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...

Kindness At the start of the year, I explained to all my classes that the theme of my classroom is ‘kindness’. This theme does not stay contained in the walls of the classroom but in students’ process of speaking and their part in bringing kindness towards others. At my High School, we do not tolerate deliberate hurtful behaviour. Instead we encourage the use of kind words as this creates happiness for others and ourselves. We must remember that we have a great power when we speak. When we perform an act of kindness it can uplift others and when we choose to deliberately hurt others we can make someone feel really bad. 1.        Think before you speak. 2.        Use words to uplift others. I often ask students to think of things that make them smile. I encourage them to grab a sticky note and write it down. I am hoping to fill my ‘happy notes’ board at the back of my room.  On another note: My c...