Picture this, a group of 9 enthusiastic beginning teachers (BT's) raring to jump into their careers, armed with their backpacks full of knowledge and experience. The first day had the focus of connecting with both our community and each other as we explored the geography and demographics of our cluster as a team. This enthusiasm was infectious as we set off and it was awesome to see that this energy kept going throughout the day.
Day two had us explore the expectations and guidelines of the Manaiakalani Digital Teaching Academy (MDTA) and while it may have seemed like information overload at times, it was very evident that the supportive nature of our cohort has already begun to develop and we have the support of our leaders and mentors. We were fortunate to meet with our academic partners from the University of Auckland this day.
The final day, the MDTA cohort joined with the other new teachers for the cluster at Tamaki College for the official Orientation Day. I found this day very beneficial as it was a great refresher of where the cluster had come from, but also allowed me to appreciate more the direction in which they were moving towards and how I could be a part of this development.
Looking back, there were times where I said "what have I signed up for?" but the focus on both communication and collaboration is so natural that by talking with others or asking questions, all the current questions have been answered. Don't worry, I know that there will more questions to come!
