Miss Art of Teaching

It was POURING today after work so I decided to stay for a few more hours. On a normal day, I prefer taking work home. I still have a list of things to do before tomorrow! I used the time at work today to call home to parents/carers. I am sending home five letter of concerns and decided to call parents to let them know that they will be receiving it shortly by mail. I also decided to choose respectful, engaged active learners from each class and call home to give them the recognition.  Calling parents/carers take up a lot of time as I try to engage in a conversation with them rather than just treating them as an item to tick off my list. I find that it is important to talk to parents/carers as it gives you an insight into the home life and shows the parents/carers that you do care about their child. It is good to get support (when possible) from parents as well. One of the best phone calls this afternoon was when I called home to a parent whose child was having a hard time an...

Every month, I try to prepare something for the school newsletter. I think it is a fantastic opportunity to communicate home to parents and carers. The newsletter article is a follow up to my Tuesday's presentation about  'study skills' and the '7 habits of highly effective students'.  

Tonight, I have been quite active on the school Facebook page. I am one of the five admins who monitors the page and puts up daily posts. I have made a post regarding when school resumes since there might be slight confusions with Anzac Day sitting on a Tuesday. After speaking to a parent via the private Facebook message option, I have made a post about her daughter who made it into the NSW Country Youth Women's Baseball team. We love to celebrate student's achievements inside and outside of school. I also included a link to our April electronic school newsletter (the below picture is a snippet taken from the newsletter).  Being an Art teacher, the Year 7 Adviser and a passionate advocator for Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL) means I LOVE taking photos to promote my school, my faculty and my Year 7 cohort. We are always proud of our students' achievements. They are all capable of amazing things. Above: Every month, I try to include something positive in our s...

Sometimes they surprise you with kindness. Today a handful of Year 7 students insisted on staying back during break time to clean my room. The students took the initiative to do something nice without being asked. They were actually really excited about cleaning. The four boys helped clean my storeroom, threw out rubbish, mopped the floor and moved furniture around. The boys have asked if they can come again tomorrow. I'll probably give them a break. The classroom was spotless until the very last period. A pity that my Year 11 students were not able to respect the classroom in the same way. Half my sink was filled with used paintbrushes and palettes. I will be giving them a lecture tomorrow. I just finished calling home in regards to the Year 7 students. I wanted to say THANK YOU to the students by letting their parents know how kind and generous they were with their time today. Every time I call home the parents get a bit worried. They expect a negative comment. The wo...

All my students are getting ready for the assessment period. Senior students have their half-yearly examination in the next two weeks. My junior students also need to submit their art case study assignment soon. During this busy period, there are always students who can benefit from the extra help. I usually book the learning centre if students need one on one assistance. The learning centre is where students can go during class time to complete assignments with the assistance of support teachers. Last year I made a 'Homework Centre' poster using the website Canva. I shared this poster on the school Facebook page to remind everyone about this free service. It is useful for students who may not have computers or wifi at home. I also verbally recommend this to students who may want extra help with homework and assignments. There is always a classroom teacher and a few Year 12 Student Leaders available to help students. Often the Year 12 students have experience in completi...

Being a high school teacher, Year 7 Adviser, Facebook admin, rewards program runner keeps me busy. The thing about this job is that our 'work' brain never switches off. We are constantly thinking of our students, our workload and our relationships with people (staff and parents/carers). I regularly maintain my school's Facebook page to promote what we are doing to the wider community. I am one of the five admins. On the Facebook page, you will find important notices for upcoming events, photos of students inside and outside of the classroom (photos taken with permission), prizes that we have up on the school Vivo rewards shop and general information. Parents and carers can like posts, leave comments or give us a private message.  Being an admin has its perks. It works hand in hand with the school Vivo rewards program as I can make announcements of the prizes available and take photos of the prize recipients. Being a Year Adviser, I try to share photos of the Year 7 stud...

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.