So much to do... So little time!

I don't know about you... but I feel like there is just so much to do. I keep thinking about what I need to do next and when I'm out I feel guilty that I'm not at home doing work. 

Today I went to my cousins engagement party... and I felt guilty.

What has the world come to? 

When did work become more important than life?

That's why I am going to log off.

 I am going to spend the rest of the night with my husband. 

Even though I didn't get everything done... I will not feel guilty about it. 

I hope you can log off too... tune out... and spend time with your family <3.

Regret nothing.

10 Tips to Help You Survive a Year of Teaching.

I have been teaching for almost four years, and while I do not claim to have all of the answers, I have complied a list of all of the things I wish someone told me. That first year in particular, can be a doozie with germs, flus, bad eating habits and poor fitness. Actually, until a positive change happens, these bad habits can go on for years. I don't claim to be perfect... in actual fact I still struggle with a lot of these areas myself. But hopefully we can all work at it together to make better versions of ourselves.

Unfortunately for those International Readers, a lot of these suggestions include products that can only be found on Australian shelves. Hopefully you can find some substitutions.

1. Drink Plenty of Water!

It's really important to drink plenty of water. According to Better Health, women should be drinking 2.1 litres of water A DAY. I don't know about you, but I think thats is A LOT of water. 

So it's important to be prepared. You can buy drink bottles almost anywhere... it doesn't really matter which one you buy so long as it is BPA free. I prefer the alloy water bottles. A good one can cost you anywhere between $10-$15. However, it's worth the investment!

Now I try to drink my full bottle of water before lunch... this gives me something to aim for... a time limit to stick to. Then I fill my bottle up at lunch and try to finish that before I get home. If I can do that, I know that I am drinking close to two litres.

2. Eat Clean!

Eating healthy isn't hard... it just requires preparation. I find that if I put in the time and prepare my lunch, I tend to eat well and stick to my routine. But the week that we do the shopping late and I don't prioritise preparing our lunches... that's when I eat garbage.

I need to eat lots of fresh food so I weekly shop is necessary. I find it easier to prepare all of my lunches in advanced. I buy loaves of banana break, slice it, wrap it and put it in the freezer ready for lunches. I fill containers with grapes, so that I can quickly grab one and run out the door. Oats in the morning is a MUST however I don't always have the time to eat them... so I pack them with me and take it to work to eat. Green smoothies are also a great way to start the day. There are some very easy and TASTY recipes out there! My favourite is green apple, kale, pear, baby spinach and cucumber :) mmm

I try to steer clear of bread (because I love it) and instead make wraps using Mountain Bread. 

Sistema have a great range of BPA free, plastic storage containers, which suit almost any food/meal. I go a little crazy buying them... but it leaves me with no excuse for having a healthy lunch.

3. Take Multi Vitamins!

There are so many germs out there and you will come into contact with them all. Since being a teacher, I think I've had every flu and stomach bug that been around. Therefore it is super important to eat well (plenty of fresh fruit and veggies) and to take vitamins! I take a Swisse Multivitamin for women. 

Vitamins are one of those things you can't skimp on... Cheap can be very nasty. Check out Swisse to see their great range!

4. Keep Active!

URGH this is one I struggle with! I'm one of those people who have a gym membership but never go. I make a million and one excuses for not going (some of them valid), but I never make it a priority. It's something I'm working on... But it's tricky. At the moment I am going to a Body Balance class (Yoga, Thai Chi and Pilates all rolled into one class) twice a week. I go with a friend who is also a teacher. We don't talk work... We just encourage one another to go! I find the class really relaxing whilst working out and feeling like I'm doing something. I will slowly creep my way up to three classes a week and so forth.

Exercise is great for releasing all that built up tension. If you can't afford a gym membership, then try some Pilates at home or go for a walk/swim. Your physical health is just as important as your mental and emotional health.

5. Get Plenty of Rest and Relaxation!

According to the National Sleep Foundation, we need anywhere between 8 and 9 hours of sleep a night.

