It’s hard to believe that today was the 2nd to last day of DFI! The world around us has changed so much since the 1st session that I was on as part of. Who would have thought that a world-wide pandemic would mean that the course would be changed altogether to allow it to be run on an online basis. As I’ve reflected previously, I think that in many ways these circumstances have given us a much more rich experience of the content at hand, compared with participating in the regular format of the intensive. This has also created a great opportunity for the facilitators to use us participants as testers for the courses which are going to be facilitated on a completely online basis next term and later in the year. Mutually beneficial to all those involved!
Once again, I loved hearing Dorothy’s heart for the Kaupapa on which Manaiakalani was established. The passion and enthusiasm which she demonstrates when speaking through those presentations is always so sincere, and I love to hear it. This week’s content on empowered was a particular highlight for me. Dorothy spoke of the journey on which that aspect of the Kaupapa had taken over the years, replacing the word “Agency” which initially held its place. She spoke about the fact that that word carried a stigma for many within our communities, and that it was often synonymous with unhappy associations and interactions for our whānau. In hearing this thought, I was reminded of a story my Mum had told me from her time working in a women’s refuge. Driving some kids to school one morning, the van stopped at traffic lights, pulling up next to a Police car. Without any hesitation, one of the little voices in the car yelled, “Hide! It’s the cops!”. The child wouldn’t have been older than 10, but even at such a young age, he had already been taught that the Police meant only bad news. That is one of many stories that have stuck with me from my Mum’s work in that sector. Stories, which remind me of those who are most vulnerable in our communities, and stories which motivate me to try harder for our kids. With all that said, I am so heartened by being part of what Manakalani is doing, in order to empower children through education.
It was great to do some work around coding today! One of my other roles in the school this year is to teach Digital Technologies on a Thursday to a tech class. This is a subject that is still quite new to me, and so today’s content was a lot of help. I enjoyed creating using Scratch, and as you’ll see at the bottom of my blog post, I was able to have some fun in the process! I’m very much looking forward to “sandpitting” my way through these sites in order to help make my teaching content more exciting and engaging for my tech class.
I’m looking forward to sitting the Certified Educator exams this week! My intention is to do Level 1 during the week and then hopefully to have a crack at Level 2 on Friday! Wish me luck!
