Reflection as a Teaching Superpower ft. Sally Haughey
Sally Haughey
Meet our guest
“Reflection as a Teaching Superpower,” Sally named our episode with her and we love it! Sally is down-to-earth and such a pleasure to chat with about all things teaching and beyond!
Sally Haughey hails from Guthrie, Oklahoma, a small town in the middle of the United States, and grew up traveling the country with her parents and siblings. She started her teaching journey in 1996 and that experience now expands over two decades. She cultivated her learning at Northeastern State University in Talequah, Oklahoma, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and continued to teach after. In 2010, Sally wanted to share her ideas on a larger platform so she created Fairy Dust Teaching, built on the passion for the wonder and magic of early childhood. She believes young children have the right to play, to be collaborators in learning, and to dream. Since then, Fairy Dust Teaching has become a global platform for early childhood educators from all walks of life to learn more about Wonder Based Education. Sally’s teaching philosophy has let her travel the globe, sharing her knowledge and experience with teachers in Vietnam, Canada, Europe, the United States, and the Philippines. Her literary works include The Wonder Art Workshop (publ. 2019) and Through A Child’s Eyes, where she co-authored with Sandra Duncan and Jodie Martin. She and Sandra Duncan are working on another book together called The Honeycomb Series with a tentative release in 2021.
Follow Sally and Fairy Dust Teaching on all of her social media platforms!
Website: FairyDustTeaching.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairyDustTeachingBlog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/fairydustteaching
Pinterest:http://pinterest.com/fairydustteach/
Get a monthly Wonder Box delivered to your inbox; filled with ideas to enhance the learning and exploring in your classroom!
““Make a practice of reflection the fabric of your teaching.” ”
Teacher Takeaways
Reflection as a Superpower…
Sally’s Reflective Practices:
“The Big Red Book”
Each child has 20 pages with pictures and notes on them.
Sticky notes
Diary of the children
Personal and deeply meaningful level
List each child in your class before bed at night.
Is there one you always forget? If so, that’s a child you need to make a note to pay attention to.
Sally’s end of the day reflection in a notebook or can mentally just review:
Which students stood out?
Who captured my attention?
What was missing or was needed?
What worked well?
What do I need (to prepare) for tomorrow or next week?
2. Passion and love are what matters to kids and what they remember.
3. Send family reflection form every 6-8 weeks (or whatever intervals work for you) as a check-in!
Some ideas of what to include on the form: “What did your child talk most about this week/month?”, “Any other concerns or celebrations?”
Reflections on Distance Learning:
Distance learning is like learning a new instrument; “Never forget who you are; you’ve just been given a new instrument.” -Sally
Think to self: “I am the expert, I am passionate and my failure doesn’t touch that.” - Sally
It’s OK to fail, make mistakes, and put yourself out there; this is new territory and you’re doing a great job!
Reflect on what worked and what didn’t after each Zoom call with your class.
Resources
Referenced in the Interview