Think about it... If you wake up at 6am, you should be in bed at 9pm! I don't know about you... But I'm usually in bed two or more hours after that. By not having enough sleep, your stopping your body from completely recovering. Lack of sleep affects your concentration and ability to take in new information.

As teachers, we need to be on the game at all times!

6. Use Your Time Productively... Be Organised!

I find I waste A LOT of time doing stupid things... Like flicking through Pinterest! 

If there are 24 hours in a day... 9 hours should be spent on sleeping, 7-8 is taken up with work (and meetings, etc)... That gives us 7 more hours. If you take out the time it takes to exercise, cook dinner and do chores... You're not left with a lot of time. And you haven't even taken into consideration FAMILY TIME. I don't have a family... Yet... But I do have a husband and I'm sure that he'd like to spend time with me every now and then. 

But how do we do this? We need to be more time efficient. We need to make the most of our time! I have made a time table of things to do... chores AND family time. Work should come second, with family first! 

For some of us, this is a radical change so we need a structure to keep us on track. I have made a timetable which I am happy to send out as a freebie. Unfortunately I can't upload it here (can't figure it out), but comment below and I'd be more than happy to share it with you!

>>Comment for Weekly Timetable Freebie!<<

7. Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

Regardless of whether you have feet-related issues or not, shoes are so important. As a teacher, you're on your feet ALL day and if you're wearing uncomfortable shoes you're in for a shocker. Blisters, sore ankles, poor circulation, sore knees and hips, aching arches... All due to poor choice in shoes. And ballet shoes are the worst!

Aim to buy comfortable shoes with a proper arch. This is another thing you can't go cheap on. Cheap shoes never last long. Shop around... It's worth the time!

8. Be Prepared with a Survival Kit!

As a teacher you can never be caught out! Rainy day, playground duty and no umbrella... Uh oh! Paint spilt down the front of a white shirt... Uh oh! Killer headache and no pain killers... Uh oh!

You need to be prepared for everything and the best way to do that is to have a survival kit! 

In your kit/bag pack: an umbrella, a hat, spare shirt, sunblock, panadol, soothers, aquium, breath mints, bottle of water, feminine hygiene products, deodorant etc.

Be prepared!

9. Why Not Have a Work-Free Wednesday?

The name says it all. WORK FREE WEDNESDAYS. That means you need to leave work straight away (no talking, photocopying, marking...) and come home. Who cares if you just sit on the lounge watching TV all night... Wednesday nights are yours to just chill and be with the people you love.

Once you've mastered Work Free Wednesdays... why not move on to Work Free Fridays. Yes we have busy lives... but it's only as busy as we make it! You cannot live a life where you're thinking and breathing school 24/7. You will drive yourself insane. Yes your career will be with you for a long time... but your family will be with you longer. They should ALWAYS be your number one priority.

Remember to call your Mum and ask her how she is. She'll love that!

10. Dinner Dates!

If you don't have a partner... grab a friend and go out on a Dinner Date. It is so important to have that time with family/friends... it's also really nice to have a break from your house from time to time. Getting out is a great way to keep your mind off work. It's also a great excuse to catch up with the people you love and share quality time with them laughing. Make time for this one. I hear of so many people who feel friend-less and/or have issues in their relationships... so many marriages breaking down. Relationships are so important but they go two ways. Make sure you're holding up your side of the relationship!

Well that's my 10 tips... I haven't got them all under control yet... it's a work in progress! I would love to know what works for you (and maybe what doesn't work as well). Have a lovely year and remember DON'T WORK TOO HARD!

XX

THRASS

Yesterday and the day before, my colleague and I attended the THRASS two-day workshop and it was AMAZING! For those who haven't heard of THRASS, it stands for Teaching Handwriting, Reading And Spelling Skills. Denyse Ritchie (co-writer of THRASS) ran the course over in Bankstown... and while I came home with a headache... I feel as though my world has changed.

I have attached a few links below to videos I've found on youtube which give a rough idea of the program. Unfortunately they're not great quality... but at least you get the idea!

