Miss Art of Teaching

Being a high school classroom teacher and a Year 7 Adviser means I need to have good organisation skills. My TOP three tips: 1. Make a To-Do list.  I like creating a weekly To-Do list. Sometimes the list seems crazy but I ALWAYS end up clearing the list. I might not be able to clear all of it in the same week but at least 80-90% is crossed off. There is a deep satisfaction when I tick off the job. And one needs to remember not to freak out if something isn't cross out. It just means that it isn't important and one can come back to it later.  I also like looking back and checking when I had completed certain tasks such as calling home to parents, completing workshops, room changes etc. 2. Allocating jobs to students. Students love helping. You should also reward students when they volunteer their time to help you. They love responsibilities. I usually get students to help with laminating, tidying, sorting out resources and so on. I also have an 'Ihelp' chart t...

This week, I have avoided taking work home. This is probably the 'procrastinate' period. I tend to always do this before going on full auto-pilot mode (except I do focus on the material at hand)  Above: How I imagine myself when I go on auto-pilot mode. Over here in Australia, it is Week 3 of Term 2. Here is my to-do list in order of importance: 1) Art Teacher role: Get Year 11 'Portraits' resources printed as textbooks for senior students. 2) Art Teacher role: Finish marking three late Year 7 Case Study assignments and one late Year 10 Case Study assignment.  3) Art Teacher role: Finish marking three class set of Year 7 Self-Portraits.  4) Art Teacher role: Start three class set of Year 7 Visual Arts reports, one class set of Year 7 Technology Mandatory reports and one class set of Year 9/10 Visual Arts reports. 5) Year 7 Adviser role: Prepare Week 5 Tuesday PowerPoint and resources on 'Study Skills' and '7 Habits of Highly Ef...

Term One is almost over and I am so proud of all the Year 7 students. They have made my job as the Year Adviser very rewarding. Students have settled in well and are enjoying all the different classes. By teaching four Year 7 classes, I have been able to build strong relationships with students. I am able to learn about their strengths, build onto their confidence and make sure they feel safe to thrive in this new environment.  I always remind students that they are responsible for building onto other people's memories. At my school we do not tolerate verbal, emotional, physical bullying or exclusion. Students have the power to make the right choices and to make a positive impact. It is lovely to see students putting in the extra effort to include others. They also understand that if something is not right, they tell a teacher straight away and don't fight back. By fighting back, they can make the situation worse, get hurt or be blamed for initiating the incident. It...

I am going to keep today's post quite light.  I recently purchased a laptop bag for $34.99 from Forever New. I am loving it. It is easy for me to carry my class worksheets, a notebook with my checklist, phone, and even a water bottle. It goes well with all outfits and it is comfortable to hold.  For the entire week, I have been pairing all my outfits with my cat shoes. They are the only wedges that make me feel like I am walking on heaven. I can easily last a six-period day in them and still feel good. The students love them and I receive a lot of compliments. It goes with everything.  Today the Year 7's received their photo package and showed me my photo. I am so glad that my face is not as greasy compared to the previous years.  My favourite person gave the CAPA faculty a visit today. All the art teachers got into one photo. I used to team teach with her. She is a fantastic mentor and friend.

Tomorrow is Valentine's day, so I decided to attach a few signs outside my room. The signs are from Woolworths. Tomorrow, is also the first year where I have told my partner that no monetary gifts are to be given. This means a lot of DIY. We are trying to cut back on our spending. Above: Close up of the signs.  Above: My staffroom computer has broken down -monitor does not work and the whole computer needs re-imaging. Hence, I have been either using my co-worker's computer or been doing things that does not require the computer/printer. I decided to cut out words today 'DONUT GIVE UP'. I'm a bit sad that I didn't make the sprinkles more obvious. Above: The pink side has positive notes left by students from 2016. Words of appreciation. Above: I used the coin chart today. It worked really well with one class and not so well with another class. Need to test it out more. Above: My happy area. I organised a Year 7 Team mee...

Since last night, I have been working, working and working. There is so much I want to do but physically I can only do so much in one go. I got up early this morning to finish off what I wanted to do. I think I must have a love and hate relationship with working in my own spare time. I find what I do interesting but at the same time, I whine to myself. I spent almost two hours last night uploading new prizes onto the Vivo online school shop, making facebook posts and sending emails in regards to the school's Vivo rewards program. Vivos is a rewards program we used to reward students using virtual points. Students can exchange the virtual points for a prize of their own liking.  I have been actively seeking for more donations from the school and local community. Parramatta Riverbank has kindly offered a double pass to see Dracula. Here is my post on the school's facebook: Above: DRACULA double passes. I started making a PowerPoint for the 'Meet the Teachers...

Year 7 will start their first day tomorrow. I still remember my first day of high school. I was standing alone in my roll call line waiting for instructions on where to go. The only other person I knew, was standing very far away. My six years of high school life was like a roller coaster ride. There were many ups and downs. However, my 'memories' remind me of how high school was not just about the academic side but about making life long friends. Every day I speak to my high school friends via sms and I meet them regularly for food feasts and hiking trips. Since I am the Year 7 Adviser, I want students to see the value of making memories. It has become the focus of my speech. I want students to make memories together. I want them to also understand that we all take part in someone's memories, so we need to remember to be kind to one another. Kindness is also the theme for my classroom this year.  I will be taking a lot of photos as I love recording down memories and I...