BCC IEP Staff Newsletter

Semester 1, Week 10
Events for Week 10 July 16-Sept. 21 English Variety Project for Primary July 18 2nd BCC Artist Award for Secondary Students

July 16th-20th, 2012

Ajarn Montiras Messages

Hello IEP staff,

90 Days Reporting As a requirement of your work visa, teachers are required to report to immigration every 90 days. As the immigration department is far away from school, Am from the personnel department can do this for you. Please fill out the 90 day form. You can find these in the drawers next to P Tums desk. After filling out the form give it to Am along with your passport one week prior to your reporting date. Good Teaching: The Top Ten Requirements Number 6 from an article that appeared in The Teaching Professor. Requirement #6 This is very important -- good teaching is about humour. It's about being self-deprecating and not taking yourself too seriously. It's often about making innocuous jokes, mostly at your own expense, so that the ice breaks and students learn in a more relaxed atmosphere where you, like them, are human with your own share of faults and shortcomings.

First of all I would like to thank T. Graeme Hunter and T. Kennon Koe for volunteering for the Sangklaburi English Camp from July 19th 22nd, 2012 and also T. Anne Baker, T. Ron Doutt, T. Sam Brigstock, T. Paul Cooper, and T. Jon Payne for offering to judge the BCC Star 2012 Singing Competition from July 16th 27th, 2012. Finally, I would like to thank T. Ashley Clibborn, T. Anne Baker, T. Jesse Guglieri, T. Kennon Koe, T. Paul Gomes, T. Ryan Minicozzi and T. Lucas Fiddaman for their willingness to participate in the BCC 160th Anniversary Fair on August 18th, 2012. I would like to ask every teacher to use waterless hand cleanser to prevent the spread of deadly hand, foot and mouth disease. Each teacher should see Preeda to get a bottle of waterless hand cleanser, and to get refills. Please have each student cleanse his hands before entering your classroom. Also, ventilate your classroom by opening windows and turning on the exhaust fan between classes. If your classroom does not have windows, please leave your door open whenever possible.

Thank you,

Ajarn Montira

The Coordinators

Knowing I was behind her, she continued her desperate hunt for the missing page. We would like to acknowledge the fine job that Lisa: Teacher, give me just a second. I have it. I did everyone has done so far this school year. We have it. Please-noticed your excellent attendance record so far and Teacher: (Gently) Lisa? encourage you to keep it up. Please remember to try Lisa: Pleeease, teacher. I really did it (still frantically and get to work on time. It takes five times being looking). late to lose half a days pay. So try your best to get Teacher: (Practically singing) Leeeesa? to school before 7:30. Lisa: (Stops the futile quest and looks up) Yes? Teacher: I believe you. Teaching Tip Being A Role Model Lisa: (Silencea quizzical stare) From the book Teach Like Your Hairs On Fire by Lisa: You do? Rafe Esquith Teacher: (Gently, with a smile) Of course I do, Lisa. I believe you did the assignment. But you know Never forget that the kids watch you constantly. what? They model themselves after you, and you have to be Lisa: What? the person you want them to be. I want my students Teacher: I think we have a bigger problem here. to be nice and to work hard. That means I had better Lisa: (Meekly, after a long pause) I'm not organized? be the nicest and hardest-working person they have Teacher: Exactly! You need to be better organized. ever met. Don't even think of trying to deceive your That's exactly right. Now, how about picking two kids. They are much too sharp for that. If you want friends here whom you trust. your kids to trust you, it takes consistent caring and Lisa: Lucy and Joyce. effort on your part. Some of my students laugh Teacher: Okay. Today after lunch, how about bitterly at a teacher they once had. They discuss her having your friends help you reorganize your in the most unflattering of terms. She often comes to folders? Would that be all right? school late. She doesn't even realize it, but she's lost Lisa: (Relieved) Okay... them. Why would the kids listen to her lessons when her constant tardiness tells them they are not that These are the opportunities to seize upon. Of course important to her? When she lectures them, they smile you're frustrated, but you can take potentially bad and nod their heads. Inside they are thinking, Screw moments and turn them into good ones. In the course you, lady. of a few minutes, I went from Lisa's potential nemesis to her trusted teacher and friend. The class, There are thousands of role-modeling moments watching my every move, saw me as a person who during a day of teaching, and some of them are was reasonable. These are the moments when you opportunities waiting to be seized. When I first build trust. Lisa never missed a homework started teaching I remember my behavior was never assignment for the rest of the year. It's harder to that extreme, but I would become angry and follow this path. Hey, you can point a rifle at the kids frustrated. I was wrong to do this. I hadn't learned and they will listen to you, but is that all you want? that if you become angry over little things, the big These days I know better. By creating a firm but issues are never even addressed. As a role model, the friendly refuge, the kids have the opportunity to grow students need us to be advocates, not tyrants. I played into confident, happy human beings. It's not easy, the dictator enough as a young teacher to understand and not all the children will ever earn such faith. the futility of the role. Some will betray your confidence. Yet if we ask great things of our children, we must show them we But that's the beauty of the job: You can learn from believe great things are possible. Make every effort your mistakes. You can get better. In the process you to remove fear from your classroom. Be fair. Be may even stumble upon precious moments that can reasonable. You will grow as a teacher, and your allow your students to soar higher than they ever students will amaze both you and themselves as they thought possible. I had such a moment just recently. flourish in the safe haven you have built. Lisa was a very nice little girl in my class who struggled with all her work. One day I was walking around the room collecting a homework assignment. The children were supposed to have finished a simple crossword puzzle about Chief Crazy Horse, but Lisa could not find hers. It was early in the year and she desperately wanted to do well. I watched as she furiously searched several folders in her desk.