Goodbye Celia

Yesterday I was reading that Celia Lashlie had terminal cancer and today she is gone...

I don't usually get deep when people I don't actually know in real life die. I didn't cry and fuss with Princess Diana or wail about Whitney Houston but Celia, well she's got me feeling a little sad. I think this is because I really admired her straight up approach and her passion for what she believed in. She was so real and authentic and I really wanted her to pop round for a cup of tea and have a chin-wag.

I've mentioned Celia before in my posts. A lot of her ideas resonate with me. In particular the idea about boys needing physical affirmation rather than verbal. She is one of the reasons I have bruises on my shins after a lunchtime duty - I get right in there with the boys and play football with them. Joining them in the usual push and shove to get the ball. Celia said that this physical interaction lets a boy know "he's alright". She was also well aware of the complications of this in our very safety preoccupied world where we as teachers need to be "careful" about physical touch with students. She was willing to debate it too. Especially when it came to male teachers being able to bond with male students. Such an important part of positive role-modelling that isn't "safe" to do.

I have always enjoyed sharing her thoughts about how boys watch the interactions between their parents and pick up so many undercurrents and misguiding information about gender roles. Like how Mum always finishes off the dishes because Dad never does a good enough job - what message does this send to their son?

Celia also saw the potential in each child. "Every child is born pure and filled with their own particular brand of magic". Her work was based on relationships. On people. Real people who weren't always perfect.

Radio NZ have put together this collection of her audio discussions. I know I will be revisiting these over the next few weeks and I hope you can find time to listen to them too. I hope that her work can continue as she wished. Rest in peace Celia. You will not be forgotten.

Kua hinga te totara i te wao nui a Tane

A totara has fallen in the forest of Tane  

Boys

I have always been one of those people who has always struggled to understand why there are so many courses and books specifically on how to engage boys in learning. I haven't had any difficulties in doing this so I haven't really understood why others have. But then I didn't actually realise that I am a "boys" teacher. My Principal kindly pointed this out to me last year. Not just boys specifically but that I am gender balanced in the way I treat my students. I can't believe I didn't notice this myself.

So I thought I might today unpack what it is that I do to create balance in my teaching. The first thing that springs to mind is me. Who I am. I play football, I watch sport, and when a student starts talking about Brendan McCullum I mention Nathan McCullum too. I join in all P.E and fitness. I also go to Zumba because I love to dance. I dance everyday in class with my students when we have GoNoodle brain breaks. I am really quite hands on.  I also have no bias towards one area of the curriculum.  Science, maths, writing, reading, P.E., art, technology, drama, music.

When students come to talk to me, I listen. I also believe that boys in particular need reassurance that it is ok to be them. Celia Lashlie put it best in an interview I listened to of her on National Radio - boys actually need a more physical way of relating. Playing tag games, a firm touch on the shoulder, me tackling them at lunchtime and stealing the football off them (always surprises them the first time!) are all ways that I make sure I spend time with the boys allowing them to be boys. I discuss sport, computers, minecraft, science and gross stuff on a regular basis.

With the girls they just want someone to talk to about their lives. Loom bands, brownies, ballet, jazz, cats, animals, books...

MY OH MY I SOUND LIKE I'M STEREOTYPING!

But that's the thing. I don't. I am always breaking down stereotypes in my class. Last year the girls got into coding, the boys wore pink shirts. The thing that is becoming clear is that the RELATIONSHIPS I have with my students are the most important thing in my teaching. I know my learners because I make time to get to know them. I understand them as a learner and perhaps have a good understanding of some of those differences in gender.

So that's me. But I respect that everybody is not me. What do you do in your classroom to ensure gender balance in your teaching? Are you aware if you are showing a bias towards one particular group?