Modern Learning Environments - The Beginning

2016 conversation with Deb was around renaming the single cell nomenclature.  I felt I was teaching in a Modern Learning Environment - it just didn't include a shared room.

Yes, I burst into tears when Deb told me I was going to need to be involved in an MLE.  Deb's question to me was, "What concerns you most?"
  "I won't be the master of my ship any longer," was my reply.

I admitted to my team colleagues that I was finding how we were planning, along with the prospect of being part of an MLE was challenging.  By 8.30am on Day One I was feeling ill.

While I have enormous respect for Selina, I think we both struggled to find our feet in Term One.  Everything was new for me, there just seemed to be so many students with problems (her whanau group and mine), I found it difficult to get the kids to tune into me and vice versa.  Students were coming and going for many different reasons - it just seemed that things were spiralling out of control.

I didn't really know how to put my core beliefs into my role.  Selina was tremendously sympathetic and supportive.

I probably went through some kind of mourning period as the first term went on - I lost my autonomy, my programme, my confidence, QZealand and most of all - my connections with students.

I limped through Term One, feeling pretty impotent.

Term Two changes brought some changes, many of them really exciting.  We were going to be four teachers with 120 students - gulp!  But kids would choose creativity (three weeks in Tutaeporoporo) and intense inquiry (two weeks in Paikea) topics.  Then they would have five weeks in Te Wheke, doing literacy and maths workshops and SDL.

I thought this structure and the opportunities for students were excellent. I felt excited about the prospect.