Miss Art of Teaching

I LOVE MY CLASSES. This year I have been blessed with really good classes. I still get my dose of challenging students but overall the students are settled and I get to be myself in front of them. I can be silly, make jokes and do some horrible dabbing.  Teaching is about knowing your students and working on building good relationships with them. At the same time NOT letting them get away with things like coming late to class, incomplete assessments tasks and being rude. It is important to have consistent instructions and consequences. Students do three things when they walk into my classroom: 1. Bags off (and placed at the back of the room). 2. Sit down. 3. Zip it. This is to get the class settled quickly without interruptions. Once the introduction is done (for practical lessons), students can start on their own project. If it is a theory lesson, students need to remain quiet unless there is a class discussion. I am generally more flexible with senior s...

The last day of school is usually a breeze. The classes tend to be a bit smaller as not all students make the effort to go to school on the last day of the term. I try to use a bit of class time to organise the room to make it easier for myself when I return to work.  The start to my morning was horrible. I was stuck in a traffic jam that lasted for 1 hr and 10 mins. Usually it takes me 20-30 mins to get to work but today there was a major car accident just before the highway exit. I was a bit worried about getting to work late. The recent rain has made half the car park an unpleasant place to park. I had to drive my car through a pit of wet dirt to get through to the other side. For a minute, my car refused to move and I had to hit my accelerate hard. My demountable is adjacent to the car park so I could see my students as I was struggling to park.  Classes today were quite pleasant. All classes continued on with their practical artworks. While students were working, I wou...

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 really enjoy my classes this year. I've been enjoying my classes ever since being a full-time Visual Arts teacher. I have experience in teaching TAS (Technological Applied Studies) subjects but have always had a soft spot for Art. Above: Year 9/10 students have been working on developing their artworks with a focus on 'Environmental Issues'.  Above: I find the students are trying more and willing to experiment. Perhaps my 'Donut Give Up!' sign is working :P Above: I started using my classroom management signs today. I am definitely the crazy art teacher! Above: seems like a few teachers are interested :) I am also thinking of making my own signs in the future after my purchase one dies from wear and tear.

I've had a really good week with my classes. I enjoyed knowing my students more and being able to teach my content with little disturbance. I hoped they enjoyed their time in the art classroom. Throughout this week I focused on understanding the ALARM matrix, getting out my Year 11 theory assessment task, making my students aware of their time management and productivity during class time, assisting Year 7 with their self-portrait drawings and decorating my classroom. During the week I also focused on looking for more prizes for the school rewards system: Vivo miles. I posted on different Facebook groups and had one response from a gentleman who works for Eckersley. He is offering art supplies and free medium workshops. I also promoted new prizes on assembly, through the school Facebook page and through student's notices. Students are snapping up raffle tickets to build a higher chance of winning a double pass to our local wildlife park. On the side, I am still activ...

I have been working since 7am and I am trying to understand why it is already 10:38am. Sometimes, I think I work rather slow. A few things that I have completed in the few hours time frame: Updated the Powerpoint for Wednesday (there is a presentation after an informal 'Meet the Teachers' event). Sent work emails. Updated student notices. Maintained and organiseed Vivo school rewards program. Put up posts on the school Facebook page about Vivo raffle prize draw and school newsletter. Checked bank statements. Finally organised my receipts for my super late 2016 Tax return. Here is a small snippet from our first 2017 school newsletter. I try to write something in it every month so that I can reach out to our parents and students. There is also another post about students in Visual Arts.

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...