2017 retrospective

11Drama 2017- a small and quiet group; worked with a great teacher intern on devising. The picture is some of the class on on a small outing to look at the Theatre Royal/ Victorian museum exhibit and such Victorian/Edwardian architecture as we have left in the city. This was exam preparation. They gained greatly in confidence and did a whole class performance to a public audience with their Term 3 melodrama.

I have been involved in GaTE education for some years- this year I attended this parent groups Christchurch conference. The focus was on individual needs and the need to foster well-being. Gifted students often feel things, like expectations or frustration, very strongly and outcomes can be less than desirable. I am on the committee of local organisation - Canterbury Association for Gifted Education.

The DramaNZ conference in 2017 focused on creative processes, I talked about the devising work I had done with the Arts Kete in 2016, the process is so student centred, physical and engaging. I went to 2 sessions about Musical theatre. I have used resources and ideas in classes. Later in the year I was able to do a DramaNZ workshop on performing arts technology [see my steam punk creation]. I have been working to include some Performing Ats Technology standards, in 2018 they become part of a different qualification system? How will that work? The year 11's did good work on a makeup task but they need to record more pictures of the process.

I attended the CTU Womens Conference as  PPTA representative. I think involvement in our union is essential to being collegial- being aware of issues such as workload/work-life balance- and working constructively to make teaching a safe and fulfilling profession.

 I attended a wide range of theatre performances, making the most of the generous invites the Court Theatre makes to dress-rehearsals, often we have DramaNZ regional meetings prior to shows. I am the branch treasurer; I regularly attend conferences [presented  a brief item at the April 2017 Dunedin conference]. I find the subject based support of my colleagues invaluable]. The Agatha Christie show was memorable for featuring a former student who created a funny, yet fully believable character in a classic/ old-fashioned? whodunit.

Whare Toi Whakaari- new spaces from pinterest to practicality- major task of the year moving into the new spaces of the Auditorium block,  a lot of practical work packing/unpacking/setting up spaces to provide more flexibility. The year 10 Music/Drama classes in the same line spent a term working together on musical theatre. This worked very well although in 2 hours a week we achieved far less than in the short, intensive Arts kete scenes from the Lion King.

Maori language- I need a LOT of repetition in languages, in term 1 I attended a 2 hour x 6 week course with Matua Corey. I learned that my nervousness with languages tends to panic my brain and block out what I do know! Nice relaxed conversational language course which has improved my pronunciation of vowels.
Looking in the wrong places- Mindlab: I started a course with Mindlab but it wasn't meant to be; changed from Monday nights in Hornby to Thursday nights in town; just too much work at this point- I have too many family commitments to give up Sunday's for study.