Word of the Week 27/1/17

Hello and welcome to Word of the Week!

If you’re new here, Word of the Week is a nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. You reflect back on the past week and sum it up in one word. Then share your word with us in a blog post, with as little or as much explanation as you like. It’s a fun and friendly linky, so please do be lovely and visit as many of the other blogs as you can and share with them your thoughts on their words and weeks. I do comment on every entry to the linky, and if you add the Word of the Week badge to your post to help spread the ‘word’, I also tweet them out.

My word of the week this week is:

Education seems to have dominated my week, and in many varied forms…

My older nephew has been going for interviews to get onto a PGCE course from September as he’s looking to train as a geography teacher. I am delighted to report that he has been offered places at all three of the universities that he applied to and interviewed at, so it’s up to him to now choose the best one. Proud auntie!

My younger nephew has then been inspiring a post that I’ve been working on which will be live next week about taking on GCSE’s.

There has been chat about SATs this week, as my daughter is in Year 2 so they are coming up soon. A fellow mum was starting to worry a little, coaching and reviewing papers has been discussed. To be honest, I really am not bothered about them. Yes, admittedly, I have no reason to believe they’ll be overly challenging for Boo, but even if they were, do they really matter?! The school doesn’t make a big thing of them so Boo’s feeling no pressure, in fact, I’m not sure she knows about them yet anyway. And from my point of view, she’s 7 and happy at school, so I have no further concerns.

This attitude may well be linked to the books I have been reading this week around education. I mentioned them in my 5 Books Guaranteed to Inspire You post this week, as I have been learning more about the Danish and Dutch education systems and culture around education. Oh my, it is so different to here! And to my mind, in a very good way. It has got me reflecting upon our education system and more importantly how my kids learn and how I parent them to do so, as these are the areas that I can actually affect. As the name of the post suggests, they have inspired me and reassured me. Great reads.

You may have spotted my post just before Christmas ‘An Open University Update – Empire 1492-1975’ where I shared that this year the module is just not grabbing me. Well, good news, it is now! I have started on Block 4 this week and I am absolutely loving it, phew!

Then there is this morning, when I will be in school as it’s Boo’s class assembly. She’s been rehearsing it all week and I know it’s about friendship, which I think is a lovely theme to choose and I’m really looking forward to seeing it.

What about you? What one word sums up your week best?

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33 thoughts on “Word of the Week 27/1/17”

  1. It certainly has been a week of education for you. I agree with you about the SATS, I don’t think 7 yr olds should feel pressured, they are to see that the school is teaching well and the kids should get good results if the school is doing it’s job. I’m glad you’ve got into your module now, it’s hard when you have to learn something that’s just not grabbing you.

  2. Congratulations to your nephew, I think teaching is the profession I would have chosen if I had gone to University best of luck to him. SATS seem such a scary thought nowadays which is silly,I believe that children learn at their own pace in their own time.Good luck to Boo in her assembly. Have a lovely weekend x #WotW

    1. Thank you, he’s looking forward to starting. I totally agree with you, they’re all different and all so young still. Thanks! x

  3. Ahh! My teen and I have been talking about GCSE’s this week. It’s so much to think about! I will be interested to read your post next week. I’m glad your studying is going well.
    I wouldn’t worry too much about the year 2 SATS. They really are no big deal. When my youngests class did them they didn’t even realise they were.. They are I hope Boo’s class assembly went well x

  4. Oh yes, SATS. I’ve been thru them once with my girl and have them again next year with my boy I really don’t think children at this age should/need to be tested and boxed into groups. A broader learning experience is needed, not learning for SATS. But personally I think coaching for SATS is a little excessive, but it’s up to the indivdual but it does make you start worrying about your child and not wanting to disadvantage them if all around is doing coaching…and they’re only 7 years old… I’ll step off my soapbox!
    I hope Boos assembly went well today and glad to hear you’re now enjoying your module.

    Have a good week & thanks for hosting
    xx

  5. SATs are something I’m thinking about now as heard so much about them! Still got a few years yet but I think your attitude is a good one. Glad you are enjoying your work a little more now…must be hard if that passion was lost for a bit. Fab news about your family – big congrats. Thanks for hosting x

  6. Pingback: Word of the Week 27/1/2016 Meals #WotW | early rising mum

  7. Good luck to your nephew. Didn’t realise sats was so early, me personally totally against them and just figures for government. I believe strongly at this age to let kids be kids and play. But nonetheless good luck to your daughter X #wotw

  8. When my three went through yr 2 SATs they were oblivious to doing it. It was just fun to them. Had an interesting conversation with Eldest trying to persuade her, years later. that she had actually taken them. Not sure if it has changed. Hope Boo’s assembly went well. Looking forward to reading your GCSE post. I have one of mine taking them next year. Well done to your nephew. How wonderful to have the choice. I’m still wondering if I’ll take a career change and retrain as a teacher. What a great word you chose.

    1. I can imagine it’ll be the same for my daughter, which is as it should be. The assembly was lovely, thanks. Go for it, he’s looking forward to his training.

  9. So many different reasons to choose that word this week. Education is a word that is on my mind even more now we are home educating two of our three children so I am going to check out the alternative systems you mention in the hope they inspire me.

  10. Well done to your nephews, that’s fantastic on his university places.
    Totally agree with you about SATs, it’s a lot of pressure when Boo is at an age when she should be enjoying school and her lessons. Hope the assembly went well and you enjoy the module.

    1. It’s madness for 7 year olds to feel pressure, she just wants to enjoy school, and fortunately she does. The assembly was lovely, thanks x

  11. Education really worries me at the moment, the reason I left it a year ago is that the shift form the kids mattering to money mattering in FE was a real concern. Teachers are under so much pressure and I could actually see this in the teachers at Jacks pre GCSE parents evening this week, they were very professional but the signs were there. We have sats this year too and I feel exactly the same as you about it. Have a fab week x

  12. Well this is odd. I thought I’d left a comment but I’m unsure where it went. Glad to read you are enjoying the course. Thanks for hosting #WotW

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