Magic Moments

In the last couple of years I have formed a new habit - capturing magic moments that occur at our sports carnivals. By magic moments I mean those "Wow!" and "Yes!" moments when a student or group of students do something that makes you proud. Sport has the ability to bring out the best in all of us - whether we are the champions or we finish last. All along the continuum there is the potential for amazing, magic moments that make all the effort of putting together a sporting event worthwhile.

Let me give you an example:

At my recent athletics carnival I was taking a moment to watch he end of a year 3 boys 400m race. It was taking place in the middle of the day, and after many events already it was understandable that some students were struggling to find the energy to finish with a jog. One boy in particular was lagging well behind the others. Our 400m races are not compulsory, so I was already proud that so many kids volunteered to have a go, and do their bit for their faction.

But what happened next blew me away.

This boy was walking down the straight. Slowly. All those who had finished the race noticed him and began to cheer him on, as did all the spectators. The cheering built up, as more and more people began to notice that 'one of ours' needed support. Then - two of his friends who had finished already, ran back up the track to meet him. They put their arms around his shoulders and jogged him to the finish line to an enormous applause.

Wow!

This is a magic moment. And it did not come from a medal winner or champion - it came from last place!

It stirs emotions in me as I write this. So proud. Sports carnivals provide the opportunity for these acts to be seen and felt. And there were countless other moments throughout the two days of events.

I now keep a notebook in my pocket on carnival days so I can write down when these moments occur, because I share them with the audience at presentation time. I point out individuals who demonstrate the values that we strive for at our carnivals - creativity, excellence, resilience and respect. I also ask my staff to keep an eye out for these magic moments too. Just being alert to these makes them more noticeable.

I encourage you to do the same. Keep an eye out for those magic moments and celebrate them.

My Blue Hat

This is not a reference to the 6 hats of thinking by Edward de Bono, but rather a method I use in the classroom to help my teaching.

I am a PE teacher, but on Thursdays I am in a year 4 classroom, while the regular teacher occupies an IT role at our school (@Kalinda_Knight). Like all classrooms it has it's challenges, the most noticeable for me being the constant demand for your attention. Sometimes the demand is legitimate, with students needing assistance or asking a question. The demand is constant, and it can be difficult to speak to student A when students B, C and D are pressing you with their own needs. Sometimes you just need a solid 30 seconds or 1 minute with a student so you can slow down and address a problem, or explain a concept.

Enter the blue hat. It is a bright blue cap that I had at home and brought to school to experiment with. I explained to the class that when the cap is on my head, it means do not disturb. It means I am working with someone else and it is THEIR time with me. I need to spend a moment with this student uninterrupted. When I am finished with the student, the cap comes off and you can raise your hand or approach me with your needs.

It is explained to the class that while I am occupied with the blue cap on, students are encouraged to attempt to solve their own issues themselves. Independence and initiative will hopefully be one of the outcomes of this method. I find that too often students use my brain to solve the simplest issues, rather than their own. Hopefully the blue cap will foster an environment of problem solving and resilience.

So far it has worked well. The students have accepted that when the blue cap is on, a classmate has my attention. They accept this because they know that their time to have my attention will come shortly. The uninterrupted time with students, even if just for a minute has been valuable and rewarding. I can take the time to check for understanding, and draw out ideas and thoughts from my students, particularly the quiet and compliant ones in my class.