One of the things I love about being a teacher, is how variable every week and every day is. I love that no day is the same. I also love the opportunities that I have to be involved in other areas of school life.
Spending time supporting my students in extracurricular activities not only brings me joy, but also helps to strengthen my relationships with those students. It is heart warming how excited and appreciative they are when you go and watch their sports games or their performances, or attend their prizegivings or fundraisers. These moments truly remind me why I enjoy what I do.
I think a lot of teachers take for granted how special and meaningful the time teachers give up to support their students outside of the classroom actually means to their students. To say we don't have time, actually isn't true. We just need to find the time. Long term, the benefits of that time given up, will almost certainly save you time elsewhere!
Some of the things I was involved in, just in the last couple of weeks of Term 3, were attending the annual School Dance Festival (which I have ushered the past two years), danced in a House Competition Film Festival and competed in Fast 5 Netball Tournament with the kids. These are just a few of the many opportunities we have been able to see students in a different light. Obviously these are short term, and more long term commitments include coaching or managing teams for example (I was the manager for the girls rugby this year, after managing the 1st XV for 2 years).
Moral of the story: get amongst all areas of school life!
