8 February 2013

We have lift-off, Pascale!

How about kicking off with a short explanation for the raison d'être of this blog.? When I told you that I was about to return to the classroom after an absence of 7 years, your first reaction was to suggest that this would make interesting material for a blog. Considering the failure of your previous attempts to get me blogging and tweeting, I admire your optimism. Pontificating into the ether is just not my style. Ever since the age of 11 when I successfully defended my right not to keep a diary as a class exercise, I've known that the one-sided conversation is not for me. It would be like looking into a non-reflecting mirror. The two-sided conversation, though, is a different ball game. Years of correspondence squirreled away in cupboards attest to the fact that I love letter-writing. As long as it's a conversation rather than a monologue then there's much more chance of longevity. It also strikes me as a good collaborative model. So here we go..... The debate started with the title of our blog. How to come up with something that reflected what we were planning to do...'Back to the Drawing Board' was about the 10th suggestion and the only one that was mutually satisfactory. Maybe it was inspired by the very process itself! The description involved an equally lengthy rally of pruning and pondering until we were happy with it. OK. Over to you, as I'm dying to hear all about the ICOT conference you went to in Wellington recently.
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2 comments:

  1. Good intro which sets our scene Ruth! And was this title 10th or 30th on the list? I have to add that your 7 year absence from the classroom corresponds to your years as National Adviser for French... And for these 7 years I too have not been in the classroom either! So here is for my accountability and legitimacy! Yes I am so keen to follow your "Going Back to School". Hoping to be a bit there with you also, a sort of distance collaborative teacher, and above all capturing the learning and reflecting here! Will start ICOT download shortly. It's a big one! A+

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  2. I'm sure that our correspondence will help to boost the morale at those inevitable moments when it comes under siege from the usual administrative and structural constraints (such as starting work at 8.30am arrrgghhh, and having the day divided into 50 minute slots and just getting into something when the bell goes arrrghh and tiresome meetings [yawn]) from which I've been joyfully exempt for 7 years. I hope you're ready to be heavily leaned on!! As for your 7 years, you can hardly say you've been resting on your laurels, you knowledge-sponge!

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Let's go Back to the Drawing Board!