Artemis- Pippa, Rachel, Amy, Anna

Name: Artemis

Role:

She is the goddess of the wilderness, hunting, the moon, wild animals, fertility, childbirth, young children and abstinence. It is also said that she is in charge of many illness such as rabies and leprosy. She is known as the ‘feminist’ goddess and the goddess who especially heard to the appeals of women. She vowed to be a maiden forever. She was often described as an environmentalist.

History:

Artemis twin brother is Apollo. She is the child of Zeus and Leto. Hera forbade Leto to give birth on the mainland or an island, but the island of Delos disobeyed and Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis there. Many stories say that Artemis was born first and became her mother’s midwife for the birth of Apollo, this is how she became the goddess of childbirth. There is no full testimony of Artemis’ childhood however one source states that when Artemis was three, while sitting on Zeus’ knee, he asked what she wanted for her birthday ‘she responded without hesitation that she wanted six things:

- to be allowed to live without having to be distracted by love and marriage,

- a bow and arrow just like her brother’s,

- a hunting costume and freedom from having to dress up like a lady,

- the job of bringing light into the world,

- sixty young nymphs to be her companions and to help care for her hunting dogs, and

- all the mountains on the earth to live on.

Zeus was amused by her precociousness and happily granted the little goddess Artemis her wishes.  Even at this tender age it was clear that Artemis was going to be the most independent of the goddesses, one who thrived on challenges!’

Extracts from ancient sources:

Homeric Hymn 27 to Artemis (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :

“Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she [Artemis] draws her golden bow . . . The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts.”

Aeschylus, Suppliant Women 1030 ff (trans. Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :

“May pure Artemis look upon this band [of unwed maidens] in compassion, and may marriage never come through Kythereia’s [Aphrodite] compulsion.”

Homer, Iliad 21. 470 & 483 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :

“Artemis of the wilderness (agrotera), lady of wild beasts (potnia theron) . . . Zeus has made you [Artemis] a lion among women, and given you leave to kill any at your pleasure . . . you hunt down the ravening beasts in the mountains and deer of the wilds.”

Homeric Hymn 5 to Aphrodite 20 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :

“Artemis with shafts of gold (khryselakatos) loves . . . the lyre and dancing and thrilling cries and shady woods and the cities of upright men.”

Homer, Iliad 21. 470 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :

“Zeus has made you [Artemis] a lion among women, and given you leave to kill any at your pleasure.”

Myth 1

There is a myth about Artimis revengeful personality. In one story, a young hunter named Actaeon came upon Artemis while she was bathing in a clear blue, stream. Although he knew better than to spy on a goddess, he was captivated by her beauty. Artemis caught sight of Actaeon and, not wanting him to boast of having seen her naked body, changed him into a stag. His own hounds then attacked and killed him.

(http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Am-Ar/Artemis.html#ixzz1veO2crGa)

Myth 2

With the exception of her brother Apollo, who was a close companion, Artemis was not known to have had very satisfying relationships with men. Her one and only great love affair was with the handsome Orion. This affair ended very badly.Upset that his sister’s time and attentions had been diverted away from him,  Apollo tricked Artemis into killing Orion.

Knowing that Orion was swimming in the ocean, Apollo bet Artemis that she could not hit “that distant object on the horizon” with an arrow.

Filled with confidence in her skills as an archer, Artemis accepted the challenge. Successful as always she hit the target. Artemis later discovered that her arrow had killed the only man she had ever loved.

In her grief, the goddess ‘Artemis turned her dead lover into stars and shot him into the night sky where he remains as the constellation Orion

(http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_artemis.htm)

Never again would she allow herself to become vulnerable to romantic love.

 

 

 

Essay writing – Get stuck in!

Why are teachers taught to hand out an assignment, give some basic assistance then assume everything will be OK?

How many times have you handed out an essay or extended response task, only to receive an unstructured pile of thoughts.

My belief is that we should be sitting WITH students showing them how to write their responses. We should spend time crafting their essays, editing, researching and writing alongside them to ensure they think with critical and deep understanding. We should be encouraging them to think wild ideas about the topic, then helping them put pen to paper (or finger to iPad).

Aren’t you spoon feeding them? Won’t they all think the same? Individuals with higher cognitive skills should be able to far outshine those less able, aren’t you evening out the playing field?

No, No and so what.

