Back to school, and into Talking Teaching

Back to school indeed, this time as a student. How long has it been?

The last time that I sat in class as a student, there was no internet, no guitar hero, and no DVDs. (Having said that, it was really not that far ago!).

So what made me go back to school?

I waslucky to get tickets to go to TEDxAKL last year, where I heard Brenda Frisk for the first time. One phrase she said got stuck in my mind:

“Everyone has been educated so they think they understand education”

I was a ‘student’ for a total of 30 years (started at the age of 2 and graduated with my PhD at the age of 32). I have been teaching in tertiary education since 1988, and before that I had worked as a kindergarten, primary and secondary school teacher. So it comes to not surprise that Brenda’s statement resonated with me so much: I do not know a life outside of the education sector.

But do I understand education?

Well, there was one way of finding that out: Go back to school; I have now enrolled for a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice.

As part of the course, we are asked to keep a ‘teaching journal’, and this is how, after chatting with Alison and Marcus, this blog came to be. Unfortunately, this blog was also born as I headed towards what was to become one of the hardest teaching challenges I have ever had. So, between writing the blog and keeping my job, I chose the latter.

But I am here now, and I hope that this space will allow me to ponder about all things education that cross my mind as I navigate both being a student and a teacher and those experiences or readings that challenge my views about education.

Like Alison and Marcus, I also hope this space will be one of discussion and learning.
So that is me. For now.