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A visit to KG2

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This is why we teach!

International School Principal James Pastore writes about a recent visit to an Early Years classroom where the children were being taught by an enthusiastic and talented young teacher.

I have just finished a great observation of a new teacher in KG2 (super new. Right out of uni new. A “fresher” for you UK lot! 😉).

She and her TA were a seamless educational ‘machine.’

I was so impressed! Today was more work on the letter M and the number 4 (adding and subtracting too!).

We do our observations . . . unannounced . . . 

. . . on a multi-page rubric, with evaluative words we must use and with boxes to tick.
So yeah, you might have parsed out of the last paragraph that I’m not a fan of how obs are done and never have been in any school where as a teacher I was subjected to them and as an administrator mandated to do them.

However . . .

The saving grace of mandated observations is that they force a principal to be in the classroom for a full lesson. . .

And . . .

That does permit principals to see magic when magic happens.

Which it does.

Even from a new teacher.

A fresher.

2 months into her career.

Teaching M and the number four to five children who were;

  • Engaged
  • Engrossed
  • Invigorated
  • Thriving

I loved that lesson!

As a bonus, when I left the room two class sections of KG1 were onstage practicing for an upcoming assembly.

So, I had the joy of watching a group of educators – TAs, teachers, assistants – guiding their children through:

It was lovely to watch for a minute and feel the smile stretching my face!!!

I’m still smiling as I type this and await an online KHDA (the Knowledge and Human Development Authority – our regulator in Dubai) training meeting to start.

KG matters.

Teachers and TAs matter.

And every time I see a KG lesson on the letter M I think of a short video from Sesame Street from 50+ years ago . . .



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