Miss Art of Teaching

I had a terrific day meeting new students. There were a lot of new names to learn but it helped by repeating their names and assigning them with a 'number' for the iHelp chart (classroom job distributor). I also encouraged class discussions by pulling out their names, which I had written on paddle pop sticks.  I am so glad to have made some very positive relationships with a number of students last year. Today, I asked two year 12 students to help me put up the 'Happy Notes' backdrop. They are students who I have always stop to have a chat but don't actually teach them for any subjects. Sometimes moments like these make it even more special. I appreciate the time that I get (if I do get it) to speak to students in the morning. A simple wave and hello helps to brighten up their morning. Bribing them with Vivos (School virtual rewards system) also work! Above: Happy notes wall. Need to fill up the back wall with more Art related posters. I didn't actu...

Yesterday I decided to take my teacher planner folder home to do some work. Instead it got viciously attacked by a mega size slurpee. I had purchased the slurpee from a 7/11 petrol station and was quite careless when driving around a roundabout. It landed on my folder and car seat. I spent almost 20 mins in the 40-degree heat trying to baby wipe everything (I always carry around spare baby wipes). I had to throw away most of my printed yellow resources as it did not survive the brutal attack. On a positive note, I reprinted all my pages in pink instead of yellow. I think it reflects my personality better. Something nice always comes out of something unpleasant.  I spent today directing lost Year 7's as they made their way around assembly for whole school announcements and to their roll call classrooms. A lot of meetings occurred today including house meetings and sport selection meetings. From period 2-4, Year 7's finished off their Peer Support activities in the ...

I started at 8:30am in the school hall and was grateful that the Year 7 cohort arrived nice and early. Students were able to find their classes quickly and settled down for a short presentation in the hall. After the hall presentation, students moved into classrooms. I was on my feet for most of the day, running between classrooms to check that all students have been correctly marked, timetables have been passed out, uniform have been checked and important content covered (how to read a timetable etc). I was able to breath a bit more when students were busy in the hall for peer support. I am super proud of the students for being polite and having a nice smile throughout the day. It was great to see them make friends and feel more at ease in the new environment. Above: Students completing activities in the classroom. Above: Screenshot from a PowerPoint which we use every year to teach students how to read a timetable. Above: Year 7 students enjoying an ea...

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...

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...

School starts tomorrow for teachers. I have already made two trips to school in the past two weeks. Each time I look like I am going camping for an extended amount of time. Bags, bags, bags and more BAGSSSSS.... In prep for school, I have done two Aldi runs during their 'Back to School' sale. I am in love with the new rose gold range (magazine holders, pencil holders and rubbish bin). From my latest Aldi trip, I also bought a 2 in 1 office cutter and a large calender desk planner. Above: I have cleaned out my desk and put in my new purchases from ALDI. Tomorrow I am doing a presentation on 'Classroom Management'. This is one of the reasons why I started my blog and how I got interested in DIY projects. Here are some pictures of how I am getting my classroom management in place and making my classroom a tiny bit more inviting. I live and breath inside an old demountable and plan to give it a more refreshed look throughout the year. Above: I wonde...

I missed a post yesterday as I was at a wedding. I did manage to do a bit of work in between the ceremony and reception time. Here is the result from a couple of hours: Above: I cut out numbers and wrote an instruction sheet on how to use the 'iHelp' classroom distributor poster. Purpose of activity: Students will be assigned with a number from the start of the year. Random numbers will be taken out and attached to the app icons to distribute classroom jobs. Explanation of each classroom job is explained on the 'iHelp' poster. The numbers will be attached by Velcro. All items laminated to prolong its life. Hopefully, this helps students to take ownership and responsibility of the classroom. Also gives a sense of teamwork. Above: Back wall decoration with instructions. Above: Continuing my kindness theme for this year.  Above:  A simple laminated 'room changes' poster. It will be attached to the outside of the class...

Latest updates Above: My personal assistant.  Above: The process of making everything requires patience. My dog is clearly displaying this. Above: I had an idea about a wall where students can grab post notes and write happy thoughts or a compliment to one another. I am trying to keep to my 'kindness' theme. The letters were simply made by cutting it out of different coloured A4 paper and laminating it in an A3 pouch. Above: I made a background to match my door display. I think the post notes will match the confetti. Above: Classroom job distributor. The roles are listed below: 1. Messenger 2. Books : Distributes and collects Visual Arts journals  3. Observer : Reports on behaviour 4. Clock: Time keeper  5. Play: Sets up projector and changes slides on PowerPoint 6. Notes: Hand out notes and paper 7. Setting: Teacher assistant  8. Contacts: Mark class roll  9. Rubbish: Help collect rubbish and make sure bin is not ov...

I am really loving DIY lately or I could just be hardcore procrastinating from my real jobs. Today, I took on the challenge to create a door decoration for my demountable. But now that it is finished, I am thinking of attaching it to my store room door. Initially, I wanted to stick the door decoration right outside the classroom door. However, my door has to bear with all seasons: rain, hail or shine. I tried laminating it to make it weather proof but I don't think it will last over a long run. Above: I used three Posca pens for this project. Posca pen is pretty much paint inside a pen. It is easier to control and thus minimises accidents. I used black to write the word 'confetti', I used pink to make a border around the banner and I used white to write 'Ms'. The circle papers was purchased from the Reject Shop for $2.50. I used it to make the word 'kindness' and to provide a base for the word 'confetti'. For $2.50 it came with a generous amoun...

Taking a small break from a week focused on teaching. I did manage to pop by work today and spent more than 3 hrs printing. But the rest of the day was spent in the suburb of Barangaroo. Above: Enjoying 'The Beach' installation with my partner. There are more than 1.1 million balls in this large pit. We waited for 1.5 hr in line. I was pretty much drowning in excitement. To be truthful, I almost suffocated a few time when I couldn't reach the top. Above: Exploring Barangaroo. I am in love with this place. Above: The building structures are fascinating. Above: I met up with three high school friends tonight for dinner. Above: It is never too old to get matching bracelets with the same engraved message. Thank you Thomas Sabo for the free engraving service.