5 More Things I Learned as a First Year Teacher - Part 2

1 - Balance, Balance, Balance

Honest it's not a swear word but it is hard to do - very hard, especially when we are just starting out. 

We so want everything to be perfect, we want to cross all our t's and dot all our i's, perfect lesson plans, perfect classroom and so on and so on.

It is so easy to be at school at the crack of dawn and be the last one to go home, and of course you take your computer home too and work on it until bedtime.  

Of course because you have had no down before we go to bed, your head is spinning, coming up with ideas, thinking how we could have done something better, been a better teacher and so on and so on.

But here is a reality check 

- it doesn't make you a better teacher - 

Actually it makes you a burnt out teacher that catches every illness going around and then some.  It can leave you wondering at the end of 6 months why on earth you became a teacher.

Was I doing it this way - you bet yah - was I any more effective because I was - nope. 

Actually I spent the first 7 months of the year sick (I contracted bacterial tonsillitis that kept coming back and it's hard to teach when it feels like you have no air passage).  

It was at the beginning of term 3 before I came up with a better plan.

I like getting up early (and staying up late - I'm a night owl and early bird kinda gal), so I would be at work about 7am which gave me an hour of prep time before the odd kiddo started to arrive and 2 hours before the start of school.  After school I would stay until around 4-4.30 (staff meeting dependent) and I would go home, but I would go home without my computer - no school work - nothing (except during report writing time).  On Fridays I would stay late if my planning wasn't finished (but normally it was) so that I wasn't taking work home on the weekends either.  This meant I had recharge time, research time, me time, idea thinking time - you get the idea.  If I wanted to work on a concept for school I could but there was no pressure.

By using my time smarter I was getting more things done and actually able to go home and it made term 3 & 4 much better trust me.  It's all about finding what works for you.  Finding systems that work for you and allows you to use your time to it's best.

*Focusing on one job at a time for 20 minutes can produce amazing results and you can get so much done - you'd be surprised.

*Batching tasks together like planning your photocopying for the week and getting it done in one go then file ready to grab, can save you so many trips.

2 - An Emergency Kit

Keep an emergency kit and no I don't mean a first aid kit.  This is a box or a draw or a cupboard in your room (hopefully that the kiddo's cannot get into) that can be your go to place when things go wrong.

You want some snacks (e.g. snack bars, nuts, chocolate what ever makes you happy) for those days you either just don't get to sit down and eat or you run low on energy.  Plasters just for you (you know the ones that don't have the latest Disney character on them).  

Nail clippers, toothbrush and toothpaste in a bag can be a life saver on those days you just know you ate the wrong thing at lunch when you now have to be up close with kiddo's. 

Socks can be handy when you are caught out on a cold day or you ended up in that puddle that has just soaked through your shoes so they are gross to wear.  On that note keeping a spare jacket or warm top is handy too, the whether can change quickly and you don't want to be caught out on duty with no coat or cold and no jacket.  

Then there are the obvious things like a hair brush (I mean after duty hair can be a bit wild), spare hair tie if you have long hair.  I have heard it's even a good idea especially if you are in juniors to have a spare top cause you never know when a child may be sick on you or you get covered in paint (thankfully neither have happened to me......yet).

3 - Sense of Humor 

Honestly you need more than anything a good sense of humor and be able to let things go (which is hard).  There are days when you are sure each and every child in your class has been possessed by a monster (p.s. check for a full moon on those days) and nothing seems to go right.  But it can just be one day, you need to learn to let it go and move on and most importantly treat the next day as a new day.

You also need to learn to laugh, laugh and their antics (not in front of them if they are playing up), at yourself for your mistakes, at the jokes the kids try and do.

Some days both of these things are easier to do than others - some days it seems near impossible.  But you need to find a way to shake those days off and not let them get on top of you.  

Whether you love the gym, a walk, yoga or a glass of wine, find time for yourself and breathe, relax and as Taylor Swift would say "Shake it off".

4 - Talking to Parents

I think this is almost the scariest part of the job (even for more experienced teachers), you just don't know what you are going to get when you talk to a parent - especially if they have requested to see you.

Parents come in all shapes and sizes of attitude and approach when it comes to talking about their child.   

They range from parents who believe with all their heart that their child can do no wrong and therefore it is always someone else's fault, too parents who believe their child can do no right.  

If you are lucky you get the parent in the middle, who knows their little darling can be a fault and is willing to listen and work with you to support encourage and ensure their child is the best they can be.

There is actually no easy answer for this one, you literally just have to suck it up and speak to parents.  What I have found is the more you get to talk to a parent about how well their child is doing, the more they are going to listen to you if something has gone wrong - it removes the 'you've got it in for my child attitude' and you have more chance of getting home help.  It doesn't always work but it can help.

Different schools have different approaches when it comes to this so you do need to establish what your school expects of you in regards to contact with parents.  One approach I read about and started at the end of last year (and will be continuing with) is sending home positive notes. I made up a few templates which I printed on colored paper and keep in a draw, then once or twice a week I make a point of sending a note home that they can show their parents.   Now I would point out I teach 5 & 6 year olds so this does have a lot of currency with them, but older children love being able to experience this too.  If you would like to give the notes a try just click on this link HERE and it will take you to a Dropbox download.  I also ensure that all my kiddo's get a note at some point.

For some children you do need to work harder to find the reason, and sometimes that reason is small, but that's okay as long as you can find a reason, but remember that child is often the child who needs that note more than anyone else in your class....so look hard for a reason.

5 - Discipline

You cannot wing this.  

