#thisiswhyEDU
about me
Image credit: Trinity M. Kitto-Astrop
If I am being honest with you, over the past few years my PLN has grown but the amount of content I have created and shared has not. I have taken inspiration from so many wonderful people that put their ideas out there for everyone to see, yet I have given little in return. I am a hypocrite.
If there was such a thing as 'Consumer's Anonymous' I would be weekly attendee. I expect my students to create and share virtually on a daily basis, yet I keep my ideas locked away in my head or in the safety of my teams planning documents. The time has come. No longer can I merely scroll in search of others ideas to adapt and make my own.
It is time to put my money where my mouth is and start sharing some of my content. I shall start with a little personal introductory content. I am a single mum to a confident, headstrong and articulate 7 year old daughter. We are kiwis (New Zealanders) living in Ho Chi Minh City for the past 4 years. Before this I lived and taught for 6.5 years in the place I feel almost equally at home in as in New Zealand and the place of my daughter's birth, Tokyo, Japan.
In Tokyo my major of secondary Japanese language teaching was funnily enough not highly sought after. I could feel my brain cells diminishing in number and my frustration levels increasing each and everyday I was an assistant language teacher in the suburbs of Saitama. It was during this time that a friend introduced me to something called an international school. I had never even heard of this type of school at the time and now I find myself almost 12 years and 3 international schools into the international school circuit.
Teaching in International schools has offered me the opportunity to develop the two most significant elements of my teaching career thus far, I have now taught primary school longer than I ever taught secondary for, but I am very particular about teaching in the uppermost grade available. The second element is the knowledge and experience that I have been able to develop as an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme teacher, and in recent years as an IBEN Workshop Leader and School Visit Team Member.
The opportunities that have been afforded to me as an international school teacher are immeasurable. The diversity in the experiences and skills of the people that I work alongside and learn alongside everyday force you to develop your understanding of yourself and others. I owe it to all those people who inspire me on a daily basis to share their inspiration with a wider audience.