By giving them time to dream big, think critically and ask themselves questions, whilst assisting them in the writing process we create a learning environment of depth, interest and imagination. Essay writing is often spurned for it’s lack of ‘creativity’, but how about allowing students the time to come up with creative and often crazy ideas (i.e. was Mussolini the best Italian leader of the 20th cent?) then showing them how to argue their cases. Spoon feeding? Hardly.

I’ve introduced this style to my elective class this year. I’m finding a tangible improvement in writing skills.

Check out the prezi I use to discuss the journey of thought (How to write an essay).

 

Life on the Western Front – by SJ

25th April 1915:
We landed. Hell. Bullets and Bombs. Cliffs. Wrong beach! Stupid Johnnys.
26th April:
Went for a swim. Turks were bombing us and i got hit. I got all the insurance money. That should set me up for a while. The water was beautiful though, clear blue. Pitty about the blood and shrapnel. Me and Snowy are in the trenches tomorrow. Turks still firing.
27th April:
Hellish night. Men screaming. Men dying. Men fighting for their mates, their country and their pride. Snowy got sent to the front line. Hope he is ok.
28th April:
Front line tomorrow. Feeling is of excitement, anticipation and there is an unspoken agreement that no one is scared. No sign of Snowy. Bombing is still non stop. Light horse lead a charge and all but one was killed. Major Nagle was killed, i was chosen to take his position. Bloody English, dont know what is happeneing or what the conditions are like. They order the charge. An act of murder!

 

Real Teaching: Part One – Teaching starts outside the classroom

Who were your favourite teachers at school?

The coach? The passionate motivator? The hardnut? The “friend” teacher? The one who gave easy grades?

My top three were: Mr Meakin, Mr Gibbons and Ms O’Keeffe. For very different reasons.

How has Mr Meakin impacted me?

I’ve fast come to realise that teaching, real, life altering, perspective changing teaching, begins outside the learning space. To be a teacher that influences the lives of students, we must embrace our role outside the learning space.

Mr Meakin was my rugby coach. He taught me discipline, dedication, team work and how to suffer. Training sessions would often push my body past its limit. I hurt. I suffered. I always came back.

I developed some crucial life skills through my time on the sports field. It was there more than any other place that I learned how to function in society; which, after all, is one of the primary reasons for education. I didn’t learn how to function in a group through “class group work”, nor through “group assignments”. It was sport that guided me. I discovered leadership, trust, communication and respect.

More than anything it was the respect that grew from having a willing, enthusiastic and dedicated coach that impacted my life during my education. Here was an adult to look up to. Here was a teacher giving their own time to impart life skills outside the classroom. Here was a teacher willing to share and expose themselves to the physical hardships of sport. It was fantastic!

As soon as I entered this education game, I knew I had to coach sport. I’ve since coached rugby, cricket, athletics, basketball, soccer and even NETBALL! Apparently the skirt suited me!

The times I’ve spent outside the class have had more of an impact on the lives of the students than any moment I could have shared in the learning space. I have been able to grow and nurture relationships in an amazing way. I have seen students at their lowest points, having just lost a game, or struggled to run that last mile. Students have been brutally honest in these times; the bonds of sports teams are phenomenal. It is here I have been able to be the greatest role model. Here the student sees the educator that seeks to nurture their whole self; to listen to their stories on a long bus trip, to commiserate with them when it was their bad kick that lost the game for the team, to run back and pick them up when the physical training was too tough.

These moments are not static. The next day in class there is a team member willing to calm the noisy room; I have an new ally in the learning space. A week later, a student will fight through the difficulty of a complex question; he learned to trust me to guide him on the field, now he trusts me to guide him through the course. A year later, the student that offered to help me coach has been given a leadership role within the school.

You want to win in the learning space? Start by winning outside it. Coach a sports team (even my mum has coached a soccer team to a finals, she still doesn’t understand the offside rule). Take a debating team. Direct the next school production. Offer to help the school band or choir. Whatever you’re passionate about, be involved in it.

Coach Meakin, thank you. For the pain, suffering, discipline, hardwork and dedication. It’s made me a better educator.

 

Twitteriffic

My colleague posted the following on her blog.

An interesting investigation of the use of Twitter and how it is used by some of my colleagues.

http://anneknock.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/from-boulders-to-pebbles-how-social-media-is-growing-a-professional-community/

Enjoy!

 

Putting the ‘I’ back into academic writing

“You’re don’t have a PhD, therefore no one cares about your opinion. You don’t have a credible one!”