You must have it clear in your own mind what you are going to do and handle situations. You have been in classrooms, you have seen the sorts of things kids do and the sorts of things you don't like, so be clear in your own mind how you are going to handle it.  Also be transparent with your class, set clear expectations and consequences when it comes to negative behavior, so they know what to expect as well.

Be familiar with your school's expectations when it comes to dealing with bad behavior (and what they consider to be bad behavior), some schools have better plans in place than others, some even have it written down - read it!  

Talk to your team leader, mentor teacher etc about their methods and expectations.  But most importantly, have it clear in your own mind (gee I think I said that already).

You can adjust it, nothing is set in stone - but if you adjust it, let the class know.  

You will come across behavior that you hadn't planned on (there will be those sorts of classes), it's okay to come up with a plan for next time (and hope there isn't a next time). 

But if you are going to have consequences be consistent and be consistent with all the students in your class.  

You maybe used to 'Mary' always doing xyz so she has to have the consequence, but if 'Jan' suddenly does the same behavior out of the blue you can't ignore it, she has to have the same consequences.

I know right now you are reading this and going - well that's obvious, tell me something I don't know.   

But you know what, when you are in that class and you see one of your normally good kids act up it's easy to over look it cause normally they are good, but the 'Mary's' of the world see that and they know it's unfair and it can lead to bigger problems.

They say it takes 20 positive comments to undo one negative comment.  So please, please, please choose your words carefully.  Never say 'you always...' 'you never....'  and before you think teachers don't do that - yes they do.  I observed a teacher last year berating the students on the mat as they were not listening, they were over it, they were tired, but she had a lesson to teach.  So she picked on a few students named them and said "...you are always talking and never listening",  and ".....you are always making the wrong decisions" 

Yup, that's the sorts of things she was saying, I don't think she even realized what she was saying, she was just so frustrated with the class,  and I honestly think if she heard herself she would have been mortified. 

Time out zones are a good idea - they don't have to be horrible sit in the corner, facing the wall, sort of time outs, they can be sitting in a chair with a relaxation/thinker timer or a calm down jar.  Time out can be as much for you as it can be for the child (give you a chance to calm down too).  Don't call it a time out spot, call it a 'Thinking Spot' cause you want the child to think about what they have done.

I tried to always make a time to talk to the child if I sent them to the thinking spot, see if we can find out if something bigger is going on, or simple re-establishing a good relationship and inviting them to join in again.  Some kiddo's will even take themselves to the time out spot cause they need at break from whatever is happening in class - it shows such amazing self management.

Acknowledging the positive behaviors that you want to see in your students.  It's so important to do more praise than telling off, not just for your students but for you as well.


I caught heard myself one day, it was just one after another of correcting behavior, I didn't once acknowledge those who were doing the right thing.  I didn't like what I was hearing and I sure as heck my class wasn't either.  So I stopped, I actually stopped mid sentence, I sat back in my chair, I let out a big breath and just looked at the class and said "Well I certainly have my grumpy face on today, lets see if we can change that" (Our class talk is teacher grumpy face vs happy face and how they can be in control of the face that comes out and how if I am having to have my grumpy face out to tell the class off, I always end it with "okay grumpy face away now").  I then turned around and made a point of complimenting the positive behavior I was seeing.  The reality is, if you are only seeing the negative it gets into your own head, the children aren't the only ones affected - you are as well.


So that's my two cents worth about being a first year teacher.  There is and always will be so much more, it's an amazing journey and it's not easy, but you are in for the time of your life and when you look back you will be amazed at just how much you have learnt in a year compared to all the time you spent studying.   Remember to take time to enjoy something about each and every day.

Tens Frame Games

I love using games in the classroom especially to help teach math.

You set up the 'game' you teach the rules and then you let them go for it.  They race, they compete and they try and beat each other, and they have fun.

But what they often don't realize is they are learning, and the learning is really getting in.

I mean, it ticks all the boxes, its doing, seeing, and hearing.

So for me it's a win win.  Engaged happy students who are having fun while they are learning and best of all want to play the games again and again (even outside of math lessons).

With my tens frame games, the set up is easy.  Each student gets a tens frame, ten counters, a recording sheet and a means of spinning a spinner (this can be done via a pencil and paper clip or brad or by attaching a spinner.

You start with 5 monkeys on the tens frame.

Spin the spinner and see what it lands on.  You then follow the instructions e.g minus 3, so you remove 3 monkeys from your tens frame and write the equation on the recording sheet.

The answer then becomes your starting point for your next equation

So you keep spinning and adding and subtracting the monkeys until you reach ten monkey's in your tens frame.

The game can be played without the tens frame and monkeys but it does help your students see the equation and help them answer the equations.

Best part is it can be played by yourself as practice or in pairs as a race to see who can fill their frame the fastest.


If you would like to check out my tens frame games I have a few listed in my TPT store just click HERE where you can find this a more tens and twenty frame games for your classroom.

Reflections of a First Year Teacher - Part One

You attended your teacher course (wherever that may have been), you've done your papers, been lectured, you've done some time in the classroom during your course, and they have told you you are now ready for your own classroom.......

Next step land your first job.....

Then you are actually the teacher, for real.

You have to be, up the front of the room teacher, you have little faces looking at you expectantly (I mean you know what you are doing....don't you).   But then you find out just how different life is when you have your own classroom, you are in charge, there is no one at the back of the room you can turn too....your it!

Are you going to make mistakes?  You bet!  I sure as heck did, so I thought I would share some of the things I learnt as a First Year Teacher.

1 - Do Sweat the Small Stuff.

Lets face it, we are sitting at the mat with our first ever class, we have heard the message at training "don't smile for the first 3 months' but lets be real here for a moment, are you going to enjoy being a teacher if you constantly have your grumpy/serious face on for 3 months? No! Are the kid's going to enjoy being in your class - NO.

