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'.  

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...