Interview with Denyse Ritchie: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBUmwTQyGfo


THRASS in South Africa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naAuq7Cfuco

THRASS Rap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqdVUolMPbs

THRASS is taught throughout the UK, Canada, Africa, Asia and Australia. The program relies heavily upon the THRASS chart (as seen in the videos) and addresses all 44 phonemes. 

I am absolutely in love with it already! I can't wait to jump straight into it all this coming week!

Check out the THRASS website for more information. If you book into their two-day course before July 2014, they give you a THRASS resource kit (usually $250) for FREE!

I'll keep you posted with how I go! :)

How To Save Important Links and Web Addresses!

I found this amazing tool last year and I use it almost each and every day. It's called Symbaloo. Symbaloo allows you to save links and web addresses into the blocks (see below) so that you can access them at a later date. I use my Symbaloo account to save a direct link to Class Dojo, Edmodo and other websites that I use daily in my classroom. 

I also put links to videos onto my Symbaloo dashboard. The best part is, you can choose to open your video in a new window which means you don't have the advertisements and links to other videos floating around the outsides of your video frame (see below).

It's very easy to use and I believe it is much safer. It also saves on time as you don't have to go searching for that webpage you looked up that one time and can't  for the life of you, remember the name of it.

Check out my Pinterest boards for more great ideas: http://www.pinterest.com/rasellen/

Visual Art

Over the past year, I have been instagramming some of my classroom ideas. I particularly love art so I thought I'd share some of the artworks I have taught to Stage 3. Sometimes it's hard to come up with the ideas... so hopefully this provides you with some inspiration!

Self-Portraits

My class created this artwork this year. It was an artwork that I got them to work on during the first week of school. Firstly they sketched out their portrait, then they transferred their ideas onto canvas and painted. The hardest part was mixing skin colour but as you can see below, they got the hang of it!

Operation Art - Tree

Last year my class created an artwork for the Operation Art competition. For those who don't know about this competition, students can enter an artwork into the competition and if their artwork is chosen, it is displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW. The competition supports Westmead Children's Hospital.

To create this artwork, students sketched a tree onto watercolour paper. Students then painted the background with watercolours. Once the painting was dry, students then painted the tree black and used a permanent marker to neaten up the edges.

One of my students' artwork was chosen to be shown at the Art Gallery.

Vincent Van Gogh

Last year, students in my class were studying Vincent Van Gogh. We then created this fabulous artwork using oil pastels and watered-down paint on art paper. The art lesson was very simple and very effective. Every student was proud of what they had achieved.

ANZAC/ Remembrance Day Cinquains 

In the lead up to ANZAC Day, students wrote cinquains about war. Cinquains are beautiful, short poems. They're simple to write and are very effective. We then published our poems onto a background of poppies. Students then stuck a poppy onto the front, made out of red paper. They made an absolutely stunning display.

Rainforest Animals

Last year we were studying the Rainforest for a HSIE unit. Students created this artwork by researching animals that live in the rainforest. They then printed off their favourite pictures, which were no bigger than a standard photograph (actually most were smaller). Students then sketched out their animal on black paper and once they were happy with it, they coloured it in using chalk pastels. 

Operation Art - Sunset

This was the Operation Art competition artwork that I made in 2012. This year I also had a students' artwork from my class chosen to be shown at the Art Gallery.

To make this artwork we used watercolour paints on watercolour paper. It's a very simple art lesson with a brilliant result.

Operation Art - Australian Landscape

This is yet another Operation Art competition submission. This was from 2011. We were reading 'Home to Mother' (the children's version of Rabbit Proof Fence) and tried to replicate the rabbit proof fence. For this artwork we used chalk pastels and chalk pastel pencils on pastel paper. It's a bit of a costly artwork but it is so beautiful!

This was the first year that I had my class work on an artwork for the Operation Art competition. In 2011 not only did I have a students' artwork shown at the Art Gallery of NSW, we were both invited to the launch and her artwork then went on tour with the other 20 odd artworks around NSW. I was very, very proud!

Gustav Klimt

We were studying Gustav Klimt and so we made our own interpretation of the Tree of Knowledge. Don't they look fantastic? We sketched out the trees on black paper, and then painted the tree using gold paint. Students then touched up their tree and added simple designs using metallic gel pens. It was a little bit fiddly when painting, but students quickly got the hang of it.