But here's the problem, we sit in front of that class of eager faces that you want to get to know and who want to get to know you so we start of friendly, really friendly, we tell them we are going to have so much fun this year.  We are excited (and nervous/terrified) for this journey to start.  We are determined to be the best teacher ever and our kids are going to love us!

And then we make our first mistake, we ignore the little things happening on the mat, those things that in themselves really don't seem that big a deal (for now) so we don't really want to make a big deal out of it, so you let it go.

I mean you don't want to be THAT teacher after all.

So here's the next big BUT - Not doing so means the little behaviors become big behaviors or a behavior that has you wanting to tear your hair out 3 months later.  Then you have to try and take the class right back to the beginning and try and undo the damage,  which is sssooo much harder!

Oh boy it can feel like your nit picking at first, almost like your a drill sergeant calling them out on every infraction, but trust me you need to.  But only for those first couple of weeks.   Don't get me wrong, you don't have to be mean or sound nasty, but you do need to do a quick friendly reminder of the behavior you expect of them (e.g. we listen when someone else is talking Johnny), and a little firmer if needed.

Wondering what those behaviors are for you - think back to your training and you were in someone else's class, what behaviors annoyed you, what did you see that you didn't like - those are the behaviors that you want to focus on.

For me it was mat manners - oh boy those got me.  Not sitting properly on the mat, thinking you could lie around on the mat during instruction time, talking when someone else was talking instead of listening and calling out answers when I have said hands up don't call out.  They were my biggest bug bears and I didn't get it right at the beginning of the year, I didn't model it correctly and consistently in those first few weeks and I felt like I was chasing my tail trying to correct it further down the track.  Am I going to do it different this year - you bet.

I know it sounds silly to 'model the behaviors you want but (especially for younger students) if you don't actually act out what you don't want to see (and you can have so much fun with this) they often just don't get it or don't understand.  On the flip side you also need to model want you do want to see as well - and you then rope them into modelling it (you will always have some kiddo's keen to do this).  

2 - Being Prepared

Oh my goodness, it doesn't matter how great a lesson plan you have or how long you think an activity will take, there will always be days that things do not go to plan.  Whether it be a school scheduled in activity that eats at most of your lesson time except it leaves you 10 minutes to fill, or what you thought was at least an hour long lesson & follow up activity but they had it finished in record time, there will always be 'what now moments'.  My current school is great in the sense they encourage 'play is learning' within the junior school (as long as the academic side is met of course), but play means stuff being brought out, and stuff being brought out means mess, and mess means time needed for tiding up, and by the time they have gotten stuff out and then tidied up there ain't any real time to play.

So have a plan, have activities or have a book ready to go to fill in that time.

I learnt quickly to have a draw of activities ready for those moments.  Inside was simple activities like sight word/equation coloring sheets which are real win-win as there is academic and fine-motor skill practice happening and most kiddos love to color and I had my fall back of Bump Games that were always a winner and had them practicing both math and phonics (depending on the game).

I also had a prepared book or two each day by my chair so at the very least I could sit and read them a story (and reading to them is gold).  I would even go as far as prepping some questions on a post it note that could lead to some discussions!

A real life saver for me this year was using Go Noodle (click here to find more and sign up), there is two versions, the free one and the paid one.  Trust me if you don't have the funds for the paid one, the free version is wonderful.  There are songs for teaching, songs for movement, songs for silly time and songs to calm and relax.  The songs range from 2 minutes to 5 minutes - but don't worry they always want more than one song as they race to 10 and see what the character will change into (hey by the way, you sneak maths in here too with facts to 10 win-win).

The bonus they are getting movement and getting the wiggles out and double bonus you join in and you are getting movement.  I had a rule everyone had to stand and if you didn't want to dance you had to walk on the spot - everyone had to move somehow.  By the second term all my kiddo's were trying to dance - they just couldn't help themselves 😂

3 - They do not all have to go to the toilet at the same time.

It's true, they do not have synchronized bladders as much as they try and tell you that they do, and yet no sooner does someone raise their hand to say they need to go (or give you the hand signal) then you have at least five others doing the same.

My rule quickly became one girl, one boy at a time, that's it, no exceptions (okay I did make the odd exception but that's when I got to know the body language of a few of them and I would rather break the rule than have an accident on my floor!).

It's amazing how quickly some of them forget that they needed to go when they can't go straight away - it's like magic.

4 - Some days you will feel you suck as a teacher.

There is no other way to put it.  There are days you will feel like you suck, that you don't know what you are doing, that you have stuffed everything up and that you are a fake who hasn't been caught yet.
This is so NORMAL.  I doubt you will find a teacher who has never had this thought, hey reality check here even veteran teachers can feel like this sometimes - if you are in any teacher Facebook groups you will find posts from teachers who have been in the game for years saying that they just don't know what to do with their students this year.

The reality is there will always be challenges to overcome, there will always be students that test us to our limits of understanding and patience and there will always be days that we feel as teachers we didn't live up to our ideals.  Remember to there will always be days when you as the teacher are having a bad day (for whatever reason), you aren't at your best.

I have had a few of them, I have actually stood with my head against the wall for almost all of the morning break wondering just how I was going to manage to get through the rest of the day.  How I got through the rest of the day, I'm not actually sure, but I know there were a few tears on the way home.  Coping with those days can be hard, but they are just that 'days'.  Find someone safe who you can talk to, often just unloading can give you clarity, or unload it all onto paper.

5 - Stop and Give Them Time:

This seems so simple, they come up to you eager to tell you a story or just interact with you, but your in the middle of preparing something for the next lesson, next day, next whatever.  So you keep doing it and sort of pay attention, or worse you tell the child "Sorry I have to finish this we will talk later".

