Friday 5th November 2010 – Woodside Nursery Placement – Guy Fawkes & Diwali (Festival of Lights)
Posted by Bernadette on January 17, 2011
I now had Holy’s cold … not good …
However, last placement..I walked to Woodside Nursery…
It was the festival of Diwali and Guy Fawkes..so everythign was about light … the songs had been selected with Fiona at the helm, I had the computer and my mobile phone and today I elected to use mobile technology Music DJ to record all the relevant audio files for today’s session. Audio files will be available to access via my Mahara Portfolio site …
The nursery were burning incense, the ethnic origin children were dressed in traditional outfits of their countries and traditional and authentic food had been made by the parents. Home made onion bahji’s … I was in heaven with no taste … pointless exercise, but at least Mary eating made me feel like I could taste it …hence the memory recorded here for posterity …
I really enjoyed the songs today and most of them had interactions for the children to participate in …Fizz Bang Whoosh, Cracker Jack, Cracker Jack, Five Little Fireworks and Mary had written a little song especially for Diwali
I had not been to Woodside for two weeks now and it was apparent that the children were now establishing good meaningful relationships with Fiona, Liz, Alison and Jess … they are a good team and work well together. The dynamics are good between and among all learners and the children are beginning to trust the team.
The excitement of the nursery was electric, but it was still not the same as the previous weeks session at St Francis were the children appeared just to be so unruly and out of control. Today was another ‘hyped’ up day for adults, but one of anticipation and excitement for children. However, there was excitement, but none of the shouting, attention grabbing that there had been the week before. I was thinking that I really did feel for Holly, Marissa and Jenna if she were there today …
The children were arriving at 25 minute intervals today so that they could have their little party with all the children together today. However, that did not detract from the placement session planning which again was absolutely spot on with Fiona mentoring the students and timings were superb.
I was there with my phone recording away, but recording and jumping about at the same time … maybe just maybe I was getting too old … but if Mary could do it then so could I…
What worked well during placement…everything is seemed. I felt comfortable, enjoyed my time there, enjoyed being around the children, I enjoyed everything about this placement and what it could teach me as a teacher, musician, educator, friend and colleague … I would miss what I do very very much … I realised in that instance when I was writing my first module nearly two years previous that I would now be wanting to return to my life as an educator ….
How that came around was unbelievable …John Cowan … of reflection, for reflection and in reflection … where did that come from … I was at cross purpose emotions and the feeling of nostalgia, relief and absolute terror filled me …
How could I possibly investigate the concept of “if we wanted to see beyond the current horizon of scrapbook multimedia it is important first to identify the essential properties of digital environments” and Etienne Wenger’s Digital Habitats and how to steward them …
wow! that was a first for me … Why had Cowan entered my head at that particular moment … mid-flight of Fizz Bang Whoosh and I would have to trap it in my head until I could write it down walking along St George’s Cross …
How could I be that teacher again ..the ones with her students central to everything that she understood would bring music, learning and teaching alive in me again … How did I get this so right??????
