Here it goes - Ticking off my bucket list - - my first post in my teaching from the heart and to the core Blog

Well here I am - and I have done it.

I have always dreamed of having a successful blog that influenced people and helped me make friends in my professional life - there have been so many blocks to this along the way.  I need not mention them because I am breaking down those blocks one by one.

Not any more, no more blocks here I am - Yep that is me in the pic there holding my beloved turtles. I am a mother of 3 and step mum of 1 - that means 4 gorgeous girls are in my life as well as a wonderful partner who accepts me for who I am - all my baggage, experiences and emotions - he is there for me. 

I love biological conservation and I love the ocean and beach but then I love the desert for all its beauty color and vastness - so my loves are a bit like me really at opposite ends of the scale from each other but connected to my life experiences and loves. I cannot wait to share my desert experiences with the readers of this blog - and also my marine experiences - little thorny devils, echidnas, tiger sharks and crocodiles ! 

At 25 years old I went back to Uni and complete a Graduate Diploma in Secondary teaching to complement my  Bachelor of Science and my Bachelor of Arts Degrees.  It was a five year plan ...... and here I am today - still teaching and still loving the job  - 

In this blog I hope to share my ideas, my educational philosophies and my experiences in and out of the classroom.  A goal of mine this year is to embrace the now, find the good in all I see and be good in all I do - Big one I know - but I never did things small. Just ask my Mum :) I know she will be here somewhere supporting my work and this blog  the only way that she knows - I take this positivity from my Mum, and the changes that she has gone through in the last two years - a transcendental experience and two grown kids who still need her on a daily basis - she is amazing, and strong and positive - my inspiration and my Mum. 

I strive to find the good in all I meet - for I know that the power of the human spirit is enduring and special - I do this in the classroom because I know that the kid looking at me is special, is someone's child and someone's world  - their parents may have waited a lifetime for them to arrive - like some of my friends waiting 10 years  - or their parents may have lost someone and this is who they have now - I try to treat all with respect and acknowledging their own individual spirit - I know I can improve here -  I have high expectations as I know what is able to be achieved if you set your mind to it -  but expectations do not negate kindness and care -  I am always willing to give a second chance and I will never tell a kid that they cant do something - gets me into trouble but I believe you can do anything you want - you have that power to get your second chance.

So I will leave my first post there - and my next post will be on second chances - why I offer them in the classroom and how you can give a second chance without appearing biased or losing respect of colleagues and students.