It inspires me to do better things… a professional reflection on teaching reading comprehension

“I like how Daniel was nice in the end.” Matthew, age 8 “I love this book.” Tanya, age 7 “I’ve never read such a fantastic book how enemies became friends.” Anne, age 8 “It is funny. It has nice adjectives, and it is my religion and I love the story. It is the best.” Hasad,

A Cognitive, Social and Intellectual Phenomenon?

Emerging from an idyllic holiday with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year, I’m feeling more energised than I have for a long time. I’ve decided to revisit my neglected blog before diving into plans for the new academic year in Queensland – January 2023. At the time of writing my previous post,

Make a picture in your head…

It’s end of term 2 here. That means we’re all about to enjoy a much-needed two week holiday. As temperatures have dropped to 21°C (70°F) – ask any Queenslander and they’ll tell you it’s FREEZING – I’m looking forward to taking my kids to the beach and spending time in our local parks, to catch

It’s almost time for National Simultaneous Storytime!

To scribe or not to scribe?

Can I scribe for my student’s English assessment? Gathered around Prep B’s rainbow table, perched on chairs designed for six-year-olds, seventy scrap books arranged neatly into piles, mark book at the ready and packets of coloured fine-tipped markers in hand. Our early years teachers share a packet of pink vegie-crisps (they’re a thing!) and they

Early Childhood Ethic of Care at odds with Standardised Testing and Public Displays of Data

The principal announces that we are here to collaborate on our school’s data collection strategy. The room sighs heavily, tired teachers groan. A brief presentation on the 14 Parameters for Literacy Reform (Sharratt et al., 2012) is followed by scaffolded professional dialogue, as teachers and support staff receive their data sets, populated with the current

Reader Success: Slipping Through the System

This is the fifth in a series of quick-reads where I explore Armstrong et al.’s book Reading Success in the Primary Years – An Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Approach to Guide Assessment and Intervention. I recently learnt from a close friend that her partner could not complete his induction for his job without her help. Up to half

If You Can Read, You Can Write. If You Can Write, You Can Read

In a life before children, I spent a year living in my husband’s home town in Ukraine. For this Aussie girl, it was a wonderful, exciting, and sometimes shocking cultural experience. It was vastly different to my own. To begin with, I had entered a country where most people did not speak any English. Fortunately

Reader Success: Response to Intervention (RtI)

This is the fourth in a series of quick-reads where I explore Armstrong et al.’s book Reading Success in the Primary Years – An Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Approach to Guide Assessment and Intervention. Armstrong et al.’s Reading Success in the Primary Years describes a three-tiered approach that is familiar to a lot of us in Queensland schools.

Pantomime in the Staff Room

Last Friday was World Teacher’s Day and I thought it timely to reflect upon the wonderful teachers at my school. No, I don’t work in a utopian school environment. But I will say this: I genuinely love the school I work in, and the community I serve. On Wednesday it was yet another rough day