Friday, October 23, 2009

The Magic Medal


the Magic Medal
Originally uploaded by middleagedteacher
See, even more pictures of me wearing cuffs.
If you look closely, you can see that this is a different cuff from the ones in the other photos.
Hurrah.
Also, have a gander at my necklaces. All homemade. I like to call the large one which is a watch on a shell that I got from a two dollar shop, 'The Magic Medal'. When I was a child, my grandmother whose name was Eleanor & was born in 1891 used to tell me these wonderful stories about a pair of identical twins called Pinky & Bluey who had a magic medal. When they rubbed the medal, which now sounds rather gross, but didn't at the time, the little girls would instantly transform into Stylish Young Ladies called Prunella & Sue who would spend their time attending fashionable race meetings like the Melbourne Cup & getting tips from famous jockeys.

2 comments:

Tina said...

Hello,

I have been a follower of your blog for sometime now. I never leave a comment, I just admire your eccentric style.

I have notice that you use your board to teach often and your drawing are funny. I am graduating soon and will teach high school English.

What advice would you give to a first year teacher? Do you believe your animation skills (drawings) help to keep your students interested?

Do you mind if I ask what grade you teach? What literature do you teach in Australia?

I love your style and I hope you do not find it too strange that I write you with these questions. Thank you.

Future English Teacher

Della Street Dreaming said...

Hi Tina - I just saw your comment this morning! sorry I didn't reply sooner.
I teach English to high school girls in Sydney from Year 7 to Year 12. Year 7 is the first year of high school. At the end of Year 12, students complete a ridiculous series of exams which determine whether or not they get into university. Our curriculum has a slightly post-modern approach where we focus on how meaning is made through texts. We study a wide range of stuff from Shakespeare to contemporary novels, poetry, films etc. For example, at the moment I am teaching Hitchcock's 'Psycho', the poetry of Gwen Harwood & a short story by Daphne Du Maurier.
As you can see from my pictures, Tina, I use the whiteboard extensively & do lots of drawings & diagrams which I think is a great learning tool. Most students like them, but there are some who are resistant because they think it is childish.
I have found teaching to be an extremely rewarding career, even though it has been much maligned over the past couple of decades. The world needs good teachers! Best of luck, Tina
Sue