Thoughts from a one month old teacher

What a journey this year has been. I began work this year on 15 Jan with teacher in-service training, and on 28 Jan the students started back at school and the real teaching began. This year I have 5 science classes - a year 7 girls class, two year 8 classes, a year 9 class and a year 9 science extension class. My class sizes range from 21 to 30. Fairly decent. Honestly, the thing which I found most daunting was having to memorise over 100 new names. Because this is not my strength, I made it my top priority, and am pleased to say that after two and a half weeks of actual class teaching, I know at least 90% of them by name. Maybe 50% by their full name. It's a start.

So far all we've been covering is pretty introductory stuff - establishing the fundamentals of science like the scientific method, what makes a test fair, etc. I'm looking forward to getting deeper into specific content, and in particular with exploring the philosophy of science. I really want my students to not only do science but also to think about science. And by that I don't just mean thinking about scientific things or thinking in a scientific way, but thinking about the nature of science and being able to perceive its presuppositions and limitations. How I will achieve that, I'm not actually sure, but it's my goal nonetheless.

Northside Christian College is a fantastic school. I don't know if it's even possible to communicate just how great a school it is. I'm aware that I don't really have many schools to compare it to, but from what I've heard, it doesn't get much better than this. The staff are overwhelmingly supportive, yet not dominatingly so, which means every teacher has the freedom to spread their wings and really fly, yet not fear that they will ever find themselves with no one to turn to when they're lost. It's truly hard to imagine a safer work environment.

Again, while I have only been in this school for a month, it appears to me that this unity is not superficial. What ultimately binds and bonds everyone in the school is their love for Jesus and their commitment to kids. Our principal told us at the start of the year that if we do nothing this year but love God and love the students, we've done pretty well (my paraphrase). I can't agree more.

Full time work has been tiring though. Having been on holidays for about 4 years straight (ok, uni did have its hard times, but on a whole, uni students can't complain), it was quite a change, but I'm getting used to it. In fact, I'm quite enjoying it. I've eased quite comfortably into the routine of sleeping at 1045pm and waking at 645am. I woke up today at 830 which was quite a sleep-in! There's this sense of satisfaction after having done a hard day's work, and understandably so since God did create us to work and find fulfillment from it. Given that your work is God-glorifying, that is.

So that's how I've been, on the teaching front. In a couple of weeks I'll be off on a year 8 camp, and 5 weeks from that I'll have a two week holiday over Easter. Can't complain ;) I'll really be needing that break though because Claire and I are planning to move house over those two weeks. Hopefully we manage to get some rest too.

It's funny to think how many highs and lows I've already had in my teaching career - the whole 3 weeks of it! You can have fantastic lessons one day that make you feel on top of the world, and then horrid lessons the next which make you wonder why you ever chose to become a teacher. Very weird. But I've been well prepared for this, so it didn't take me by surprise. I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that teachers generally put a lot of themselves into the lesson (plus the hours preparing for it) so if the lesson doesn't turn out well, it feels like you've failed. It's kind of like your moment on stage - stuff it up, and it all feels like a waste of time. Conversely, if it goes well, you're as happy as can be. I'll gradually need to learn to not stake so much of my feelings into my lessons, and judge my sense of worth from my perceived performance! It's not about me. Yet (and this is where I detract from many people) it's not even about the kids either. It's all about God (because if he exists, then life is all about him), and about whether I gave a lesson that glorified him. I still have a long way to go, but I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Bible in 90 days - my next venture?

Having finished biblein2008 last year, I have now read the bible three times. Yet every time I read it, it felt like I was reading it for the first time. There were countless passages that seemed completely new to me, and even still when I hear passages preached on or quoted, many of them feel unfamiliar. No doubt this is due in part to my poor memory and the largeness of the bible, but I think it's a good reminder that you can never get enough of it! Hudson Taylor, the great English missionary to China, read the bible more than 40 times in his life. And what amazing things God did through him!

To me, it's about putting your money where your mouth is. If you have heard of the historical account of Jesus and have been convinced that he is who he said he is, you'd only want to find out more about God, and what better way to do that than by listening to him! If the bible is really God's word, why wouldn't you read it? Even if only to see if it makes sense. Even if only to check that it holds together and paints an accurate picture of our world today. Not reading the bible is possibly tantamount to you seeing God speak and purposely covering your ears, so that you can continue on your way and say you never heard him.

This might be my next venture, some time this year. About 15 chapters of the bible a day, with the view of completing the entire book in 90 days. I might see if I can get some friends to do it with me. May I encourage you to consider this too in your churches, small groups, or individually. The Bible in 90 Days website has lots of resources to support this.