A few thoughts

I’m pondering. I do like that word: “to ponder”. As it’s a Sunday, I’m pondering about what to do in my two classes tomorrow, although I have a vague idea. This time last year, the thought of teaching based on ‘vague ideas’ would have filled me with dread; my habit back then was to write a detailed teaching plan for each lesson. But only one year later (a year and a half into my teaching career), it’s all that bit easier. Not that easy, having said that; I’m still sat here on a Sunday morning, intending to correct an endless pile of tests and essays…

Other questions on my mind currently include the summer holiday, where to go?

• Austria again? The company’s always good & the scenery’s fantastic, but I never do that much caving.
• Ethiopia; a new caving expedition? It would be worth it to see a different country, in fact a new continent, but it’s a big unknown, unlike Austria which is tried and tested.
• Somewhere else? On my own? Have tried this, last summer I had a week cycling from the Dolomites to Venice. The cycling itself was excellent, but I missed company in the evening.
• There’s always the Dales Way, failed to complete this last summer, partly because I vastly overestimated how far I could walk in the first day. But this should only take a week….

And then there’s the question of what to study?

• More English? A part time Masters in English sounds quite interesting. But am I better improving my knowledge of the single subject I can teach, or taking on something new?
• For example “samfunnsfag”, a mixture of geography, history & politics. Could do it part time in Hønefoss (but the deadline is coming up), could take modules as a net-based course (but this would end up costing Kr. 50,000).
• Then there’s mentoring, something that the Norwegian Government is starting to think seriously about, in order to bridge the gap between teacher training and real-life teaching. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a mentor for the past year and a bit, and am looking at training to become a mentor myself. Not sure I have all the answers though.
• Special-needs education. It would be great to have a better idea of how to help pupils with reading difficulties.

Hmm.