderly couple were concerned about the effects of aging so they consulted their doctor, who told them that memory loss was the most common problem of aging but to combat this they should write everything down so as not to forget. A few evenings later the husband asked his wife if she could make him some fruit salad which she said she’d do. ‘But make sure you write it down, or you’ll forget.’ The wife was irritated that he thought she wouldn’t remember one thing. ‘I don’t need to write it down. I can remember one thing.’ The husband replied that he’d also like some ice-cream to go with it so she’d better write that down as well. She responded that it was only two things so surely she could remember. ‘Oh, but I’d really like some cream on top too, now that’s three things so you must write it down.’ ‘Three things. Don’t you think I can remember three things without writing it down?’ A little while later the wife returned, saying to the husband, ‘here’s your bacon and eggs,’ to which the husband replied, ‘You duffer, I knew you’d forget the tomatoes!’
Feedback (Comments from the Geraldton (WA) PD in August 2011)
Q: What was the most useful thing you learned today?
“Activities to use with students.”
“Fun learning. All good.”
“The benefits of different music activities e.g. crossing the midline. Excellent sessions.”
“More great ideas to try and uses of existing materials forgotten.”
“Scarf ideas, parachute ideas, ribbons.”
About The Author
Marlene Rattigan B.A., Dip. Ed. (ECS), CELTA
Marlene Rattigan is an Early Childhood teacher, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and from 1987-2000 was a nationally accredited fitness leader. Her background is in music education. A keen interest in motor development in children led to the creation of Kidz-Fiz-Biz which she taught successfully for 13 years. Marlene also conducts workshops for children, teachers and parents at schools, in the community and at festivals. She has produced teaching manuals complete with audio CDs which are an extension of her ‘Kidz-Fiz-Biz’ program.
Kidz-Fiz-Biz
PO Box 6894, East Perth WA 6892, Australia
T: +61 8 9325 1204 M: +61 (0) 410 64 2781 E: info@kidzfizbiz.com
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Until next time … continue being a legend in your classroom.
Marlene Rattigan, Editor
Kidz Newz
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