DON'T DO IT!  Stop what you are doing and give that child the 5 minutes they need. 

It's hard, I know it's hard, you have all these things you would rather be doing, but that 5 minutes is gold, it's the connections, its the attention that child may need to stop being the disruptive child 10 minutes after the bell rings cause they needed that bit of attention.   And here's something else to remember, you may have been the first adult to stop and listen and give attention to that child that morning.  Now this doesn't matter if you a in a low or high economic area, with how busy mornings can be at home, some children just don't get the 5 minutes they needed to be heard.

Have I been perfect with this - nope - did it make a difference when I was - yep!  With my most difficult student last year that 5 minutes in the morning of eye contact conversation made a huge difference to his behavior for the rest of the day.  So this is a big one for me to be very aware of as I head into my second year.

Wow that was a long post....problem is I think there is still a little more to say, I think that will have to be a part two.

Oh Christmas Tree

So this idea started as we had to make a Christmas Tree to go to the local Christmas Grotto....unfortunately we never got it finished in time, I mean it's end of our school year and Christmas...well you know how it goes....things just kinda got away on us, but we did get it finished.

I was inspired by some pins on Pinterest in from some Reggio inspired classrooms of winding wool around sticks as a fine motor skill activity as well as creating a great art piece for the classroom.

Now first of all it's confession time.....for this to be a really worthwhile fine motor skill activity you would need to use fine wool and the students would take their time to do it and come back to it several times in order to complete it.

- BUT,  I had no time for that, I was already on a deadline...

So I got the thick wool with multi colors strands in it that would look like they had spent ages winding different colored wool around (gotta do what yah gotta do).

I purchased a set of bamboo garden stakes which I then cut to size - hint if you think about it when you cut the small pieces become the top of the tree so you are working towards the middle!

I laid them all out against a large thick garden stake an to ensure spacing, size etc before cutting the large stake - Now I can not give you sizes or anything like that cause I just winged it with my fingers crossed that it was gonna work.

As the students drifted in that morning I was working on the largest of the sticks, just slowly winding the wool around, let me tell you that got their interest up and ready and they piled on the questions as to what I was doing, could they try, what was I making etc.

I kept telling them they were just going to have to wait and see.

I hoped I was building the suspense and I would have them hooked.

Turns out I did.


At our morning meeting about the day I showed them what I had been doing, and explained what we were trying to do,  they were hooked and I had lots of volunteers.  Even though I couldn't show them an example of what we were creating (other than a crude drawing on the board) they were still on board with my vision and excited to try this out.

I started each stick off my taping the wool flat against the stick and the child then wound the wool over so you don't see the tape.

It was great to see the different techniques and styles of how to wind the wool around, and the sharing and helping that happened as they worked together.  You will also notice from the photos that the boys were into it just as much as the girls, in actual fact to start with I had more boys that girls working on the project.

When they had completed all the sticks I used zip ties to attach the sticks to the stake and then wound wool around the stake covering the zip ties and forming the trunk of the tree.

For added strength to the wool and help them not to fall off if handled too much I also hot glued the end and then topped that with glitter glue.

I had planned for the class to make mini pompoms as decorations, but remember what I said about time... well that kinda went out the window and we improvised by sticking on glitter pompoms.

One kiddo decided that it made it a math tree as the pompoms had been used during the year as one of our math centers 😆 and proceeded to count the different colors of pompoms.

The class were so happy with the tree, everyone who came into the classroom was dragged over to see it as they pointed out the stick they had done (or helped do).

While it only ended up mounted against our wall this year, I would love to have it in a weighted bucket next time and have it free standing and I would get the battery lights to string over it to make it really pretty.

And yes I did say next time, I think this is going to be my thing for a few years that as a class we are going to make our own Christmas tree and decorate it.   I'm just going to be more organised next year and start this at the end of November.

Experimenting with Cloud Dough

Discovery play is an important part of our juniors school life.

Along with play in the classroom, once a week all the junior classes get together for two hours in the morning to explore, play, experiment and get to know each other.

The focus for us as teachers is developing our kiddo's oral language, both in vocabulary and confidence in speaking.  We are also teaching them how to play together, co-operate, share, and allow others to join in (skills that are sorely missing at the beginning of the year).

There is a mix of dress up, Lego's, building blocks, sandpit and toys, water, painting, balls, skipping ropes etc every week.  We as teachers then add activities to the mix that we guide the children with and really encourage the language and conversation.

We follow a process of making four/five comments (which helps supply language) before we are allowed to ask questions.  Let me tell you, if you have never tried to do this, it is really hard to do.  You have to resist every instinct to jump in and ask 20 questions left right and center, and it takes a lot of will power not too.

The theory behind it is that if we ask nothing but questions children can shut down as often they have thought about what it is you are asking of them e.g. Child 'a' comes to you with a rocket they have built and you ask "Where's your rocket flying to?" they don't know, they just built a rocket and ran to show it to you, they haven't come up with an imagination story yet.
However if we say "Wow that is such a neat rocket, I like all the colors you have used, that would be so much fun to fly to outer space with, maybe you would see some aliens, or maybe a shooting star"  and then you ask a question, it's given them access to language and you have shown a true interest and engaged with the child and the activity.

As I said it is hard to do, but we are nearly a year in now and we are all getting better at it and have seen amazing growth with our students.

Today I introduced Cloud Dough!

I had a lot of volunteers after I said I was going to do an experiment with flour and oil and see what I could make.  I think it was the word experiment that got them.

To be able to help they all had to show me 8 on their fingers (hey if you can get some maths in, you get some maths in).

