I’m not quite sure where to start with this morning's blog. It feels like I’ve lived 10 different lives this week and I’m struggling to pin point a strong theme or running thread. If I had to choose something then perhaps I’ll go with ‘firsts’ - this week has been filled with so many new experiences that my brain literally feels like it's about to burst.
It started last weekend when I went to New Zealand for my brother's 40th birthday and met his new girlfriend. Lots of people are surprised when I mention I have a brother. I often talk of my sister because I’m so often talking to her - despite the physical distance we’re very much part of each other's lives. My brother however has been on his own journey that hasn’t required a tremendous amount of input from his big sister.
I’m obviously a huge fan of input. I love to get in amongst it so spending the weekend getting to know my brother's first ever serious girlfriend was a real treat. I’m sure my brothers had many relationships over the years but this is the first one that has caused such notable and positive changes in him. He stood taller. He spoke more freely and confidently about the future. He looked better - thanks goodness for partners who become personal stylists.
She bossed him around and held him accountable. And my brother was thriving for it. I’ve seen this several times with male friends over the years. They go from being useless adults to totally functioning members of society all because they found the right partner. Witnessing this transformation in my brother, in the flesh, was worth the 30 something hours I spent in the country.
When I got back it was officially my first week at the Ballarat Tech School as a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Maths) Educator. I was more excited than nervous mainly because I have come into this role with so little experience. If this was a creative director or graphic designer role there would be expectations for me to hit the ground running but since pretty much all of this is new - I’m an all round amateur which is extremely liberating.
There are very few expectations (yet) other than my openness to learn and engage - two things I excel at. I spent my first day in an all staff PD about Cyber Security and how to program computers so we can teach kids how to engage with this huge Lego City that's been wired up to replicate a real town. The objective is to get students to hack into the system and take control of the city (turning power on and off for example). The awesome thing about these types of programs (which is what the Tech School provides) is that we, the staff, have to learn about them first. Not all staff will teach the class obviously but it's beneficial to have most people with an overall understanding.
Coming in as an inquisitive novice has been helpful to mitigate the knowledge bias that often happens when you fill a room with super intelligent people. My knowledge on things like cyber security is closer to that of a 10 year old than a qualified ‘hacker’ that works for the government (who was our presenter of the day). If I can get my head around it then it will be easier to explain to a young person.
On day two I became a qualified first aider. This will come in handy outside of the classroom. On day three, we had our first students for the year which was SO FULL ON! I got the tiniest glimpse into why my teacher friends are so jaded at the end of a school term. I was assisting in two different classes throughout the day and it felt like I was in some kind of sporting match. I came out of my first class feeling like I needed some orange slices and a gatorade.
The energy is so high. From set up to clean up I was firing on all cylinders (in the best possible way). I have so much to learn that everything I’m observing is a learning opportunity. How do you get the attention of a whole class? How do you know if everyone understood the instructions? When do you step into help if a student is struggling? I found that I was drawing on my parent skills more than anything else while with the students.
I had my first moment of helping a student ‘get it’. This young person reminded me of Frank and how he refuses to do something if he doesn’t think he can’t do it. This kid had given up trying to solve the clues we’d given as part of the activity. I’d just completed that activity the day before and said to him that I found it hard as well. I gave him a helpful hint, just enough to make the next stage easier and he cracked the code by himself. He raced off to tell his mates (who had also given up as well) that he knew what to do and they all continued to complete the task together.
“Thanks Miss”
I never thought I’d be on the receiving end of a ‘Miss’ but this first one was particularly special and is hopeful the first of many.
