Teach Primary Issue 18.7

Q A & 1 What is your idea of perfect happiness in your job? Taking a step back for a moment and observing my classroom buzzing with the cheerful hum of engaged and happy children, each tackling tasks in their own unique and imaginative ways. It feels like a wonderful celebration of individuality. Watching your pupils’ excitement and creativity unfold and their confidence bloom in their learning is truly what makes teaching so rewarding. 2 What is your greatest fear at work? Somehow losing track of a child! No matter how carefully I count heads, or come up with clever ways to keep track of them all, there is always one child who’s crept under the table playing hide and seek. Meanwhile, someone else has moved to the back of the line without anyone realising, or has been dancing in the bathroom for ten minutes, blissfully unaware the rest of the class are on their way to assembly. 3 What is your current state of mind? I’m in a state of hopeful anticipation as the new school year begins. I’m excited to see how things will unfold, and curious about how the children will grow, change and surprise us in new ways. I’m also wondering what memories we might create together and what experiences might occur that will shape our journey throughout the year. 6 Which words or phrases do you most overuse with your class? I might just have a few go-to phrases that I overuse with my children, like “123, look at me”, “Criss-cross, apple sauce”, “Hands on top, that means stop” and, my favourite, “Let’s make our brains grow!”. Sometimes, the phrases get a little mixed up and make very little sense, but somehow they still do the job... 7 What do you consider your greatest teaching achievement? I think my greatest achievement has been learning how to build strong relationships with my children. Over my teaching career, I’ve learnt that this is the most important thing. Getting to know the children and creating trustful connections allows them to feel safe, secure and comfortable, and this is what sets the stage for all learning to truly take off. 8 What is your most treasured teaching possession? Mr. Flamingo – a small, pink and fluffy toy. He is loved by pupils of all ages, from Reception to Year 6, and often takes on the role of ‘Teacher number 2’. Funnily enough, even though Mr Flamingo is a silent observer, sometimes, he seems to have more authority than I do! 4 What do you consider the most overrated teacher virtue? The idea of ‘always having to get it done.’ Sometimes – well, often – despite our best intentions, things don’t go as planned. And that’s perfectly fine. There can often be a lot of pressure to meet every goal and complete every task, but I think it’s important to remember that there will be days when neither the teacher nor the children will be able to ‘get things done’ as intended. However, this does not mean that learning or, more importantly, happy learning hasn’t taken place. Sometimes, the most valuable experiences come from those unplanned moments. 5 On what occasion do you lie to your class? I once told my class that the electricity wasn’t working one day. In a world overflowing with technological distractions, it seemed like a great excuse for a break. I told the children that we needed to generate our own power through creativity and reading lots of books. I promised the class that our interactive whiteboard and tablets would magically start working again the next day if we did so. We take the famous Proust questionnaire and pose eight of its questions to a fellow educator. Take a peek into the deepest depths of a teacher’s soul... NAME: Sophie Kalinauckas JOB ROLE: Primary school teacher 82 | www.teachwire.net F EATURE S BACK PAGE “Sometimes, the most valuable experiences come from unplanned moments”