#thing11

I think that being a connected educator is about connecting with the people around you and using these relationships to benefit from. I believe that if you are in someone's life, it is for you to be learning from them and bettering yourself, or for them to be learning from you and bettering themselves.  

Currently, I am connected to my university friends who are also studying a bachelor of PE as we are able to develop ideas together and share thoughts and reflect on our assignments, or practices. This is especially important during our weeks of placement as we are able to share lesson plans and ideas and help each other out if it is a topic we have previously taught in past years. 

I am also connected to other friends who are studying at university but in different subjects. I am able to have deep and interesting conversations with them about something outside of the educational world which I can bring into my practice, or can learn about and explore completely different topics. 

I am also connected to my parents as they are always offering new knowledge and perspectives which is insightful as they are from a different generation. 

  It’s been a bit of a struggle to keep up with the Rudai 23 tasks, but I’m really pleased that I’ve been taking part.  It’s been a bit of a juggling act, as I’m completing my portfolio which I’m hoping to submit before our wedding, which is just less than ten weeks away.  I’ve found it tricky to get anything done in the evenings, and so I am relying on getting the things done at weekends, so the odd busy weekend has set me back unfortunately - and they’re only going to get busier from now on I fear!  But I know that many others are in the same boat, and we’re all working at different rates, and often, for me at least, in a totally different order. 

  I found catching up backwards, from whichever point I was at when I sat down to work, has been a good way to catch up, as I’ve never felt that I was at a point where I was completely behind and utterly out of step with everyone else.  Having to write a blog post for each thing has been really good for me, as it does force you to take extra time out to consider the topic that you’re focusing on, it doesn’t let me get flippant as I really have to immerse myself in them.  And it’s been more beneficial than I had anticipated, I’m pretty chuffed with what I’ve learned!  I’ve found myself using Twitter increasingly, and looking out for more library twitter chats, I’m mentally preparing for Tuesday’s Twitter UKlibchat.  As it’s at 6.30-8.30pm I’m not entirely sure of the practicalities, I don’t think my other half would be too impressed with sharing the dinner table with my laptop.

  ‘Let it all go’ unfortunately describes the state of my house at the moment!  I decided when I turned thirty (In July) that I needed to get my head down, and finish my portfolio over and above everything else.  But to do that, other things have to not get done, and I’m beginning to dread looking under the sofas it’s been so long since I cleaned under them properly – just hope I don’t have any visitors for a week or so while I finish that last stretch...

  In terms of time management I have generally given myself a thing and a piece of portfolio evidence to complete per day off.  I have been pushing myself to complete this, even if it’s not quite 100% as I would like it to be, as my worst habit is to procrastinate when I don’t feel like things are looking exactly as I would like them to be.  So I’m aiming for good enough, rather than perfection.  And I hadn’t noticed the catch up week in September; that is a wonderful thing!!  I still have thing 6, thing 9, and thing 10 to complete, so I’m getting there.

This is a hard topic for me as I just don’t listen to much music.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy music, I do.  I just never take the time to put some on.  I savor the moments of quiet when I get them, so tend not to fill them up with music.  My husband, on the other hand, has introduced our kids to a wide variety of music genres, which I love.  I have used Pandora in the past and found it fun and easy to use (especially when searching for new kids music or holiday music).  I liked that it would pull up different songs based on my likes.