I've since taught this artwork again and again.

Back to school BLISS!

The first week of school has come and gone. The students in my class have begun to settle in and routines are being set. 

I began the year with a letter writing activity (which I highly recommend!!). I wrote a letter to the students in my class, introducing myself and telling them about my holidays. I placed each letter into an envelope and had it waiting on their desks for them. Next to the letter was a piece of paper and an envelope. We read through the letter that I wrote together, and then students had to write a letter back to me. Some of them were beautiful. It was a great way to get to know my students more whilst also assess their writing.

The chair pockets have been an absolute hit! The students in my class love them and they've already been put to good use.

It's always important to have a stash of paper towel, tissues and soap handy. I have been storing away all of the bits and pieces that students bring in so that it lasts!

2014... the year of organisation and being reasonably stress-free!

I hope you had an excellent start back to the new year. Would love to know how it all went and what great ideas you came up with. Feel free to share below in the comment section.

Some of my 2014 Classroom Set-Up Ideas

Here are some of my Classroom Set-Up Ideas for 2014!

Back Corner:

1. Street Sign

My husband and I made this for an 'Out of this World' youth camp at Luntanda, Mt Victoria. I fell in love with it and I just had to bring it to school. The street sign points to places such as: Hogwarts, The Enchanted Forest, Middle Earth, Hundred Acre Wood, etc.

2. Cupboard

My cupboard is still a work in progress. I have SIX tote trays for students work books. I have another tray that I will use to collect work to be marked. The draws to the left contain coloured paper, scrap paper and bits and pieces.

Literacy Station/ Stationery Station:

1. Literacy Station

I bought these tubs last year for about $20 and they've paid for themselves (check out my Literacy Groups post for more details). I have a tub for each one of my Literacy Groups and a couple of spares... I've already begun to think of things to fill them with.

2. Stationery Station

On the top of the tubs, I have the 'Stationery Station'. I have found some cute containers that house rules, pens, pencils and scissors. I also have a large eraser that students can borrow and a sharpener.

The idea of this station is that everything is like a Boomerang... meaning that it comes straight back. I find that I usually have to replace the stationery every term (sometimes more often). However, it is nice to know there is NO EXCUSE for not doing work in my class!

On My Desk:

1. How I store my stickers

I don't know what made me thing of this... but I've had this for about a year now and it has been really helpful. 

I picked up a travel wallet from Typo for a couple of bucks and I use the wallet to store my stickers. Travel wallets usually come with dividers, so I use the dividers to sort my stickers... I sort them by way of size. I also put a pen and post-it notes in the wallet so that I have everything I need to mark books.

2. Magnetic Tape

Seriously, this stuff is amazing! It's just like a roll of sticky tape, except the tape is magnetic. This means you can tear off a strip and place on the back of a laminated card, then you can magnetically stick it to a whiteboard. Genius!!

I make sure I have some in my draw AT ALL TIMES. 

I pick my magnetic tape up from OfficeWorks and it's usually around $5. This is a must have!

I hope you have found these ideas to be useful! Remember you can always find PLENTY of ideas on Pinterest. Why not follow me?

http://www.pinterest.com/rasellen/

Goal Setting for 2014

I really like the idea of 'Goal Setting' with a new class at the beginning of the school year. 

Usually I get them to write:
* 2 things that they want to improve (educational and sport-related) and,
* 1 thing that they want to stop

Recently I was googling (as you do) and I came across this amazing idea... which I cannot find to give it the credit it deserves. It was a way to goal-set for 2014. I've adapted it, and I've placed my version of it below.

This year, I'm going to get my class to fill in this Goal Setting card... and then I'm going to stick them up on the wall. This way, students can refer back to it and tick things off as they achieve them. I think it would also be nice if we drew connections between students working on similar goals, so that they may encourage one another.

Just a thought...

I'd love to hear how you set goals with your class. Please leave a comment below or message me on Google+

Follow me on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/rasellen/