Miss Art of Teaching

I have been taking my classes out due to the broken heater in my classroom. Sometimes it can be difficult juggling all the resources. I do have helpers but I want a neater system. I found a solution... $5 Aud storage boxes from the garage section at Bunnings.  I love how the case is clear so it's easy to see what is inside. It is quite generous in size (space and length). The dividers can be removed as well allowing flexibility in the way you may want to store specific items. With one of the boxes, I can stock it up with 1 x pastel pencil set, 2 x watercolour pencil sets, 1 x pencil set, 1 x graphite pencil set, 1 x posca pen set and some random pens. The pastel pencils, watercolour pencils and pens are from my own home collection. The rest are school property. I think teaching is the only job where you steal from your home! I have shared this teacher storage option on the 'Relief Teaching Ideas Community' Facebook group. It will make the lives of teachers easier as th...

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...

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...