Wow, hard to believe I know. Nothing for more than a week, then more than one post in the same night!
Someone take my temperature!
I have always been so lucky to be on a continuous learning journey, as in my work I am regularly receiving excellent professional development ( and some not so good) and have been fortunate to have listened to and met some of the leading educators in Australia, as well as a few with world recognition.
Along the way I have also done a lot of study that has also helped me.
And how can I forget the trips to New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and Finland that were all directly related to my role.
All of these experiences have left an indelible mark on me, and not for a second am I not grateful to have been part of them.
So what has happened lately, and what is coming up?
Last week, the Principal of my school and our Literacy Learning Leader went up to Sydney at very short notice to attend the LEAP Conference, which was all about how to build an effective professional learning community (PLC's)
With only a few days to plan our trip and get our bookings done, we were off.
The conference opened with a keynote address from Professor John Hattie, a world leader in defining the things that have an effect on the child's learning.
John delivered a compelling address that challenged us and really got us thinking.
After grabbing a coffee we then headed into our next workshop, and as all the tables were taken, the three of us grabbed a seat down the back.
Imagine my surprise and disbelief when someone came and sat in the spare seat beside me and greeted me with a warm hello.
It was none other than John Hattie himself!!!
How excited was I !!!
Anyway, after a quick chat, the workshop was about to begin and the organisers came down to us and insisted that we find a seat at a table. My colleagues and I obeyed, but John just parked himself. They weren't game to ask him a second time to move!
So that was my brush with fame last week.
But it wasn't all totally serious!
As we got to the airport early, we had time to go to a bar and relax with a drink before our flight to Sydney. As we finished our drinks, Tim said he had to visit the toilet, and asked us to watch his bags while he went.
Well, the second he was out of sight we just grabbed all of our bags and bolted to another part of the terminal about 60 meters away, where we could still see where we had been sitting, wetting ourselves laughing all the time.
We had to lay low when Tim came back as he nearly walked past us, and to watch him get to our table and realise what was going on was priceless. He just kept looking around with a wry smile on his face while Nat and I rolled around in hysterics. Eventually we rang him and called him over, but from that moment on I never left my bags out of my sight and took them with me when I needed a toilet stop. No way was I trusting those two!!!
I also organised something for Tim to do on the plane so that he wouldn't get bored as the picture shows.
A bit of colouring for Tim on the plane.
And on the way home we hardly spoke as we pored over the books that were bought at the conference.
We didn't get back to Bendigo until after 10.30 that night, so rest assured that we were all a little sluggish the next day. It was a quick trip, but well worth it.
This week I'm off to hear another world renown speaker by the name of Brendan Spillane. Relax though, it will only be an hour up the road at Echuca, I'm not even leaving the state!.
I heard him speak a few months ago and he too was compelling, and this is the second part in a series of talks he is giving to Principals and Deputy Principals in our zone.
Brendan speaks to all sorts of organisations, not just in Education. The New Zealand Rugby team for example is one of his clients, and we all know how dominant they have been over a long period of time.
My brother Peter who is a Principal in Brisbane was fortunate enough to hear him speak at a conference just last week.
I won't be stalking him for a selfie, trust me!!
And this week I will also be spending time in classes working with the kids and their teachers, and that is where some of the most important learning of all will be taking place.
Until y next post...
Cheers!
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