Making mistakes

A few days ago, I made the first significant mistake of my teaching career. I won't go into specifics. Suffice it to say that parents were upset, damage control needed to be done, and I was absolutely devastated.

It was a careless mistake; one made by a frazzled mind. Occasionally you hear about parents who accidentally leave their infant in the car on a scorching hot day and return to find them lifeless. I once read a long article on the topic that brought to light just how possible it is for something like that to happen to absolutely anyone, no matter how diligent they usually are. It's terrifying.

I feel fortunate that my mistake (no, I didn't leave a child in a hot car) didn't lead to any grave consequences, and that it shook me up enough to never let it happen again. In that sense, it's a blessing. A chance for me to learn an important lesson without first having to hit rock bottom.

The next day, I was continually reminded by my colleagues and superiors that it was over and forgotten, and that the only important thing is everyone's ok. Of course, it hasn't been forgotten or else it wouldn't keep coming up in conversation, but actually I think it's important that it hasn't. Forgive, but not forget. Remember, but move on. That's how we all learn.

I'm lucky to be working with such a supportive team, and I'm also lucky to have good timing. We're on a one week break now, which should hopefully give me the chance to recover emotionally and begin the rest of the term on a better foot.

If you've ever made a careless mistake, what were the consequences? How did you feel about it? How did others feel about it? How do you feel when others make mistakes? Do you think we're too quick to condemn or too quick to forgive?

Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn

In certain African traditions, music and dance are synonymous. To make music is to dance and to dance is to make music. I've always felt the same way about teaching and learning. To me, they are inseparable.

As a teacher and a learner, I spend a great deal of time thinking about education and how it can be improved. Although I already write a personal blog where I sometimes post my musings on this topic, I've finally decided it deserves an outlet of its own. So here it is.

I'd love for this to be a cozy space, full of idea exchanges and discussion. After all, that's what teaching and learning are all about. So please, pull up a chair, introduce yourself, and make yourself at home.

As for me, I'm a 27 year old Learning Support Assistant who moved to the UK from Canada just over a year ago. Currently I'm supporting children with Autism in a nursery school and I absolutely love my job, but I also have ambitious long-term plans that will eventually involve me opening my own school for exceptional children. I have a lot of learning and thinking to do before I get to that point, and I suppose that's a big part of why I've started this blog.

There's a great big world of knowledge and wisdom out there on the subject of teaching, and I aim to tap into it and make sense of it as best as I can. I hope you will join me. Welcome to Edifying Education.