I’m now embarrassed to admit those words came out of my mouth. Although in jest, they highlight the general thinking of the academic realm. No PhD, No Opinion.

Although we may not verbalise these beliefs, the way we plan extended response writing often indicates to students that their opinion is not valid. When mind mapping, we often ask students to look first at the textbook, find its main points, and then gather evidence from other scholars. From here, we neatly package the whole exercise in a “P.E.E.L.” template.

What we are immediately telling students by structuring research in this way, is that their opinions don’t matter. Although I’m not an advocate for using the terms ‘I’ and ‘my’ in formal essays, perhaps we should be looking to promote the personal engagement of students to the set topic.

How can we engage students more enthusiastically with formal writing, research and their subjects?

I propose we validate the personal claims and beliefs of the student. Let’s allow them to start with ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’ or ‘My opinion is’ in their primary research. In doing so, we hand ownership of the task to the student. Further, we hand ownership of the topic, desire to investigate and quest for life long learning. We must be quick to endorse the personal research process, the ‘incorrect’ statements of belief and the belief that being wrong is only one part of the process.

Students need to feel their opinions count. I was just told by a student that I never say an answer is incorrect; I respond by asking them to revisit and re-formulate their opinion. It is with this high opinion of student possibility that I propose we offer more encouragement for students to reclaim their opinion. It is with personalising a subject that we truly engage. When we are truly engaged, we truly learn.

 

Sources, Reliability and Bias

Typically I find my students struggle to utilise primary sources in their essays and projects. Further, they often fail to see how bias and the reliability of a source should impact their use.

Therefore, I’ve created a short powerpoint as a basis for discussion of Sources, Bias and Reliability.

I hope it proves useful, and please email back any suggestions or links.

 

Jimi’s Book Review

Fords and Flying Machines: Book Review
By Jimi
This book is a very interesting book about motor mechanics, planes and the Australian outback. It is a number or letters/telegrams by Jack Mclaren to his sister Matt. Jack is a Sydney boy whose dream is to become a motor mechanic. He moves up to long reach to do a mechanics apprenticeship with his uncle George in the town of Longreach. He later given an offer to travel with his uncle and two famous pilots; Mr Fysh and Mr McGuinness across the Australian outback. Their job is to find suitable air strip spots all through the north Australian outback. They must travel through the deserts and bushlands on the ‘new’ Model T Ford which they have modified and turned into a truck for their vicious journey. On their Journey they encounter, Blacks (aboriginals), extremely large snakes, and dry river beds. All in all this book is extremely good and I would recommend it to anybody any age.

 

How are you promoting literacy?

I’ve written previously about my desire for students to engage in the love of reading. This year I am determined to action some of my desires.

My two points of action this week have been to:

1) Ensure every lesson in my elective history course contains a 15-20 min reading time (iPad friendly). They are to read historical fiction or no-fiction. I am encouraging them to find their own books, but have supplied a bunch of my own.

2) Once a week, my Care Group (tutor group/homeroom/pastoral care group) spend our 20 min meeting time reading a book or magazine of their own choosing. I encourage them to bring in their own books/magazines/iPads or even get a jump start on the novels they are reading for English. This is a group of 10 15yr old boys, many with far more interest in sport than academia. They enjoyed it yesterday.

How are you promoting literacy?

What would you recommend to promote literacy?

Please comment.

 

Have a little respect….

At the start of each year I go through these few words about RESPECT with my students.

I find it pulls the class together, sets a standard, and shows them that respect is not about discipline, but about care and responsibility.

Let me know if you have any thoughts.

Respect
The key word for you to remember each and every time you step into this learning environment is RESPECT.

When you think about when to arrive to class, think RESPECT.

When you think about whether to do your homework, think RESPECT.

When you think about how much effort to put into an assignment, think RESPECT.

In our class, you need to consider three groups of people to RESPECT.

1) RESPECT YOURSELF:
a. You have amazing potential, give yourself the opportunity to learn, thrive, create and become the best you can be.
2) RESPECT THOSE AROUND YOU:
a. Everyone deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and achieve. You can be a help or hindrance to this process. Be the helper.
3) RESPECT YOUR TEACHER:
a. Teachers deserve respect and attention for you, as we desire to grow, support and develop your gifts. Working together this can happen.

YOU have limitless potential. YOU have every opportunity for greatness. With RESPECT, YOU can make anything happen.