Blog Posts - Daisy Education

Daisy Education

Poetry fun

10/2/2014

What a busy few weeks! Over the last couple of weeks I've taught 120 children poetry! Invaders and Settlers is obviously the theme of the moment as I've been doing Viking poetry in Year 2 and Roman poetry in Year 4. The children have been fabulous and some of the results are extraordinary.

Are you a poetry fan? Like anything, it's a matter of opinion. I, personally, adore poetry. But that doesn't mean to say that I like all poetry. When trying to get young children interested and excited by poetry you have to capture their imagination. Rhymes are always catchy, but I rarely use them. This is because children can often feel like they have to produce rhyming poetry and as I'm sure you know, that's not always easy!

One of the Year 2 classes didn't worry about that and threw themselves in to the more gory side to the Vikings. We had fabulous lines such as "The blood spurted all around" and "Daggers plunged in to stomachs" Very dramatic!

Across London in Year 4 they also liked the dramatic side and we had emotive lines such as:

Blood shooting out
Horror in their minds
Sent to an early grave as a consequence
Seeing your life coming to an end

Some great lines from Seraia there. The children in Year 4 were very keen on using alliteration. Bailey and Libby collaborated and decided that they would write a poem including alliteration and rhyme. Superstars. Here's their poem reproduced in full.

Fighting to their death
Catapults cut shields
Guts squirting blood
Stabbed sorely in stomachs
Dangerous daggers cause death

Swords and shields make great protection
Swords stabbing slaves
Blood pouring from their bodies
Brave soldiers sent to their graves

Dangerous weapons all over the place
Shields cracking skulls
Just fighting there's no grace
Crucifying as a consequence

All shields bashing
Lots of blood on the bodies
Long swords clashing
Deadly injuries to the head

Now they're dead!

I'm sure you'll agree that was a fabulous effort, especially as the children had yet to start studying the Romans - this was their introduction. Superb. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the schools and working with all the children. I feel inspired and I'm off to write my own poem now. How about you?

ICT

6/1/2014

I'm happy to say that as of this afternoon we now have internet access again. Apparently. I didn't actually have my laptop with me to check, but I've been assured it is now up and running again.

This got me thinking about how much we rely on ICT now. That's Information Communication Technology to those of you who aren't heavily immersed in the Education World, or didn't like to guess. Until this summer I was an Advanced Skills Teacher, as those of you who know me or read the About page will know. What I didn't write on that page was that I was an Advanced Skills Teacher for ICT (as my main subject). I'm pretty sure that makes me completely biased in the growing debate (read hysteria) concerning ICT and our children, particularly in regard to the Early Years.

For those of you who don't know, there is concern amongst some about our children, particularly our very young children, engaging too much with technology. I can see their point. Sort of. They're imagining a Nursery where all the children do is sit around on an ipad and become totally dependent on instant gratification, developing in to obese children with poor social skills. I'd be concerned too, so I see their point.

What seems so obvious to me though, is that it's all about balance. I've been there, I've seen it. I know I'm biased towards ICT, but even with that, it's still about balance. A piece of ICT used for the sake of including ICT is pointless. A piece of ICT used because it's going to enhance learning is totally brilliant. No good teacher is going to rely on ICT to teach for them. No good teacher is going to advocate very young children - or any children - spending a vast majority of their time staring at a small screen.

However, we have to accept that our children are digital natives. I remember being gobsmacked a year or so ago when I watched two tiny tots, barely three years old, both sitting on the sofa independently using ipads. What got me more is when one left and the other was using both ipads at the same time. Incredible. Does this child rely on technology? No. Does he interact well with others? Yes. He has now just turned four and can read on a par with an average Year 1 child. Yes, I know a lot has to do with his family, who support him wonderfully with his learning (and not just academic learning) but my point is that his confident use of technology has not held him back in any way. He is empathetic and caring, bubbly and full of life, and yes, academically ahead in his Literacy. It's all about balance. Technology is a tool. It's how we use it that matters. Don't be afraid of technology, embrace it and use it to your advantage. I firmly believe that ICT has a place in our schools and nurseries, as long as it is used appropriately. What do you believe? I'd love to know what you think.

Welcome to 2014

1/1/2014

I just came back from my first day at the office in 2014. I would have written this there, but apparently there is no internet in our building in 2014.

A new year. A new start? Plenty of people make new year resolutions, are you one of them? A popular one is to get fit or keep healthy. I started off this year by driving the incredibly short distance to work. Ahem. It was influenced by the torrential rain and gale force winds, along with the four bags I had to carry. Ah well, there's always tomorrow.

At the end of every year I look back and take stock. What's happened? Any major changes? What would I like to have accomplished by the end of next year? This year has probably seen the biggest changes in a long time. New business, new nieces (my brother had twin girls this year!) and a new future. I was thinking about this as I was packing up at work and I suddenly tuned in to the music that was playing. I won't trouble you with the entire song, but here's a snatch.

If you want it, then you got it -
Don't let this moment pass you by,
Take a long shot,
Give it all you got -
You'll never know unless you try,
You can only sink or swim,
Baby, just dive in...

