Moving right along.

Term 3 has come...and gone!   But, what a "cracker".   Evaluation time and a reflective glare at what we did.   What was stunning for me, was to hear the year 6 learners, actually use the words of learning...talking about their thinking... when they wanted to spell a word in their blogs.   I have worked hard to infiltrate their minds with the term, "how words word" as opposed to using that horrible word...spelling.   I hate it with a vengeance, because it brings with it, horrors, tremors and other unmentionable "feelings" for many learners.   It haunts those that cannot "do it" well.   It is a favourite of parents and I hate to add, some teachers, as one of the first comments about their written literacy.   Thank goodness we have deeper and surface features in our vocabulary when reviewing written language in our schools now!   Thank goodness we have exemplars to use as guides, as to what learners are acturally able to do, in different genre.  


I was fortunate enough to be trained as a Reading Recovery teacher, back in 1991, when I was teaching at Lake Rotoma school, 30 minutes out of Rotorua,NZ on the way to Whakatane.   I hadn`t taken any particular notice to the term, "how words work" until then.   Used it, but not really reflected, on how massive that term is.   I undertook the speld training in 1997 and learned even more about how important it is, for learners to understand how words work...for many literate reasons.   For dyslexic learners, having to look at and learn how words work can be a "biggie", but thanks to the ever-increasing number of ICT tools, particularly, web 2.0 tools, there is a myriad of reasons for everybody to get their ideas, thoughts and thinking out there, for others to read and enjoy.

R.I.P. Lucy (May 1993-Sept 2010)

Tuesday 21 September, dawned a wet, cold and windy day in Rotorua, NZ.   Not complaining...I could have been in Christchurch or Southland, who were being blanketed with snow and had lost the roof of their stadium!   However, Lucy, the half tabby and half tortoise-shell cat, 17 human years old, had reached a stage, where her list of ailments and their consequences had become too long.   J. and I decided we`d get the vet to advise us, however, we really knew the only outcome...best for Lucy.  So at 3.31 pm, the vet put the needle into the vein on her right foot...with 3 of us holding her, she fought to the end...it was a matter of 2-3 seconds before the lethal concoction hit her heart and her wee tongue protruded from her mouth...marking the end of her life as she`d known it.   We patted her and felt the warmth escape from her little, still body.   G. checked her heart after several minutes and announced that she had "gone".   J. and I bundled her into one of her favourite sleeping sites...a sleeveless, woolen pull-over and we put her into the carrying crate.   I paid for the "deed" and we drove home.   J. dug a hole under one of her favourite sunning places, we said the Serenity prayer and placed her in the ground, covered her over and added two freisias on top.
Farewell Lucy...you were a fine, little friend, who was so easy to care for and to have in our lives.   We love you and always will.