I explained how first we had to measure 8 cups of flour out. We talked about how they can't be piled high with flour or partly empty and how we have to flatten the top so it's nice and even.

One by one they lined up to put their hand in the flour bag and filled their cup up, there was no fighting or pushing, they just happily handed their cup to the next person.  16 cups of flour later they had all had a turn of measuring out the flour and were all ready fascinated by the feel of the flour.

I then added the food coloring - I would note that because the next ingredient is oil the food coloring didn't mix in as well as I wanted.  While it did change the color a bit, it tended to be in little bits, so I don't know if I would do it again in the future.

Next came the oil.  The recipe for baby oil, however you could easily use any other oil, I would just be aware of peanut oil's, coconut oil would be amazing and the smell would be heavenly.  I decided that since it was the first time making cloud dough and I really really didn't want to risk it being a failure, that I would follow the recipe and do the baby oil.    However now that I have made it, I would love to do it with coconut oil!

I must admit I made a big production of pouring the oil into the cup, I wasn't quite game to let 5/6 year olds loose with the oil so I had to keep them entertained and hooked.

As soon as I poured the oil in, all hands were in mixing and stirring to see what happened.  One by one I added more oil and more flour, the hands reached up grabbing at it all and mixing it in.  They had such a blast that even if nothing else happened they would have been happy.

Slowly they noticed how it was changing, while it was still so softy and silky (like a cloud) they could clump it together like wet sand.  I threw in washed out peach cups and they went for it, building, creating and having fun.  The best part is they all smelt so good afterwards and everyone's hands were lovely and soft.

I made a huge batch of the cloud dough but the best part is that it keeps, so at the end of the session I just transferred it into a couple of large containers and I will be able to bring it out again on another discovery.

Cloud Dough

8 cups of plain flour

1 cup of baby oil (or any oil of your choice)

Mix well, add containers and play away.

I made 5 times the recipe to get this much cloud dough.

Remember this does have oil so don't do this on or near your carpet as it may stain

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Beginning Teacher - Week 18 - Being observed!

I think nothing really unnerves a teacher more - whether they are new or been at this game for years - than having someone in to observe you - especially when you don't know it's happening!!

That was me this last week.  Education Specialist walked into the room to spend an hour or two to observe one of my kiddo's (I will call him M) that has a few issues! M was born premature, one ear is miss-formed meaning he is deaf in that ear and he has hearing lost in the other ear.  He has behavior issues and will do anything for attention regardless of whether or not it is positive or negative and some days it seems like he wants negative attention only.  He has trouble retaining information, to the extent he is about to turn 7 but is still in a first year class, in saying that I have been making some amazing progress lately (if I do say so myself).  He is also has the most amazing mind when it comes to Lego and building and the cutest smile out there.  As much as he drives me up the wall some days and tests every nerve in my body, I have a real soft spot for him.

So having someone in to observe a child and how they act etc is a good thing when you are trying to get help for that child - but the problem is, is that they are observing you to!

After all is it the child that is the problem or is it you the teacher?!?

It was guided reading time, and for a change I had a fairly full class (okay full for me, I only have 18 on my class roll and for the whole year I have only had them all there once - yup you read that right once in 6 months), today I had 12.

So to set the scene - during guided reading at my school we set up centers and the students just rotate through the centers at their own pace and when they have finished and checked with me they are allowed free play.

The first thing that happened as soon as I had explained the centers is that M and another had a gentle fight over who got to sit on the last chair at one of the centers and neither were budging.   Tried to see if one of them would give up the seat - no luck so I took the seat away and they both lost.

Grit teeth and thought good M is going to play up today, and moved on with my reading groups prepared to have to deal with M throughout.

But the rest of the morning went great, M didn't act up, didn't misbehave and worked so well - the little stinker :) Honestly I did want him to act up, I did want him to be the child who drove me to distraction the day before, we are trying to get him additional funding so he can get extra one on one, help and if he is an angel when he is being observed....IT WONT HAPPEN!!!

This was the third observation M had had, two was when he was an angel and one where he just played up something wicked (thankfully).

Today I called into a meeting with the Education Specialist, the principal, a lady from the hearing association, an RTLB (teacher support for difficult children), and the parents of M.  I didn't know it was happening - they forgot to tell me.  I was so nervous about what the outcome was going to be and totally unsure how honest to be.

I decided to go with honest.

I framed that M can be like two different children.  There is M who comes into my class bouncy and ready to learn and has a great day, then there is M who just acts up all day, disturbs everyone else, is destructive of my, school and other students property/work and is hard to deal with.  I told them how M will come up to me and say 'I had a good day today ahy' and that I am honest with him and I will say 'No not today' or 'Yes you have been amazing today'.  His parents told me he comes home and owns up to that (which I thought was cute).

The outcome of the hour long meeting, I am unsure.  Will we get any funding? We find out in a week but I'm not holding my breath.

Will things change with M?  No I don't think so, there is more going on in his head than we know, I just hope he doesn't fall through the cracks.  In the mean time I will keep trying with him and hope for more good days than bad (for both our sake).

There was one personal positive that came out of the meeting was the huge compliment the Education Specialist gave about me and how I run my class, how the students act in class towards each other and me, the environment, everything, she told the parents M was lucky to be in my class!

I needed to hear that.

She said it in various forms throughout the meeting and then came and spoke to me afterwards to re confirm what she said and add a bit more - then she found out I was a BT and was gobsmacked.

I often think I am failing as a teacher - I am so quick to judge myself harshly - and to have someone in the business rave about me like that was so sole affirming.  It will make it easier to get out of bed tomorrow and face the day, regardless of how M acts.  I know I am making a difference, (even his parents said they have seen it in recent months), and maybe just maybe some good will come out of being observed and he will get the extra funding.

