# data[].attributes.body
I was once working in a highly synergistic team of four: Learning support teacher, student counsellor, Dean (head of year), MYP Coordinator. We met once every two weeks to discuss the cohort of Grade 10 students.

We always kept student outcomes at the heart of what we did. Our conversations were generative, our comments were supportive, we asked open-ended questions and invariably came up with an actionable plan that was agreeable to everyone. We were all very personable with each other and there was a very positive energy to our interactions.

One time, just before I left the school, the counsellor took a moment from the meeting to express her gratitude for how well we worked together as a team and to express sadness that this would soon be coming to an end. A few tears were shed as we realised just how amazing and positive our year of working together had been, before we copped ourselves on and returned to our discussion on improving student outcomes.

# data[].attributes.body
Zoe taught me how to cook soup. She walked me through step by step, used kindess and humor, was patient with my questions and then I got to eat it! Because she amde me feel relaxed, I didn't let all of my insecurities and worries hsitroically surroduning coki

# data[].attributes.body
Open water swimming. Last year, I decided I wanted to do some open water swimming and participate in a race. Not living near a beach, I did all my endurance training in the pool, and watched YouTube clips and read up on the best entering and exiting techniques. I felt super ready, until the swell and currents picked up just before the race and I got caught in a whitewash. I also realised that I had a panicking problem, which later came up in a couple of other racing situations. I'm still trying to learn how to manage that, but I completed an excellent week of long distance swimming last summer. It was such a great experience.

# data[].attributes.body
I grew up as the tallest and the most athletic kid in my neighbourhood, and I struggled to be in PE class to play games with other kids.
The I became a volleyball coach when I started working at an IB school. I had to learn season sport system, where practices and drills have to be designed to fit into a season in a maximum way, and it was a completely different experience to what I had as a player in Japan.
Working with another coach who grew up in season sports system helped me a lot and we won a tournament in our first season.

# data[].attributes.body
I am very introverted and hate public speaking. After reading around the topic I have found strategies that allow me to become comfortable and actually enjoy presenting.

# data[].attributes.body
I took an online course for 1.5 years and I wasn't totally in love with the format, activities, or feedback the professor was giving me/us. I'm generally a fairly agreeable human but I found I was pretty aggravated with this course. What I realised through this study was how much I value authentic conversations about learning, how important the type and frequency of feedback is, and the usefulness of exemplars (and how silly it is that many teacher training courses do exactly what they teach us not to...). The course made me reflect back on my own teaching and lesson design to consider if what I'm asking students to do is relevant to them, is useful for them, if my feedback is actionable, and if success criteria are clear.

# data[].attributes.body
New DP Program guide
I start reading the new guide for DP Language program and after reading it, I created a table that summarize the syllabus, criteria, assessments, etc, and could explain to other colleagues.

# data[].attributes.body
A little over a year ago I didn't know how to change a diaper. I remember being so nervous about it and not being sure that I could do it right. How would I hold my baby boy, remove his diaper, clean him, keep his clothes and surrounding area clean, keep myself clean, entertain him, put the diaper on, and put his clothes back on? I knew the job required many task and I know only have two hands. At first, there were errors, and with said errors the expected messes. However, through trial and error, reflection, rational thinking, seeking help from experts, and practice I am now a bonafide pro.

# data[].attributes.body
The MSIS Math Cohort that I worked with for 2 years.  We explored Mathematics from K-8 and saw how the tools necessary to be successful in Math were basically learned by the time a student hit Grade 4.  Working with Kindergarten teachers to solve a Grade 8 algebra problem was humbling.  I saw that in fact the skills that they had teaching Kindergarten could be applied to subsequent grades.

What made this so successful was to see the understanding that the Kindergarten teachers were bringing to the problem.  They were not just applying an algorithm but were actually understanding the problem.  It made me stop and look at what I was doing in class with my students.  Now whenever possible I am allowing for opportunities for my students to create their own meaning through concrete experiences.

# data[].attributes.body
Recently I have become a certified personal trainer. This was a scary, time consuming endeavor that crammed into 2.5 months. I spent all of my free time studying and revising notes for the 3 hour, 150 multiple choice exam.  This experience helped me to remember what it was like to be a kid; stressing about being graded and trying to memorize facts. I needed to read and memorize two textbooks, having the knowledge that I am a kinesthetic learning I knew getting up and practicing the new skills and knowledge on my friends was really important. I talked with my students about this process and said that even though we talk alot about being ok a failing that I was really scared to fail. I think this was a great learning experience for both me and my students, as it helped them to see me similar to them, a life long learner!

