The principal and SEAL coordinator invited me to join the SEAL program two years after I began teaching.
I thought it was an interesting opportunity and would allow me to learn more about gifted students and take advantage of the professional development.
Teaching SEAL allows me – and other teachers – to see our students through a completely different lens.
The SEAL students are more demanding of teachers than mainstream students. They want much more of your time and you develop a more personal relationship but it’s important to remember that they are still children, and their emotional needs are not too different to those of the students in a mainstream class.
I am always looking for ways to incorporate other class learnings in their maths lessons. For example, I will have a conversation with the SEAL science teacher about their water quality topic and link that to data analysis in maths.
Some SEAL students can struggle with coming from a primary school where they have been one of the very best students to joining a class full of gifted and competitive peers. Because of this, we have a focus on wellbeing and make sure they see SEAL as an opportunity for growth, not just results. We want them to understand that the purpose of being in a SEAL class is to be challenged and extended and have a safe space for ‘meaningful struggle’.
Teaching SEAL adds an extra layer to my teaching outside the SEAL students as well. It helps me to identify students who may not be in the program but could really enjoy and benefit from it.
I’d love to remain in the SEAL teaching moving forward. No cohorts are ever the same.
