The Spark

Our household has been LOVING watching the Paris Olympics!
Every night we have sat together watching and listening to the athletes and their families react as they experience the highs and lows of sport at the highest level. The resilience, grit, compassion and humility shown by the athletes has been nothing short of inspiring.

So many great conversations have been sparked in our loungeroom.

We have had chats about different sports (Miss 8 asked: Can you stand up in the pool in Water Polo?!, Mr 5: Why don't they run in the walking race?), we have learnt about other countries (flags, populations and culture) and have broadened our understanding of not only sports, but also the world beyond Australia.

I can see so many sparks of inspiration being lit in my children as they watch! The Olympics is without doubt the best TV going around! 

Mr 5 asked me yesterday if he could play 'Marco Polo' in the Olympics when he grows up- I think he meant Water Polo!

Over the course of the last 10 days, Miss 8 has asked if she could learn how to pole vault/ canoe/ skateboard/ play beach volleyball/ ride dressage/ dive (basically every sport we have watched).

There is something motivating and inspiring about watching athletes perform at the Olympics. 

Most things we decide to do in life are sparked by some event. I remember the spark that was lit in me when I decided to become a teacher. I had taken on a part-time job as a swim teacher, and seeing my students improve had me hooked! From that moment I wanted to be a teacher.

I remember the moment I decided I wanted to know as much as I possibly could about teaching maths. I had my first lecture at Melbourne University with Professor Kaye Stacey. Her knowledge of how children learn maths was so deep, I immediately thought- I want to research and learn everything I can about how to teach maths.

Both of these 'sparks' were so strong that they still drive me today.

Of course, not all sparks are as long-lasting. Not long ago I saw a clip of two mums doing Shuffle dancing in their garage on Instagram. 

A spark was lit!

I decided I wanted to learn to Shuffle Dance.

I purchased their online course and for two days I made great progress. Unfortunately, I have not been back to that course! It seems that spark has fizzled a little!

Whether sparks are short or long it doesn't matter, what we need to remember is we don't know what event/words/actions will spark something inside the students we teach.

This is particularly important to remember in our maths lessons.

We want our students to experience success in maths, enjoy maths, find maths interesting and take positive feelings about maths with them into their adult lives. 

Sparks can come from the smallest discussions.

Not long ago, a fascinating maths fact popped into my head and I decided to share it with everyone at the dinner table. I announced that the two houses we have lived in were both Prime Numbers (7 and 59), and I wondered how many other people in Australia were in this category (feel free to let me know if you are!). My husband said he believed there was a high probability we were the only family in Australia who had ever been prompted to have this discussion over butter chicken 😂 but I am glad we did, because Miss 8 became fascinated by finding out about Prime Numbers. A spark was lit!

So this week as you work with your students, I encourage you to remember that one of the most important parts of our job as teachers is lighting sparks in our students! While we don't know where the spark will lead them, what an amazing privilege it is to be lighting these sparks on a daily basis! 

Have a great week!

Ange🎓🎲

P.S. You can download the PDF version of this blog to print or share with colleagues here.