Miss Art of Teaching

I have been teaching since mid 2012. I started off teaching casually and gained longer blocks in the Home Economics Faculty and the Creative and Performing Arts faculty. I have taught every single subject through my casual days. I valued these experiences as it allowed me to be flexible, work with different teachers and bond with students in a short period of time. Some days it was challenging and other days it was quite rewarding.  Fast forward to 2017, I am now a permanent Visual Arts teacher. I am also trained in Technological and Applied Studies area but my heart has always been set to become an art teacher. Late last year, I was asked to prepare a workshop on 'Classroom Management' for Term 1 school development day. While researching through the school holidays, I became interested in everything related to my teaching practice. I started considering how the 'look' of the classroom can influence the way students engage with the classroom content. I looked at teac...

I love blogging and it has been quite addictive. It is a great way to sit back and reflect on what is working and what needs improvement. Since making this blog (early this year), I have been interested in DIY projects and creating resources that help tackle/prevent issues from arising in my classroom. I have improved with my classroom management skills and resource making skills. Students respect the classroom space as there are structures and routines in place. They can see that I take pride in my classroom space and thus, they also respect the space more. My passion for teaching is getting stronger. It is my fifth year teaching and I feel like there is so much to learn and do! Today, I plan to share a list of Facebook groups that I follow and some of the places where I contribute ideas and resources. Sometimes I link my blog to the post, sometimes I am just happy to show a picture. I love how all the Facebook groups connect teachers around the world. I am based in Australia b...

Over in Australia, we only have one more day until the school holidays. We have a two-week break and I NEED IT! I have a few things that I would love to do including the Easter Show carnival, a road trip with my high school friends and just spending more time with my family. Teaching is meant to get easier as the years go by but I feel like I am only truly learning the trade now. There is a never ending pile of work to do and it is the passion that keeps me sane. Looking back at my school photos, I can see how my face has warped. I have stopped exercising as a whole and I can feel how tired my body becomes after a full day of work. After work hours, I am home again making more resources and/or marking.  Above: The far left photo is the latest version of myself. I have been teaching for five years. Above: I have been eating quite unhealthy and have not been looking after my well being as much as I would like. My workload for this holiday seems a bit frightening...

Work started yesterday for teachers. It was also my first time presenting during staff development day. I have never been so busy on the first day back. I was so busy that I didn't have time to be nervous which was a bonus! The presentation on 'Classroom Management' went smoothly and I am thankful for my coworker who joined me in presenting. We covered areas such as: 1. Minimise crowding and distraction. 2. Maximise structure and stability. 3. Positively stated expectations. 4. Give frequent acknowledgment. 5. Provide multiple opportunities to respond. 6. Actively engage students. 7. Actively supervise. 9. Encourage appropriate behaviours. 10. Discourage inappropriate behaviours. Making the presentation encouraged me to reflect on my own classroom management skills and look at new strategies to employ for 2017. I hope the rest of the staff took something away.  During the day I tried to fit in a photocopy run, catch up with people, speak to coworkers in regard...