Maybe....

Week 17 as a Beginning Teacher

So today marks the end of week 7 of Term 2.  I have decided that I am going to start blogging about my reflections of my teaching during my first year, rather than just typing them in a random file that I may never look at again.

With week 7 finishing this week I'm not impressed with myself that much.  In actual fact I think as a teacher I may just suck!

Don't get me wrong I have had some amazing results this week.  One of my kiddo's who has been at school for 2 years and is still in a Kindergarten class (he has some learning issues) absolutely rocked his alphabet.  In his December 2015 testing he knew 4 lower case letters and 6 upper case letters.  Six months down the track in my class he has learnt 23 lower case letters and 24 upper case letters!   I did such a happy dance with that result.  I felt like a teacher.  I felt like I had taught someone something, I felt like I had had a success story.

But that's not where I think I am failing.

If I am totally honest with myself I am not being the teacher I want to be.  I was never going to be a teacher that yelled and yet I am finding myself doing it a lot lately and I don't like it one bit.

I could justify it and say, I have been sick with a throat virus all year that has left me really tired, or first year teacher tired or that 3 of my kiddo's do not know how to behave and it's there fault I yell.

But the reality is there is no excuse.  I shouldn't be raising my voice to tell a child off.  That's not who I want to be and it's not who I should be.

It is always the same 2 kiddo's that push my buttons with a third who tries but tends not to too much.  Both boys have issues stemming from home life (or previous home life) and the first 5 years of their life hasn't been easy.

They can both be the sweetest boys, who lap up praise, love one on one time with me and want to please, until they have impulse control issues or want something someone else has, or don't like how someone looked at them, spoke to them or whatever triggered a misbehavior.

The trouble is my response (especially by the end of the day) isn't helping, it's contributing, and I have to acknowledge that.  If I am going to remind them how to behave (which is going to have to happen) I need to do it calmly, but more importantly I need to acknowledge that they have done so.

I know I am supposed to do that but when I reflect back I realize that...

I don't.

I just move on and teach (or try to).

They don't get the acknowledgement of having listened.

They don't get the positive reinforcement for doing the right thing, and they desperately need it.

So they act up again.

I cannot blame the boys for that, it's all on me.

I'm the one not following through, I'm the one not being the teacher who models the right way to do something.

I always wanted a classroom with a set of simple rules that we would learn as a class and follow (most of the time) and would be full of a lot of learning, fun, laughter, me being goofy, and the kids remembering what a great class it is.

Instead I have been feeling more overwhelmed, sometimes drowning, forgetting about the goofy and having fun, getting caught up on the small stuff, and most importantly not picking my battles.

I have to learn to pick my battles better, I have to learn to respond better, and most importantly I need to follow through better and acknowledge them for listening and doing the right thing.

There is so much to remember in the first year of being a teacher, there is so many balls in the air that you are trying to juggle.  I know that doesn't change, you are always juggling those balls, but you get better at juggling, you know more ways to juggle.

Sometimes you get so stuck on trying to get the reading, writing and math right you forget the rest, or you are so busy trying to get the classroom management sorted something else suffers.

So my goal for this week is to really focus on those two boys, remember they cannot sit to long, remember to remind them how to behave calmly (no raised voice) and most importantly I MUST remember to acknowledge them for listening and to catch them doing the right thing and acknowledge that to!!!

We will see next week how I did!  Wish me luck.

I Survived My First Term....Just

Okay so technically I have almost survived two terms of the school year as we are over half way through term two.

But it has been hard.

It has been a steep learning curve.

It has been amazing.

It has been draining.

It has been rewarding.

It has been frustrating.

It has been overwhelming.

It has been eye opening.


I am working in a school surrounded by families without a lot of anything especially money.  In New Zealand schools don't supply lunches to children, they bring there own.  However in low income areas schools are supplied bread, fruit, breakfast foods and snacks so that we can feed those who need it.  So many of my kiddo's come with nothing or a lunch box with chippies and biscuits, so every day my kiddo's know I will ask who needs a sandwich (and if they have nothing with bread they know to put up their hand) or who needs a top up (in other words they don't have much).  There is no shame in it, no put downs, it just is what it is, and the kids accept it and know they are getting no judgement for it either from me or their classmates (I mean tomorrow it may be their turn so no-one puts down anyone!).

When I got the position (one week out from the school year starting) I was told it was new entrant (5 year olds), this rather scared me as it is so unusual to put a beginning teacher in a new entrant classroom as they as such a whole different teaching requirement in their own right - don't believe me - just ask how many teachers in upper grades want to teach newbies 😅.     The day before I started I found out that in actual fact all my kiddo's had been at school for between 6-8 months (with the exception of 1 who was 3 months and 1 who was 2 years but well behind).  So all my planning went out the window and I thought great I am starting with kids who know a thing or two....

WRONG

For all the building up of how great my kiddo's were and how bright a few of them are, no one really mentioned that all of my class was WAY behind where they should be across the board, and with summer they will have all slipped way back even further (most of our families don't do home follow up talks/learning etc).  Just to give you an idea, in my class of 18 only two could spell their name correctly (but with reversed letters but that's no biggy).

I have a class of amazing kiddo's with fabulous personalities, and quirks, who are in desperate need of positive attention and affirmations, who struggle to learn and retain new information and need so much exposure to new learning to start to retain it, that it sometimes feels like we are making no progress.

It has been an amazing learning curve for me, I have brought lesson plans and ideas on TPT that should have, could have worked, but just didn't and got put away in the hope by the end of the year it just might.  I have brought amazing lesson plans/concepts that should have been able to been taught in a week according to the wonderful teacher who has designed the lessons and had great success with them, but in  a week my kiddo's just aren't getting it.

