Teaching isn’t easy!
We all struggle at some point, and we all need to rely on each other to get by!
This is why, I am so pleased you are here, at my blog. This is where I talk about all the things I use, do and worry about with teaching. I share with you my ideas for teaching different subjects, For developing a classroom culture and maintaining it and also I talk a lot about teacher life.
This post is more of a hello, really even though my blog has been going for a while. So click on the pictures below to see my posts about teaching and classroom life!
Teaching Subjects
A lot of people think that our jobs begin and end with the subjects we teach, we all know there is so much more to it than that, but it is still an important part.
Math(s)
personally I love teaching math, or maths, or mathematics, or numeracy, whatever you and your school call it, it is one of the best subjects. There are so many fun ways to approach it and fun things to explore.
English
When I first started teaching I really struggled with my English lessons, it just felt really hard to help the students level up their writing.
For ideas on individual lessons you might want to read:
Foundation subjects
Over here in the UK we call everything else 'foundation subjects' this includes things like art, RE, history and geography.
Some people include Science as a foundation subject as well, although many disagree!
Science
While I personally think of science as a core subject, I know that it often gets classified into the foundation subjects category. How ever you categorise it, science is important, kids need to understand the world and it is our job to teach them!
One of the main things to remember about science is that it should be grounded in practical work. There is a place for theory and explanation, but kids need to get their hands dirty!
Geography
I learnt recently that in most of America, you guys don't teach Geography as it's own subject, it comes under social studies. This was big news to me as I always considered it such an important subject. The world is big! We need to help our kids understand it.
No matter if you call it Geography or Social Studies, I can help you figure out the things you might need to include.
RE
The importance of Religious Education varies between schools. I have worked in church schools where RE has a very central focus. I have also worked in places that squeeze it into the timetable in 15 minutes every other week when they don't have anything else going on.
However your school teaches it, you might need some guidance or quick lesson ideas. Don't worry I got you covered!
History
I personally, love teaching history. It has so much life and story telling involved and the ideas that the kids bring to history are so much fun. I like to make drama a huge part of my history lessons as well as art and even science!
Classroom Culture
Our classrooms are a little world all of their own, we have our class rules and customs and it can be challenging for outsiders to join in. When you first meet your class you might need to establish these ground rules, customs and set the culture for the year. Here are some post which can help you:
Special Holidays
One of my favourite holidays is Easter (who doesn't love chocolate?) but before we teach children about Easter we need to explain Lent. This post will help you explain the symbols, history and support your class in understanding this religious holiday.
Behaviour management and support
When I was a new teacher I felt like I would never figure out behaviour management and handling the classroom. After a few years it became so much easier, not just because I had more experience (although that did help!), but also because I listened to other, more experienced, teachers. I used their systems, I worked hard to develop resources that would help me in my class and most of all I listened to my students and the things they needed.
The best piece of advice I can give to teachers looking for help with classroom management, is to learn the other teachers and from your students themselves.
Teacher life
Teaching the subjects and building a classroom community are not the only aspects of teacher life. Being a teacher is not the type of job we leave at the work. It becomes part of who we are. There are many different aspects of teacher life from wellbeing - our own and our students, to looking at new ways to reach our kids.
Gamification
As teachers we are constantly bombarded with the latest 'new innovation', the majority of which turn out to be useless fads, that we wasted a whole afternoon getting PD on! Gamification isn't like that at all and it is here to stay! Check out these blog posts to see what I have to say about it.
Wellbeing
When teachers and other education professionals talk about well being, they usually miss the point completely. Either they come at it from the point of view of 'what's best for the children' or see it as a tick box exercise.
I'm not saying the children are not affected if their teacher's well being is neglected, but I personally don't believe that should be the driving force in improving teachers' emotional and physical health. We should want teachers to be happy and healthy because they are human beings first and educators second.