# data[].attributes.body
In my first teaching job, I worked deep, inner city. Students were dual-diagnosed and they carried a lot on their shoulders before they entered the classroom. I took a course on Life Space Crisis Intervention which has shaped a tremendous part of who I am as a teacher. It introduced me to techniques that help to form relationships with students on a variety of levels. As well as identify students who are struggling.

# data[].attributes.body
I went to a traditional Catholic all boys school and had was always told that I wasn't reaching my full potential. I would be interested in the material but couldn't seem to do as well as i knew I could.

This all changed when I went to university. I realised later that this was because I moved from an environment in which I was expected to listen to a teacher and then parrot back to them what they had said in an exam to a situation in which I was expected to think for myself and come up with my own ideas. I began to get excellent grades and become confident as a learner. I realised that I must be engaged in order to learn.

# data[].attributes.body
During an online workshop we were asked to complete a problem. Afterwards the answer was projected. The answer was nothing like my answer and I paused the video as I had to figure why was the answer so different.
It turned out that the point of the exercise was to build our ability to question the answers we are given (as the answer given was intentionally incorrect). With this I was reminded of and appreciated the power of questioning. It requires to be brave and safe to be able to do that and now I appreciate students' ability to ask questions more, especially if that is something they don't do all the time.

# data[].attributes.body
When I was 12 my dad (who was a high school English teacher) signed me up for a course on how to "speed read". Being Asians, anything fast is seen as an advantage. It was a weekend course that went on for two full days at the end of which I could speed read! At the beginning I didn't see the point of it, but all the techniques were explicitly taught and modeled and we (the kids) got plenty of time to practice and consolidate. At some point over the weekend I found that I was able to read faster and still understand what I was reading. The realisation that something I have learned actually worked in a real sense really helped build the way I learned. Perhaps that is why Math and Science are such passions...I still love the feeling of successfully solving a difficult puzzle or complex equation. For me, that's why we learn.
PS: My partner, an HL Lit teacher, always questions whether I truly analyse what I read as I am such a speedy reader....I think I do and it's because of how I learned that particular skill.

# data[].attributes.body
2 years ago I took a class called Teaching for Creativity and Innovation.
I felt I was successful in the class because I took risks and experimented with a variety of different tools the teacher provided (list) to show my learning. Although the assignment often took longer to complete, it was more fun and it allowed me to slow down and really think through what I wanted to say to show my learning. I learned to use programs like PowToon, Pixton, coding programs, etc. I received really positive feedback from the instructor regarding the creativity that I put into my work, and that goes a long way as a student. I then applied what I learned to my own classroom allowing students to use an even wider variety of techniques to show their learning.

Why was it successful?
Positive feedback. As an adult and a teacher, it is extremely rare since I have worked in MYP schools to get compliments and specific positive feedback. I also feel it was successful because I was able to choose how I wanted to show my learning and the teacher provided a list of new (to me) and interesting mediums. Most people in the class simply wrote essays, but I find that boring. Thinking from my students' point of view and myself as a teacher, the experience reinforced my philosophy that learning can be shown in more than one way and that there is much more buy-in when a student gets to choose how to show what he/she has learned.

# data[].attributes.body
Conference on engaging students in math:
The concept of headless problems and how they can engage all students, even the weak ones in solving a real life problem.
During the conference, I could see all kinds of teachers, from different backgrounds and field, trying to solve the problems in various ways, some quite original.

# data[].attributes.body
"Learning Languages"...  Japanese,, Chinese. French and, perhaps, Thai. I am not fluent in any language (except perhaps English). But, I hated French in ES, and MS. As a Canadian I was proud to study it, but I didn't enjoy it. I dropped out as soon as I could. I didn't like that I lived in Canada and was useless at French; I wanted to be better. I did a summer immersion, a non-credit bridging course and a first-year university course, but I still was reluctant. I sounded like an uneducated person, and I never spoke without wine.

Once I moved to Japan, and worked in a Japanese school, I needed just to be understood: to communicate. I would go days without speaking English, so if I wanted to connect I needed to try Japanese. I needed to be willing to "sound stupid." I have always been a good observer and mimic, so made use of those skills. My errors abounded but I connected and I persisted.

My goal changed. I didn't worry about grammar. Life isn't a course, and I won't get a grade. My willingness to take risks increased. My skills increased. My joy increased. My empathy increased. I am not fluent in anything but English, but a am now a life-long language learner. All my languages improved; my connection and thinking were transformed as well. (Downside? now the languages all get mixed up!) :-P