So what's the worse thing
That could be happening?
(You test the water and you
find that it's a little too hot)
Make your move, you gotta choose -
Are you ready or not?
Don't waste a lifetime waiting,
You know its now -
So turn around...
Just dive in.

It caught my attention. Wise words indeed. Let this be the year to try something new. Just because you've never done it before, or think it might not work, don't let it hold you back. Go for it. I know I will.

Happy new year one and all.

Merry Christmas

26/12/2013

It's that time of year again! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, it's still a festive time and it's hard not to get swept along with it. If you do celebrate Christmas, I hope you've had a wonderful day! Merry Christmas one and all.

Legs! Legs! Legs!

20/12/2013

So, after five phone calls I was promised that the supply company would switch over the legs by the end of the week. By Friday lunchtime I had assumed Monday would result in a phone call to continue the saga. Imagine my surprise when I got a text from my friend which simply said "Legs! Legs! Legs!". I shrieked with joy and went round to collect my prize. The result is what you see in the photo. A beautiful daisy table. All I need now are the chairs...

Teething problems

11/12/2013

Well, I knew there'd be teething problems. Already come across quite a few, but I thought we were heading to the end of them. As it turns out, nope! It's been quite a frustrating day actually. I suppose I should start nearer the beginning...

For weeks now I have been waiting for the school furniture to arrive. There've been slight hiccups, for example, wrong height table - fixed by a phone call. Well, the furniture, which was being delivered to a friend's house as she is in all day, was due to arrive yesterday. Marvellous! Except, she called to say that the table's arrived...no chairs! Not marvellous. I chased it up. "Oh no," they (the company - naming no names) say. "The table and chairs come from different suppliers." Cue deep sighs. Well, when can I expect the chairs then? Hmm...perhaps before 2014, but it's unlikely. I was not impressed.

I managed to convince my dad to use one of his minibuses from his company www.littlebus.co.uk to transport the table as it wouldn't fit in a car. He, having been bribed with the offer of lunch, also helped to put it together. The table is absolutely beautiful! A daisy table in a gorgeous blue with green edging, just as I ordered, but even prettier in the flesh. There was just one, minor problem. The legs are height 460mm instead of 640mm. Cue more deep sighs. I phone the company back. Oh dear, we'll contact the suppliers who will arrange to swap them over. They'll call you. Still waiting for that phone call. I wouldn't mind, but we had that height mix up originally and sorted it out weeks ago! So dad kindly took it apart again and I packed the legs away. I now have a beautiful table propped up against the cupboards forlornly waiting for its legs. When it does finally come, I'll be sure to take a picture to show you. Unfortunately it means that I still have the temporary plastic table. At least it does the job.

So what else decided that today was a good day to decide to go wrong? Clothing. This has been a project since August, getting the clothing made for the company. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that all clothes had been ordered. Today I got an email from the company to say that the fleece had been discontinued. Argh! After all those months! I have spent more fruitless hours searching, but apparently they were the only company to make sky blue fleeces. The nearest anyone can do is royal blue. I guess it'll have to do. Except...the text for the company is royal blue, which means that it will be invisible. ARGH!

The day just went on and on like this. Things that didn't want to be found, traffic, things that wouldn't work etc. The highlight of the day was the delightful tutoring session. If only it was all teaching and nothing else! Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and hopefully things will begin to get back on track. The holidays are coming up and the festive spirit is unwittingly forcing me in to a better mood. I'll put down the keyboard, sing a Christmas song and see you all soon!

A typical day

5/12/2013

What's a typical day? Well, there isn't one. Take today for instance. It started with technological work. Checking and answering emails and keeping up to date with current articles and social media. I prepared some materials for future lessons and then started on a backlog of sorting out, educational reading and supplies. I had been working for less than an hour when I was contacted by a mother who asked if I could assess her 10 year old daughter for the possibility of tutoring her in English. It was, by now, three o clock. She asked if I could assess her daughter at 4:10. Tight deadline, but manageable and I don't like to say no, so I agreed. Then it turns out that she has swimming at 5:10 and can we move it to five to four? Eep! Cue manic activity as I had to attempt to clear away everything I had got out and produce the resources for the assessment all within an hour!

It was lovely to put a face to the name and to meet her daughter. A little awkward, as she was only told she was coming to see me when she was picked up from school. She normally gets to play in the play area before swimming, so was naturally disappointed to be going through a Literacy assessment instead! She soon settled though and after a discussion with Mum after the assessment, went off to swimming. Mum wants the brother to be assessed but will get back to me about her daughter. The secondary school exam is in just six weeks time, so any input will have to be extremely intense to see results that quickly.

Once they were gone I took the time to write up the notes from the session and identify targets if they choose to continue. I returned a couple of phone calls and debated getting everything back out to go through, but since it was now six o' clock, I decided against it. Writing a comprehension for secondary school exam practice is the name of the game tomorrow, so I look forward to a new day.

In the beginning...

3/12/2013

Writing a blog is a great way to record what's going on in your world. It's also a great way to encourage writing! Since the company has only recently been formed, I thought I would begin a blog to track the company during its first year. With that, time to publish my first post...