Our school is making the transition towards a MLE and therefore we have been allowed to make changes. Changes that have allowed me to go back to the way I enjoy teaching. For a while I have been playing it 'safe'. Mainly because I am still needing to tick a lot of boxes to become a fully registered teacher again. To be honest I hated it. I have been battling with myself, a curriculum I am still trying to learn and system I don't know. Sometimes I want to scream and shout at the way things are done as it not what I am used to.
I guess my class feels the same sometimes having me as a teacher as I don't quite do what they have been used to with past teachers.
This week it was all about 'knowing your learner'
I am going to put it our there - I think I do know them quite well. Yes, I know their levels , targets, ethnicity, culture etc but to me that is not important. To me it is knowing who they are. How can a children learn if we as teachers do not know their background? Some of my children have 'colourful' backgrounds and it does affect the way they learn.
So for me it has been about small steps. I already had the class putting their main books into certain boxes rather than their desks. Mainly because that is what I was used to and found it so much easier when it came to marking. The next step was to get rid of their draws altogether. Now for most that was fine. For others it was hard! It has taken me two weeks to finally get 2 boys to part with their draw because of their background.
Small steps but we are getting there.
Sunday 18 May 2014
How do you address a letter?
My son came home with a letter from his teacher this week. The first thing that caught my attention was who it was addressed to - Mum and Dad. I know most won't understand why this may be odd (my husband didn't) but for me it made me wonder a few things;
1.Wow! al the children live with both sets of parents.
2. Really? Not one set of divorced parents in his class.
3. Am I a little to PC?
4. Does this teacher really know her children?
Maybe I am a little jealous as in my class I can't just write a standard letter addressed to 'mum and dad'. To be honest my list would have to include most of the following- Grandma and Granddad, Uncle or Aunty, Foster Careers, Mum and dads significant other, or omitting the mum or dad.
I would be really happy if; number 1 was the correct answer and a little concerned if number 4 did apply.
Planning a lesson or changing your classroom is as important as knowing a child's or parents surname because if you get it wrong it can cause problems.
1.Wow! al the children live with both sets of parents.
2. Really? Not one set of divorced parents in his class.
3. Am I a little to PC?
4. Does this teacher really know her children?
Maybe I am a little jealous as in my class I can't just write a standard letter addressed to 'mum and dad'. To be honest my list would have to include most of the following- Grandma and Granddad, Uncle or Aunty, Foster Careers, Mum and dads significant other, or omitting the mum or dad.
I would be really happy if; number 1 was the correct answer and a little concerned if number 4 did apply.
Planning a lesson or changing your classroom is as important as knowing a child's or parents surname because if you get it wrong it can cause problems.
Monday 12 May 2014
I teech in heels.
I love shoes not just any type of shoes but heels and yes I teach in them as well.
I am not one for brand names although if anyone gave me a pair of Louboutin or Jimmy Choo I wouldn't say no! My favourite heels are actually ankle boots from Kurt Geiger all for the nice price of $14 off E Bay . To be honest what teacher can afford expensive heels?
I guess the other thing I should mention is I am 5'9 ( ish) so don't wear heels for the height!
My school had cross country the other day and I was the only teacher who didn't wear trainers, no I didn't wear heel but I did wear a lovely brown pair of Nine West knee high boots. What was interesting was that most teacher commented on the fact I didn't wear trainers.
Now as most other teachers know when it comes to the cross country all we do as teachers is stand at a point to ensure 2things;
1. Children go the right way.
2. Make sure all children are safe.
It seemed that because it was cross country the norm was you had to wear trainers.
Not everyone wears heels or in that fact wants to. Heels can be difficult to walk in, uncomfortable and by the end of the day some say hurt their feet. They want the 'nice' comfortable shoes that won't hurt and can be trusted to not to cause any pain. No doubt a few will have the same brand or pair in a range of colours just to 'be safe'.
And sometimes teaching is like this. We stick with the comfortable shoes because we know we can 'trust' them, heels are a little to adventurous and what happens if they hurt, are uncomfortable, or god forbid I fall over?
Teaching is the same and we all know this. But the longer we wear those comfortable shoes the harder it is to try the new heels.
#hackyrclass is a great example of kicking off the flats and learning to dance in heels. So I am taking on this challenge. I have always taught a little outside the box thanks to my first teaching mentor. And a lot of what I have read up on (thanks to fellow Twitters) I have been doing due to Ofsted and their expectations! At least here I can do it 'stress' free. But there a lot of things I still want to do, can do and need to learn to do.
So who will be wearing heels to work this week?
I am not one for brand names although if anyone gave me a pair of Louboutin or Jimmy Choo I wouldn't say no! My favourite heels are actually ankle boots from Kurt Geiger all for the nice price of $14 off E Bay . To be honest what teacher can afford expensive heels?
I guess the other thing I should mention is I am 5'9 ( ish) so don't wear heels for the height!
My school had cross country the other day and I was the only teacher who didn't wear trainers, no I didn't wear heel but I did wear a lovely brown pair of Nine West knee high boots. What was interesting was that most teacher commented on the fact I didn't wear trainers.
Now as most other teachers know when it comes to the cross country all we do as teachers is stand at a point to ensure 2things;
1. Children go the right way.
2. Make sure all children are safe.
It seemed that because it was cross country the norm was you had to wear trainers.
Not everyone wears heels or in that fact wants to. Heels can be difficult to walk in, uncomfortable and by the end of the day some say hurt their feet. They want the 'nice' comfortable shoes that won't hurt and can be trusted to not to cause any pain. No doubt a few will have the same brand or pair in a range of colours just to 'be safe'.
And sometimes teaching is like this. We stick with the comfortable shoes because we know we can 'trust' them, heels are a little to adventurous and what happens if they hurt, are uncomfortable, or god forbid I fall over?
Teaching is the same and we all know this. But the longer we wear those comfortable shoes the harder it is to try the new heels.
#hackyrclass is a great example of kicking off the flats and learning to dance in heels. So I am taking on this challenge. I have always taught a little outside the box thanks to my first teaching mentor. And a lot of what I have read up on (thanks to fellow Twitters) I have been doing due to Ofsted and their expectations! At least here I can do it 'stress' free. But there a lot of things I still want to do, can do and need to learn to do.
So who will be wearing heels to work this week?
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