For a long time I was thinking just how much of a useless teacher I was that they were not getting it.

Thankfully I spoke to my associate teacher who just told me to relax, and understand that this is how it works with these kiddo's, it takes so much repetition (more than the average) for them to retain the information.  She reminded me at the beginning of the year she told me that if I have 5 of my 18 kiddo's knowing all of their alphabet sounds by the end of the year I will have done a great job!  I had thought she was kidding then, turns out she was right (although I am actually at 8 of my kiddo's knowing all of their alphabet sounds now and it's only half way through the year so I'm hoping to blow that stat out of the water).

I still think I can do a better job of meeting the teaching/learning requirements/needs of my class, and I am constantly trying to step up to the 'plate' and re-evaluating my teaching etc.

My idea list of things to create to help them learn is enormous, and more than I can accomplish before the end of the year is out (even if I was creating full time and not teaching), so where I can I am keeping it simple, where I can I am designing things to compliment the amazing lessons I have brought to give my kiddo's more exposure to the knowledge that they need.

And in the meantime....

I am going to celebrate every victory my kiddo's have, and continue on this emotional roller-coaster ride called teaching!

Taking a Leap

The last few weeks has been about taking a leap of faith in posting a new line of products on TPT!  I have um'ed and ar'ed about this for months.

I finally took the leap and listed my first flip book (or tab book depending on what you like to call them).

I love flip books, I have been using them in the classroom for ages, even as a sub I have created flip books for the students to use, sometimes I do it on the fly (when you have made a few, you get good) other times I have taught the students to do it themselves, and when I know I am going into the classroom for a few days and what they are working on, I have created ones to take in.

I love how they can provide students with such a fabulous way to present their information or learning which they can either paste in their books or with some flair and art work can make great displays for the classroom wall.  They are so great for consolidating learning into an easy reference point (rather like doing an interactive notebook).  What's even better they are easy to find in a book for study.  Whether it's Math or Literacy they can be made to work.

Do you get how much I like them.

I made a few (before my TPT journey even started) that I have used a few times, but I never posted them - to be honest I wasn't sure they stacked up well enough.  Then I was ask by a fellow teacher to make them one, they had seen what I was doing for shapes, loved it, asked for a copy, wanted to know what else I had and asked if I could make one for Christmas (unfortunately I didn't have time).

It's amazing how someone's else validation can make you feel more confident about the stuff you are creating, rather like when you get that cha-ching sound on the TPT app when you make a sale, it lets you know someone else thinks your stuff is good (other than the students who sometimes seem so easy to please).

So I have dusted of two that I have previously made (100th day and New Years), gave them an overhaul and revamp, added a Martin Luther King flip book, bundled them up into a little packages and listed the first one (New Years)!

Then held my breath.

I waited to see what people thought......

I waited to see it would sell....

Apparently a few people liked it, it's become my top selling resource.  I must say I rather proud of it.

So I have taken the plunge and listed the other two.

New Years Goal Setting Flip Book

100th Day Flip Book

Martin Luther King Jr Flip Book

Each pack has 2 or more cover options and different level of response pages to allow teachers to cater to different grade/age levels and differentiate where needed for student operating levels, and of course each pack comes with the all important 'How to Assemble' pages.

If you are interested just click on any of the pages and it will take you to my TPT store. 

In the mean time I am just please to have taken the leap of faith, believed in my work, believed that I do have a different enough take on the flip books that people will be interested and best of all believed in myself.

I think the lesson in here is that I should believe in myself a bit more.

In the mean time I am going to go and take advantage of the rest of this holiday and create a bit more, after all my list is a mile long of ideas after spending time in the classroom, and I have a few more flip books up my sleeve that I want to re do and revamp and finish off ready to post.

January Currently 2016

I actually remembered to join in on a currently again, they are such a fun way to focus your thinking....

Listening - My sons silly conversations - they are 12 and 16 and for the most part get on  really well, but listening to them when they get on a topic....you have just gotta laugh.

Loving - 2 full weeks of family time is very rare for us, as in haven't had it in over 2 years.  With hubby working and living in another city we only get family time every 2nd weekend, so 2 weeks over Christmas/New Year has been amazing.  We even got to fit in a little sailing holiday (cut short due to storms, but hey).

Thinking - Life is a journey, and sometimes that journey sucks, it's how you deal with it, learn from it and grow that allows you to move forth with the new journeys that lie ahead.  While 2015 finished badly for me that journey is finished, and I know the next one can only be better and that's what I have to focus on.

Needing - more self belief - gee I wish you could buy this in shops, magic potion anyone!  I am my worst critic and it doesn't take much for me to doubt myself.

One Little Word - Health - not such a little word for me.  Last year I started to make progress with getting rid of my excess weight and was feeling really great, fell of the progress wagon but didn't gain anything for 6 months and then over 2 months (last year's hell months) I gained 5 kilos (12 pounds).  Not happy with this in the least!!!!  So this year I am refocusing on me and ridding myself of excess kilos/pounds one step at a time.   Not focusing on being skinny but rather healthy, want to stop feeling so tired and bloated but have the energy I was gaining and the drive I was gaining back and I want to take it further - so health.

Today Sucked!

There is no other way to say with out using a lot of bad words

Today Sucked.

Today was meant to be my first day in my own classroom as a teacher. But I'm not.

Not even close.

At the end of last term I was offered a job, nine weeks of teaching in a newly formed year one classroom.  I of course said YES!!!!

