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25 May 2016

Classroom Tour 2016

I love that feeling you get when your classroom layout flows and everything feels like it is in the correct place!!

I have not had the same classroom for more than one year so it always takes me a term or two to find the layout that works for me personally. 

I thought I would take you on a classroom tour of my classroom after all we ALL love looking at each others classroom but we just don't have the time always to actually see them!!

So this is where I started the day before the first day of school (I had moved both schools, towns and been in Europe so there had not been much time before school began to decorate)

It did have some pop pom decorations before school started because it's me and there MUST be colour!!! 

Also FYI I am EXTREMELY blessed this year my classroom is A-MAZ-ING!!!!!!!


This is what it looks like now . . . :) :) . . .for now ;) hee hee




Please excuse my messy teacher desk and the pens!!! haha

A closer look you say!?! SURE THING!!

My little reading area :)




My beloved palm tree is still going (slightly!! eeek!) although it will need a revamp  very soon!


In the reading corner I display our challenge words that we have previously covered as a class. 



Behind our couch is a little area dedicated to drawing. We have been focusing on putting our best effort into our drawings so I have been encouraging scratch that TRYING to encourage them through creating a nice area! 


I have a lovely education assistant in my classroom one day a week so we turned my old teacher desk into a support area!


Our current dramatic play area



and finally Our little Religion board and prayer table. 


Well that is it for now :) 

11 May 2016

It's okay to have a bad day . . .

Do you ever have one of those days where you think to yourself I am done!

Like that’s it I am done! I am going to go join the circus or start working at the local supermarket because I am done with this!!!  

You are convinced you are walking out of that classroom and never coming back!

Someone once said do something you love and you will never work a day in your life.

Well the reality is even if you love what you do there are going to be days where it does feel like a job rather than a vocation.

I think everyone has those days every now and then and you know what THAT IS OKAY!!


Just because you have those days does NOT make you a bad teacher, it does NOT mean you don’t love your job and it does NOT mean you are not good enough.

It just means you are human.


Teachers are wonderful people but we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be perfect.

We feel if we have a bad day in the classroom it is because we have failed or are inadequate.

We put so much time, effort and love into our classroom that often we forget to dedicate this same time to ourselves.

So these are just a few of my own rules I am (trying) to follow!
They are nothing new but they may just remind you to take that time for yourself!!

      At least once a week do something you love!

Read a book, go to the movies, swim at the beach, create something or even blog!! 
As long as YOU love it that is all that counts. Try to make sure there is NO school work involved!

If you are watching TV put that laptop away!

Personally I love to take a bath but that is more a monthly thing! ;)

Drink Water

Seems basic but the truth is we are on the go so often throughout the day we rarely stop to eat let alone drink! Keeping up your fluids keeps up your energy levels so make sure you are drinking water each day!

Strap a bottle to classroom keys or apron! Assign designated drinking breaks with the students and role model by drinking your own water!!

Exercise

In many ways this can be the hardest. School can be is exhausting! We love it but it sure does wipe the energy!! You have to have your mind on 100 000 000 things ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

So it’s not a surprise when we get home we just want to slump on top of our beds and not move!

Even if you are not into going to the gym just try and take a 30min walk. It just clears your head and helps you think straight. 

You will actually be MORE proactive after than if you just went straight home.

Sleep

When I first started teaching it was all I did. I stayed up late, got up early, went to work and repeated this routine again. I also would go into school on the weekends (both days) and work there all day!
I was literally burning the candle at both ends!
 A good sleep is so important – it can set up the mood for the next day. IF you are tired your students will sense it. You will be on edge and less patient and they will mimic this mood.

Set that alarm for bed time not just waking up and stick to it!

Remind yourself that you are doing the best you can!

You are one person. You have one brain, two eyes and two arms.
You cannot do EVERYTHING!

And you know what!? Teaching is the type of job where you will NEVER be content. There is always something you could be doing. The trick is reminding yourself to prioritise.

Our job is hard enough without having you put unrealistic and harsh expectations on yourself.

You are doing the best job that you can. Just take it one thing at a time.
Do the few things you do well rather than doing lots of things.




Teaching is one of the BEST jobs in the world (THE BEST in my humble opinion) so take care of yourself because it would be a shame to lose a great teacher like you to our noble profession. 

04 May 2016

Word Wall: Feelings

Howdy! :)

Just quickly stopping by today :)

I have spent the afternoon putting together an IKEA coffee table! I am Queen of the flat packs in my house! I have also been organising everything for our Mothers Day afternoon tomorrow!!! I am so nervous BUT excited!! 



Word walls have always been a goal of mine but I have always found I never had the time to create them and the generic ones were not quite taking my fancy! 

Last term my class focused on recounts. A personal comment is one of the structural elements of a recount where students summarise how they felt about the event. 

I found my students were stuck on words like happy/sad/bored or I had fun - to the extent these words were BANNED during writing time!!

To remedy this I created my feelings word wall to encourage my students to choose different words to describe their feelings and in turn EXPAND THEIR VOCABULARY!!! 

You can grab this product for $1 from my TPT store by clicking HERE

I am working on an adjective word wall at the moment as well!  If you have any particular words throw them my way! :)

Have a great week!