My job is a teacher

When I was at school watching a movie at the end of term was a real treat. It was fun watching a movie with the class. I still remember it today. Having said that, students today don’t really watch a movie if you put one on.  I will put on a movie, scan the room and see only a few people are actually watching it. It’s not special anymore. They can watch a movie at recess on their phone so it’s not special. Plus they watch movies or series well above the suggested rating for their age. So putting on a PG movie is lame to them as they will be watching MA15+. Students have changed since you went to school. Technology has improved, communication has evolved, parenting is different and students today have seen more about the world than you had by the time you were 25 years old. This doesn’t mean they understand it all, but they have seen it. A few weeks ago I watched a small group of year 7 students mimic teachers and how they talk. It was actually pretty funny. It got me thinking. St...

  10 No-Fuss Websites I use each day  Classroom Screen - https://classroomscreen.com/ Daily agenda, stopwatch/countdown timer, QR code, class list for a random name generator and the list goes on. It’s my number-one go-to website. Pobble 365 - https://www.pobble365.com/ - Literacy activities. BTN - https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/ - General activities. Kahoot! - https://create.kahoot.it/ - Educational quizzes Blooket - Similiar to Kahoot but very fun. https://www.blooket.com/ Education.com - https://www.education.com/ - Worksheets, activities Google Music Lab - Lots of fun activities for creative and easy ways to make music. ClickView - https://www.clickview.com.au/ - Educational tutorials, videos and movies. Sign in with DOE email.  World Book - https://www.worldbook.com.au/ - STEM, Trivia Quizzes, History, Science, sport, space etc Wordwall -  https://wordwall.net/ Classroom Screen

Building rapport is the key to teaching. Know your students. Even the most challenging ones. Minimum: Know their name and hobby.  Relax - Their behaviour is not a reflection of you. You can plan and be the most experienced teacher. There will always be students who will rock the boat. It’s not just you it happens too. You'll find other teachers will experience similar behaviour.  If something bad happens then it happens. You’re not in control of everything. Make sure you communicate and document what happens.  About ⅓ of the class most likely need extra specialised support.  Students are sussing you out as much as you are to them.  No matter the situation - don’t yell or act like it’s out of control. Talk and move with purpose. Be kind always no matter the behaviour.  Talk to the behaviour and not them personally. eg: ‘Your behaviour is disgusting”  Classrooms can be loud and sometimes that can be ok. Scan the room to check that most students are on tr...

3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEHAVIOUR IN THE CLASSROOM The Talker: Won’t stop talking or interrupting you and the class.  The Do No Worker: This student will either do very little or no work. There are two types: Students that will either stop others from learning or students who try to go under the radar.  The Attitude: Defiant. Rude. Argumentative.  How I respond to each:  The Talker: It’s annoying but not actually that challenging. Focus on respect (being nice). Keep them busy with a practical task and involve them as much as you can as they want attention. Give them jobs. A seating plan doesn’t usually work so if you can apply them in your lesson you should have more luck. The Do No Worker: Negotiate work they can do and offer a ‘carrot’ such as free time. They may not do work for a range of reasons. Also, most times it can take more time for them to start work. Check in with them after about 5 minutes and offer assistance to start or complete the task.  The Atti...

This a quick guide for when you get into a class and the teacher has not left any work for you to do. I have been in this situation many times and instead of panicking I have this formula and it works every time. It's tough being a casual relief teacher as I have been working as one for the last 2 years. Without going through these issues and situations I would have never learned different strategies to help me get through it. The day is broken down as mentioned in the video:- MORNING: Literacy Activity Brain Break Math Text Book Pack Up Perfect ------------- Lunch/Recess ------------- MIDDLE: Art Activity Brain Break Devices/Screen Time Pack Up Perfect ------------- Lunch/Recess ------------- END: PE - One to Three games outside ------------- Home Time

Here are 10 tips from my 2 years as a primary school relief teacher. It's funny, as soon as kids see they have a relief teacher everything changes. I bet most of the kids think 'sweet, we have a relief teacher, I don't have to do any work today'. It's hard to manage sometimes up to 30 kids in a class you've never stood foot in. Here are some ideas that might give you the edge to turn a challenging day into a really good one. I am learning each day as a substitute teacher but I honestly think starting out as a substitute teacher and then progressing into a full-time teacher is the best strategy. It helps you build experience whilst gathering your skills into how you want to deliver those learnings.  1. The Line-Up  2. The Introduction  3. Be Neutral  4. It's Inevitable  5. Fast Finishers  6. Smiley Face  7. Say 'Thanks'  8. Reward Systems  9. 1,2,3 Strikes 10. Build Relationships

Like many jobs, there is no typical day as a teacher and this is what makes the job exciting. I have been relief teaching for the last 2 years and honestly, I feel like it’s given me the skills I needed to feel confident about being a full-time classroom teacher.  Each day there will be light bulb moments and chaotic moments if you’re a relief teacher. I will share my 7 fundamental learnings from the previous 2 years as a casual relief teacher at a Primary School. 1. Be Early Being early to school is a great way to start the day for a number of reasons. You may need to find the school you’re working at, you may need to find parking and when you’ve found the administration office to sign in, you need to find the class or classes you’ll be teaching in. This all takes time and it’s best to have the most amount of time you possibly can to set up for the day. If the school says to be there at 8:30 am, get there at 8 am.  Quite often the Deputy or Assistant to the Principal is the p...

1. Primary and Secondary behaviour: Primary: The main undesired behaviour. Secondary: The behaviour that happens during talking with them about the Primary behaviour. When talking to the student about their behaviour keep going back to the primary behaviour and ignore (for now) the secondary behaviour (like them swearing, rolling their eyes, excuses etc) as students will sidetrack you. Don’t take the bait. Stick with addressing their primary behaviour and come back to the secondary behaviour later if you need to.  If you engage in an argument with a secondary behaviour while you’re addressing the primary, you have lost. 2. Be Calm: No matter how severe the primary behaviour is - a calm approach is needed. Don't React. Respond. Control your emotions in your response. Yelling and getting mad with them is what you want to do and what they are used to. They will respect you (usually at a later date) for talking to them in a respectful manner. Use manners even in these situations. The...