Hello:-) Its important to me that you have a good sense of who I am and how I have arrived at this special place called Butterfly Learning. My name is Margaret. Once upon a time in primary school I watched my teacher write lovely comments in our class handwriting books. After shed written a few lovely words of encouragement in her perfect handwriting, I watched her choose gold stars from a pretty box she always kept in the top drawer of her teachers desk. She placed them carefully on that days lesson in front of her, our lines of letters and words written using a nib dipped in ink. And as she marked our books she smiled to herself. And I decided that I wanted a job giving gold stars to children who tried their best. I wanted a job where I could make children as happy as this teacher, and learning, made me. I clearly remember deciding at that moment I was going to be a teacher. Not for one minute did I entertain the possibility of any other career. I was going to teach. I was eight years old. This year is my 40th anniversary of my first year of teaching. They were Kindergarten. I loved them all. I look back at our black and white class photo with me in my wedges and mini skirt and them with their big, big smiles. It was 1974. I look at that photo every year. It was a happy year for me. I played the piano in our classroom and we sang for twenty minutes every morning before we did anything else. Singing made us happy for the rest of the day. We laughed. I read them stories. Three books a day. We went outside and played singing games. Farmer In The Dell and Punchinello were our favourites. They loved it. I loved watching and hearing them love it. We played with plasticene and learned how to string beads into patterns wed read. Blue blue yellow red blue blue yellow red. We counted and learned the factors of ten using wonderful Cuisenaire rods. If it was raining at home time Id help them put their raincoats on and button them up. They were always so excited when it rained at the end of the day because theyd been carrying their neatly folded plastic raincoats backwards and forwards to school at the bottom of their school bags day in and day out. Now, finally, they had a chance to wear them. I knew so much about each of them. I loved each of them. When they left me to go off to 1st class at the end of 1974 I felt empty. I was going to miss them. They were significant in my life, as I was in theirs. I was their first school teacher. And they were my first class. It was a special year. I knew I would teach other children during my professional life but I also knew I would never have this class again. You can only have a first time for anything once in your life after all. So I knew I would remember them. And I have. Every year for the past 40 years I have thought of them. I still remember many of their names. As the years have passed Ive regretted not having written all their names on the back of the class photo when I was given it as a gift from my Headmistress. Like all classes anyone teaches, the range in ability in any one subject, topic or skill, was enormous. My kindergarten that first year was no different. Some of them came to reading sooner than others in my care. But on the last day of our year together, the little one whod found reading trickier than all the others, the one whod arrived in my classroom with no English at all having just arrived from Yugoslavia with her family, went off to 1st class reading ninety-one sight words. Ninety one. I have never forgotten that number. I never will. It meant more to me then than anyone could understand. And will do forever more. A childs education is no different to the construction of our homes. If the foundation is not strong, if the concrete thats used is low grade, that house will eventually develop cracks. I was proud that I had laid a solid foundation for each of the little ones in my Kindergarten that year. My children went off to 1st Class loving to read and write, loving to count and use numbers. They each loved learning. I knew I was a good teacher. And I mean knew in the same context as I know Im great at making gravy from scratch. I am. I have taught thousands of children over the last 40 years in so many different schools. I led schools as Deputy Principal and Acting Principal. I mentored young teachers who are now superb principals of their own schools. And for the past 13 years Ive been blessed to teach many more children at Brainwave Learning Centre, a business I own with my daughter Meredith, in Sydneys south west. Every child I have taught has taught me. As they learned so did I. After 40 years I understand how children learn best. I understand that the children wholl have the happiest and most successful time at school are those children whose parents are committed to helping them learn. Butterfly Learning is my gift to you. Im passing on the knowledge and understanding Ive gained over the past 40 years about how children best learn. Youre your little ones first teacher. Youre their best teacher too and always will be. The ties that bind parents and children are love, trust and security and these are the same magic ingredients needed for wonderful teaching and learning. So you already have the most important elements needed to lead your child to the love of learning. Through Butterfly Learning Im so pleased I can give you lots of advice, tips and suggestions to guide you. Each teaching resource Ill be offering you soon in our websites Corner Store, will be written, or carefully chosen, by me. Butterfly Learning will only offer you what is best. Your child, every child, deserves nothing less. Take care Margaret Chivers
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 06:24:24 +0000
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