I had been relieving at this school for awhile and I even took a job as a teacher aid there for 2 days a week to get me into a classroom.  I was told all my hard work had been noticed, all the extras I had been doing had been noticed, my willingness to pitch in had been noticed, and they couldn't think of a better person for the job.

Morning tea time everyone celebrated with me, the other 3 teachers (yep it's a small school) hugged me and congratulated me, it was announced to the kids and the parents that I was going to be the new teacher.

I was over the moon.  Finally I was going to be a teacher,  Finally I was going to have my own classroom.  The classroom was a mess, as had been used as a spare space and for storage for the last 3 years, so I spent the weekend in their cleaning, moving things around and setting it up as a classroom.

I got to post the news on Facebook to the TPT DownUnder tribe I belong too, it was so great how everyone was happy for me, I was happy for me!!!!

Monday they started to pull the rug out from under me.  I got a phone call in the evening, things hadn't been done right, there were issues with how I was offered the job, procedure hadn't been followed....

I had to go in for a meeting on Wednesday.

I emailed the principal asking whats going on....she didn't know...she thought she had done everything right....she said she was going in to bat for me....she said I was the right person for the job....

Tuesday evening I got a phone call again,  there had been an emergency board meeting, procedures hadn't been followed, they had to advertise the job.  He forgot to start the conversation with, 'I'm sorry we have to take back the job offer'.  He forgot the words 'I'm sorry' completely.

I had to ask if this meant the job was no longer mine (I held onto hope that it was just a formality), that's when he finally said that no it was no longer my job.

I was a teacher for all of 4 days.  I went from an amazing high to a crashing low.

It's taken me almost two weeks to be able to blog about it.

It's not the blog post I thought I would be writing today, I thought I would be writing about my first day as a teacher in my own class.

I had to go into the school today, special staff meeting everyone wanted there including me, I had to face everyone, it was hard.  I got a lot of hugs and sorry's from the staff.  But someone else was in my class.  Someone else is making it her own.   She's not the teacher, just the reliever, but it still hurt, it still sucked.

I've applied for the job.  It closes tomorrow.  I don't know what my chances are, I haven't been given a heads up, heck I haven't even had a one on one meeting for an apology from the management, only phone calls and emails, and considering what they have done to me,it doesn't quite cut it.

I know for part of it I have been a pawn in a little game that is being played at the school, but they seem to have forgotten what impact this has all had on me.

So now I wait to see if I get an interview, and if I get the job...I'm not hold out much hope, I think it might be better that way.

See today sucked

Beliefs into Action Blog Hop

Whitney from With Love from Texas set the challenge to stop and think about our education beliefs, what we feel strongly about and why of what the we do...

For me this meant thinking about my journey to become a teacher.

When I read other peoples stories, they all seem to include antidotes of having played schools with toys or siblings and pretending to be a teacher.    My story doesn't include any of that.

For me school was my safe place, it's where I felt I belonged, it's where I felt special, important and that I had something to contribute.  It's where life felt normal, when my home life was anything but normal.  It's where I received encouragement, validation. and acceptance.

I was the quiet child who didn't cause trouble, extremely introverted, was on the dyspraxic spectrum (although not known back then, everyone thought I just struggled to write and spell), who followed the rules, was friendly to everyone and was quick to volunteer to help the teacher if she needed anything, but so scared to do anything wrong because of what punishment might follow.

I only had one primary school teacher who ever figured me out  (I was 7), and I wish to this day I could remember her name.  That was the year I came into myself at school.  It was the year I learnt I had something to contribute, it was the year I learnt an adult would listen to me and tell me how smart I was.  It was the year I excelled.  I will always remember this teacher and how she made me feel, and I will be forever grateful.  She was a new teacher, we were her first ever class,  and she arrived at school full of hope of this new career and new ideas of how children should and could be treated, she believed in praise where praise was due, having fun with her class and handing out cuddles as needed.  She set me on my journey through school, and she instilled in me a love of books and getting lost in them.

My only other teacher who stood out for me was my Maths teacher, Mr Cook, when I was 15.  He was the next teacher who got me, and the first teacher to realize I had a knack with numbers and maths and a knack for explaining maths to my classmates in away they understood.  He also identified that my test scores didn't actually reflect my knowledge or ability, but rather they reflected my absolute terror of doing tests, and consequently my inability to remember anything in a test.  He quickly realized whenever he set the class work to do, I was finished really fast, so he stepped up the work I had to do (my only taste of differentiation) and he would then have me help tutor others so it would deepen my own understanding and knowledge.  Once again, this was a teacher who made learning fun (and he had been in teaching for many a year), he believed in finding a way of connecting with his students and engaging them in a lesson, and would use stories as a way of teaching.

So I tried to become a teacher when I was 17, I applied and was interviewed.  At the interview I was told they saw teacher potential in me, however only being 5 foot, I apparently, in their eyes, looked like a 12 year old and parents wouldn't trust leaving their kids with me and schools wouldn't hire me.  Therefore I was told to apply again in a couple of years....

Life took over, I traveled, married, and had two wonderful boys.  I loved spending time in their class as a parent help, but sorta felt teaching was out of my reach now.  That was until my youngest son went to school.  His first teacher (a wonderful woman) pushed me, and pushed me some more to attend Uni and get my degree.  So I applied, got in, attended Uni, and passed with first class honors!

Suddenly I was 42, and a teacher.  My education and life journey, my sons school journey, my sons journeys with dyslexia and dyspraxia, and being a sub, has influenced how I see teaching and what I should be as a teacher.

Well, that's me, it's actually been fun to stop and think about this more.  But I'm not the only one, there are 44 bloggers who are participating in this blog hop and just click here to hop over to the next blogger who is going to share their beliefs.