First Term up to now .....

It is only the second month of th term, but things have changed spo drastically that I need to write about it to make sense of it all.

At the end of last year, the principal decided to divide each grade into ability groups and each teacher would have an ability group. We all agreed that we would trial run it this year and implement it permanently if it worked. I was then given one of the 2 middle group classes for Gr.1 as there are 4 Gr.1 classes and only 3 of every other grade.

When the Gr. 1 teachers met up to start planning our baseline assessment at the beginning of the year, we realised that dividing the learners according to ability groups would be unfair towards the teacher who had the weakest class, therefore we consulted with the principal and it was decided that the classes would be split from Gr. 2 onwards.

We then went about our planning for baseline assessment to make ability groups in the class and to see what learners were capable of. I will be the first to admit that it took me the entire time that we were assessing to bond with my children. I found that I missed the children from last year, I think mainly because they could work happily and quietly by the end of the year and did not need my guidance on every issue or assignment.

Baseline assessment ended on 4 February and Monday I was excited to start formal teaching with my class. I had divided everybody into their groups and had prepared their activities accordingly. I even managed to have all 4 groups on the mat for group teaching.

.......

Then on Monday afternoon I was thrown for a loop - they had decided to put all the intervention* learners in one class. And that would be my class.
*(learners with learning disabilities and that needed extra attention and would probably need more time in Gr. 1)

I only realised the next day when all the new learners arrived in my class how attached I had become to the ones that left. I still miss having them, but find little quirks in the new learners to love everyday.

I am starting to adjust to the slower pace of the intervention class and I do enjoy not having to drill my children to have to learn a certain amount of work in a certain amount of time. they will get there eventually, but I will have an adventure with them along the way to get them on that road.

=)