Miss Art of Teaching

Term 1 holidays started on Friday evening for all New South Wales teachers. I was too tired to celebrate and instead had an easy early night with my partner of 6 years. He is also a teacher and runs all the music programs for K-6. I teach Visual Arts and TAS subjects to Year 7-12. We are based at different schools but I love how we can share teaching stories and spend the holidays together.  On Saturday we followed our tradition and went to the Easter Show. It is a carnival that celebrates the Australian culture and attracts up to 800,000 people each year. It goes for 14 days (the length of the school holidays) and holds agriculture competitions, provides animal experiences, live entertainment, carnival rides and shopping. We try to go every year as I love the vibe of carnivals. Yesterday, I walked roughly 17000 steps but was exhausted by the afternoon. Since driving instead of taking public transport, my fitness level has hit rock bottom. I purchased a fitness show bag from t...

I have a friend who I love to bits. She is my mentor and the kindest soul on this planet. When she used to work with me, I would often wonder to myself...'What did I do to deserve such a genuine friend/coworker in my life?' She has truly lifted my wellbeing up from being at the rock bottom to becoming a passionate and hardworking teacher (mirroring her work ethics). Although she has now retired from her job after 24 years of service to the Department of Education, she still thinks of the students every day. She has made me a 'To do' journal and another handful of handmade letter sets and journals for students as 'reward prizes'. Above: My lovely journal. Above: Handmade letter sets. Each bundle contains 3 original designs. Above: More handmade journals. Every page is carefully put together. It is a scrapbook heaven. She prints each image herself. At times the artworks are designed and painted by this talented woman, other times she sea...