Getting to know my students again

Last week, I was on year 7 camp. That was such a delight, despite missing my family a lot. I was interacting with my students without regard for their academic abilities or lack thereof. It was quite a refreshing change.

One of my roles was to dress up as a bear - a friendly one such as the bears seen on children programs. The students were to go on a long night walk where they would try to spot wild life - Koalas, Kangaroos, etc... Instead, they saw a bear which scared and then entertained them. It was interesting:

• One group attacked me to find out who was inside the bear suit. They then told the next group and spoiled the surprise.
• The next group, who were looking out for me, attacked me to confirm it was Mr E! I teach that group and when I asked them not to tell the next groups, they took it on board. Their supervising teacher later told me that they kept reminding each other not to tell. It was nice to hear. Sure enough, the next group was taken by surprise.
• One group required me to "ham it up" for half a minute before they realised there must be a person underneath the suit. They walked off sure that it was Mr. C, another teacher on camp!
  

I got word of one of my other students getting out of her shell on camp. She is normally extremely shy and withdrawn. Her mum told me that she never went to primary school camps as she was not comfortable to do so. This time around, she went all the way on the giant swing.

Happy days! The most important thing is that when I told one of my year 7 classes today that we needed to move on with the curriculum, they listened and worked well. The way they could shift gears was truly impressive.

May all your students be as beautiful in every way as my year 7s.