Week 8 Term 4 - Personal: Reflection 2023 (December 5 - December 9)

REFLECTION: serious thought or consideration

Over the last 5 years, I have prioritized reflecting on my teaching experiences through blogging. Initially I started blogging as I saw many of my colleagues doing it. Over the last 5 years I have enjoyed blogging as it is a way for me to reflect on what I am doing in class with my akonga and it has also been a way for me to reflect on what I am doing in my role as HOD of the English Department and as Dean for Totara House. A lot has happened over the last 5 years - with the COVID-19 Lockdowns to life after the lockdowns - blogging has been a way for me to unpack my thoughts and experiences and also document what has been helpful for me. 

This year I wanted to make sure that I prioritized blogging into my weekly routine, as a way to capture all of the things that I am involved with. I wanted to take this time to reflect and look back on 2022 and some of the highlights for me.

LEARN: gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.

I have learnt so much this year both in my role as a teacher and in middle management. As a teacher, I have learnt that it is important to be open to change and that it is OK to not know everything. An example of this is through the integration of our literacy experts in our Year 9 and Year 10 literacy program. Taking the time to review what my current literacy practice is, what I need to improve on and what I would like to do in regards to literacy strategies was a positive but also daunting experience. Positive in that I was able to see what I am doing well but daunting in that I saw where I needed help. Teachers can be protective and their own gatekeepers in their classrooms and to have someone come into your space can be challenging. However I know that the at the heart of the matter of what we do as teachers, is the child, I had to be open to receiving help from the literacy experts if I wanted my students to learn and progress in their reading and writing. What I have learnt through this experience is that when I am open to collaboration with my colleagues, my students will then be open to collaboration. When I am open to change, my students will be open to change. What and how I model myself as a teacher will (hopefully) filter down to my akonga. The results have been positive with student engaging more with the writing and reading strategies offered by Mr Milford and Dr Jannie. I have seen my akonga's progress develop throughout the year and they have become more confident in their writing and their reading. It is a small but vital step going forward into 2023. 

Literacy expert Mr Milford and my Year 9 akonga 

CREATE: bring (something) into existence.

Creativity is defined as "the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems." As teachers, creativity is something that we working in everyday. Finding solutions to problems, how to motivate akonga, how to get to the finish line - we are finding ways on the 'what', 'when', 'who', 'why' and 'how' in all that we do. This year, I have found myself leaning in on those around me - whether it be my colleagues or akonga - when it has come to creating and creativity. There have been moments this year where I have found it challenging to create as I am trying to facilitate and manage my teaching and the teams I work with. As a result I have found myself in situations where I cannot offer anything in terms of creativity, so I delegated and leaned in on my teams to help bring things to life. An example of this is in my role as Dean for Totara House. In Term 3 we had Tongan Language Week and one of the big ticket items for this year's celebrations was the Inter House Tongan Dance Competition. In the weeks leading up to the competition we struggled to nail down what we wanted to do and there was a point where we almost withdrew from the competition as we did not have any options. The leaders and I have ended up approaching one of our Year 13 students to see if she wanted to create an item for the competition. She was very excited and open to the challenge and said yes. The process from here was effortless because she was excited to create and share something that she is passionate about - her culture - with the akonga. The Universtiy of Iowa states that "In an educational field, we talk about power sharing when students directly participate in an activity in which the teacher enables the students to share authority and responsibility and a just division of roles and accountability for their tasks." The result of this was that the students involved all were invested in the experience, they all felt like they had a part to play and they all felt like that had some type of ownership in this. Now my akonga in Totara House are keen to help with next year's celebrations because they have seen their own help and lead. Power-sharing has been the take away from me when it comes to 'create' and 'creativity' - when we create we can blur the lines - it is OK. That is the beauty of 'create' and 'creativity' - we can shift power to make something beautiful and meaningful. 

Year 13 Totara student Mounga Afemui teaching the lakalaka to Totara House for TLW

SHARE: a part or portion of a larger amount which is divided among a number of people, or to which a number of people contribute.

Sharing my learning and creativity through my blogging and then sharing this with my akonga has been a beautiful experience. I am grateful that I am able to do so. I am also grateful to share and journey with my colleagues. This year has presented many challenges but also has provided opportunities for collaboration. The mentorship team who I work with in Totara House have been an awesome team to work with this year. There have been a few moments this year where I have not been able to to be at school due to family reasons and the team have stepped in every time to share the load. I have tried my best to step everything up in way that whoever needs to lead, can because I have set the framework in place. The mentorship team for Totara House have been awesome in standing in the gap when I have been absent. I have always felt this need to be present all the time and to work through (even if I am unwell or do not have time to) but I have realized that there is a team there for a reason. To not just lead but to work with. This is something that I am grateful for this year. 

Some of the Totara House mentorship team 2023

Going in 2023 I hope to continue to learn and grow in my 'Learn, Create, Share' journey. I have ideas on what I would like to do better with these three pillars with both my students and the teams that I work with. This has been a great year and I look forward to the holiday coming up. Blessings.