Teaching_Metaphors_and_Perspectives

Teaching Metaphors and Perspectives TEPS703-10C Graeme Reid id: 9536258 Bodyboarding has been a constant in my life that has lead me around New Zealand, the world, to many different experiences, and have meet many different people. So, now that I’m moving into a new career and stage of my life, I’m hoping teaching will be as long and rewarding as Bodyboarding has been to me. My teaching metaphor is, “Teaching is like Bodyboarding” Or “Teaching is like surfing” Definition: “Surfing is a surface water sport in which a person (the surfer) moves along the face of a breaking ocean wave (the surf).” (Wikipedia.org) Like the diverse array of students that we will teach, when you Bodyboard you meet people of many different cultures, backgrounds, levels of skill and thinking. In my years of Bodyboarding I’ve meet world champions through to beginners, some of those I coached and have since been NZ champions. I’m sure as the years go by we will see this happen to us as teachers where the students grow up and move onto jobs, family’s and careers themselves. In this I think we must always remember that we are directly involved in that process and it’s a great and wonderful thing to be a part of. Every class we will take will be different. It will change. From hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and even from sunny to rainy days. As this happens we must adapt and cater for each situation. So the class is like the wave changing from hour to hour with the tides, winds and weather. Every wave (class) type demands a different way of riding and you must be flexible and prepared to adapt. Every wave, every class is forever changing. The medium keeps moving – whether it be the magnificent waves of unfolding within us, or the equally magnificent unfolding of waves within the children, all of us keep moving, changing, and evolving (Celine Levasseur Burlock, 2005) So I hope that teaching will be, as Bodyboarding has been, a challenge, something that I always look forward to doing and something that will bring me many years of happiness for me. That one day I’ll be able to make teaching look as easy as Bodyboarding is for me. But I’ll never forget that there are always more experiences, learning and higher levels that can be achieved. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://go-surfer.com/poems-surfing.htm ©2004 Sasha Walker/Mills http://www.localsurfer.madasafish.com/morning.html Rob Hunt Riding the Waves, An Oceanic Metaphor for Engaging with Children, Celine Levasseur Burlock, 2005.