P is for PEDAGOGUE

pedagogue

ˈpɛdəgɒg

noun

noun: pedagogue; plural noun: pedagogues

1. 

a teacher, especially a strict or pedantic one.

Yes, I am a pedagogue.  However, when you read the definition, you'll see that it means "especially a strict or pedantic one."  Well, one could say I was strict in my classrooms.  I preferred to call it "setting boundaries" because my philosophy about teaching is that if it isn't fun for me, it isn't fun for the kids.  I would tell them straight out about boundaries and we set them up together; then we'd have a blast for the school year.

Once the boundaries were set, on came the fun!  Grammar can be SO boring, but I made it all a game and got the kids up and communicating with each other.  For example, each student got a card with a sentence's "subject" or "predicate."  I'd set the timer for 3 minutes and off they went to try to find a match for their card.  When time was up, each pair presented their complete sentence to the rest of the class.  To review for Science or Social Studies tests, we played "Family Feud" and you will not believe how competitive those kids were!  In Art, we did abstracts and displayed them on the hall bulletin board.  In French, the highlight of the year was when we made edible or non-edible pizzas. We displayed them in the school's front hall for all students, teachers, and visitors to view.  Four boys got together and made a "hubcap pizza" with real oil as the sauce and nuts and bolts for the ingredients.  Two girls made a garden pizza with dirt and real grass grown in it, topped with tiny flowers and garden accessories.  There were cake and candy pizzas, dog and cat pizzas covered in their treats, and even a poolside pizza complete with tiny chaise lounges.  Of course, they had to write up their pizzas' recipes and present them to the class, (en français bien sûr) but they were great about it because they were all so proud of what they'd produced.

One year, I had two grade 7 boys who were always acting up.  They weren't "bad" kids, but they seemed to need a lot of attention.  So because I'm not above bribery, (lol) I made up a chart for each of them and every day that they were able to get through French class without misbehaving, they'd get a tick mark.  When they got 10 ticks, I would buy each of them a giant chocolate bar.  Well, it worked.  Both had a couple of slips, but they both eventually received their chocolate bar.  You might wonder if I had to do that for the rest of the year.  NO!  When they tried to get me to do it again, I simply said, "You have proved to me that you are able to get through class time without misbehaving.  Now I know you CAN do it, so now I EXPECT you to do it."  Oh such sad faces - but they were so much better then and they respected me for my sense of humour about it.

Oh yes, some teachers can be pedantic, but without a sense of humour, all is lost.  So I made school fun for us all - for my students and for me!  Now I look forward to when my students come to my home for a tutoring session.  I don't have the administration or parents breathing down my neck so I can relax and be myself with these kids.  We work hard, we all learn (sometimes they're studying a novel that I haven't read so I have to read it and be able to guide them), and their grades go up up up.  And the parents are so delighted that they tell their friends about me and I get more work.  

Yes, I love being a pedagogue and when I started my blog years ago, it was my daughter who came up with the word "Pedalogue."  So now you know, whether you wondered or not, where my blog name came from.

Thanks to Denise Nesbitt, the poised yet perky creator of ABC Wednesday, and to the presidential and  professional Roger, our administrator. Each week, Roger puts aside his personal work to keep the team pepped up by assigning us our parts in responding to contributors' posts.  Have a peaceful, productive week, everyone.