Putting the record straight

Last night on Q&A our genius new education minister claimed this paper wasn't in the 2013-14 budget papers. Tony Burke MP found it and posted it today.

Samples of Carbonel craft

Cauldron

Witches hat

Melbourne Cup activity from Paula's Place

Model raft for Swiss Family Robinson

Final secret cave model for Bush Bandits

Another Percy Jackson monopoly game finished.

Hooray 53000 views!

Rookeepers incursion

Today the Rookeepers ( Michael) came out to Glen Park to talk to the kids about snakes and reptiles and also on what to do if they are bitten by a snake.

Michael also brought out a couple of dingoes for us to interact with. We learnt a lot about venomous snakes, first aid, native lizards and how wild dingoes are.

Michael with snakes, dingoes, lizards, after treating a student for snake bite and holding his very long black-headed Python.

Me with the dingoes. ( The kids always cut off my head when they take photos of me.)

FASD in Australia

How many children in our schools have permanent brain damage as a result of FASD? It is under-diagnosed in Australia. In the US and Canada it has been diagnosed and treated as a disability for decades.It has been known about internationally for decades. it is particularly devastating on aboriginal communities.(Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS), Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND), Static Encephalopathy Alcohol Exposed (SEAE) and Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD) are all names for a spectrum of disorders caused when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. FASD is 100% preventable. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, don't drink any beverage alcohol. There is no known safe level)

FASD in Canada:

The incidence of FASD exceeds 10% of our children. FASD is the full spectrum of disorders caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. The incidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (with the classic facial features) is about 1%. Facial features are determined around the third week of pregnancy, so if the mother was not drinking at that time, the facial features can be quite normal, but the neurological damage can be as severe.

Based on Statistics Canada's "Canadian Community Health Survey" and their Birth and Population statistics for the concurrent period, It is likely that 37% of babies have been exposed to multiple episodes of binge drinking (5+ drinks per session) during pregnancy. An additional 42% have been multiply exposed to 1 to 4 drinks per session during pregnancy.

Prenatal alcohol exposure has been linked to more than 60 disease conditions, birth defects and disabilities. Damage is a diverse continuum from mild intellectual and behavioural issues to profound disabilities or premature death. Prenatal alcohol damage varies due to volume ingested, timing during pregnancy, peak blood alcohol levels, genetics and environmental factors. 

Cascade  Ethanol interacts with more than 1000 different genes and cell events, including cell signalling, transport and proliferation. Alcohol supresses serotonin production. Serotonin suppression causes loss of neurons and glia, inducing excessive cell death during normal programmed death (apoptosis) or triggering apoptosis at inappropriate times leading to smaller or abnormal brain structures with fewer connections between brain cells, leading to fewer cells for dopamine production, leading to problems with addiction, memory, attention and problem solving, and more pronounced conditions such as schizophrenia.

Approximately 20% of Canadian school age children are receiving special education services, most for conditions of types known to be caused by prenatal alcohol exposure.

As FASD is a diverse continuum, issues range from almost imperceptible to profound. It is somewhere in the middle that the issues attract the attention of parents, educators, medical and social work professionals, and eventually the justice system. Most of the issues that attract sufficient attention are behavioural and performance issues.

It is probable that 10% to 15% of children are significantly enough affected by prenatal alcohol exposure to require special education. As they become adults, FASD does not disappear but the issues of youth translate into ongoing problems in family relationships, employment, mental health and justice conflicts. The cost to the individuals affected, their families and society are enormous and as a society, we cannot afford to ignore them.

From: http://www.faslink.org

Finished tree houses

Spring planting

Emily came up today to start some spring planting with the kids ( zucchini, tomatoes, corn and strawberries) 

I also started a sample art task for the Bush Bandits while the paper mâché material was still set up. 

This is a tree-house cave. It needs to dry today and I'll finish it off tomorrow.

One of the grade 5s 'Monopoly style' gameboards.

The trials of the introverted teacher

A story from the Guardian Teacher Network

Teaching is a performance; those of us who do it every day are well aware of this. We smile on cue like seasoned actors; we storm and rant when needed, making our audience cry or blush or stop in their tracks. We can make a room explode with laughter or render it silent.

But although some teachers draw energy and enthusiasm from this, there are a huge number who leave the classroom drained and exhausted – not from the physiological effects of the long hours, but the psychological effects of sustained human interaction.

We are the introverts. We are capable of brilliant classroom performances like any other teacher, but the wiring of our brains makes us more reactive than other people. Ask yourself this: do you notice when lights are too bright? Do you find the constant clamour of the classroom wearing, even at levels that others may find perfectly acceptable? Do you enjoy deep conversations and relationships, but struggle to make small talk? And, crucially, do you seek solitude and silence after a long day at work?

If so, you may be an introvert. This means that your brain can become overstimulated by some types of sensory input, but in particular by interacting with other people.

For me, some days are torturous. A brief chat at breaktime with a colleague leaves me resentful that my only quiet time has been wasted. An open classroom door during a free period makes me feel like I am under scrutiny. Wet breaks are a particular problem.

I work in a lovely, warm, small school where lunch is provided for all staff in the refectory. For most, this is a welcome chance to recharge with food, and chit-chat. For me, it requires an act of will to mix with people during my breaks – no matter how friendly they are.

Luckily, help is at hand. We may be a long way from being able to comfortably discuss these issues over the lunch table (I worry that my behaviour will be misinterpreted as being anti-social), but there are measures we introverts can take to improve our working lives.

First, acknowledge the advantages that you bring to the job. As an introvert, you are naturally suited to reflection, evaluation and thoughtfulness – all essential qualities for a teacher. You can easily become weighed down with worry about what others (parents, colleagues, students, bosses) may think of you, but this is the road to burnout, so try to avoid it. On the other hand, your desire for a quiet environment may make you adept at classroom management because you are skilled at reading the room.

The second thing you can do is find yourself what Susan Cain – the author of Quiet, an excellent book on introversion – calls a “restorative niche”, where you can recharge in relative peace throughout the day. Some will be lucky enough to have a private office or unused classroom – for others, me included, the toilets are the first port of call. Whether it’s a physical or a mental space that you need, claim it. For me, this sometimes involves being merely on time instead of five minutes early for a meeting; as an introvert, I know that those five minutes of small talk are harder on me than the rest of the meeting.

Finally, make sure the rest of your life (some teachers do have them) is geared as much as possible around rest and recuperation from socialising. Try to plan commitments around what you feel you are able to handle, knowing that you will have a full week of interacting with people at school. If you need to, save catching up with friends and family for the holidays.

Above all, be kind to yourself – you are not anti-social, or highly strung, but a sensitive personality who gives so much of yourself in the classroom that you need time and space in your own head to recuperate. You’re in good company.