Be organised
Absolute teacher rule NUMBER ONE. If you can keep on top of your workload and sort your files to suit you, it can save you so much time. If you know where everything is and you have spare copies of plans and proformas it can save you so much time and stress! I thought I was organised the past two years but I decided to up it a notch for final placement... or maybe I just wanted it to look cute too :P All my files are bright and inviting and I even got myself a pretty placement notebook so I know where all my information is written.
A tidy desk is a happy place
Piles of paperwork just make me want to cry, even tidying them into neat stacks can actually make me feel better and more in control weirdly enough. I found this AMAZING BLOG that has tonnes of ideas to keep a classroom organised and tidy. I know we don't quite own the classroom yet BUT we can still pick up tips! Honestly this woman is a God :)
1. Recipe stand lesson plan. GENIUS!
2. Plastic bag within an inch of your life.
3. Let the children be organised (she even let's them colour code their behaviour on the calender each day)
4. Boxes for EVERYTHING. I like these daily resource ones the best.
Don't take on too much
I will be having a chat to my manager today about leaving Oxfam during placement time, sad face :'( It's great working there but now I know how far I'll be travelling each day, I know I'm going to need my weekends to re-cooperate some energy. It's not just weekend jobs though, don't let schools pressure you into something you know you don't want to, we are only trainees after all!
Think twice about that cuppa
We all love a good cup of tea or coffee on placement because lets face it, we feel way more awake and ready to prance around the classroom. BUT, a very big but, caffeine can stay in your system for 8 hours and effect how well you are sleeping at night. I think I'd rather trade in my afternoon buzz for a good nights sleep any day; this also means no more Tesco trips for cadbury creme eggs after school haha. After school you could opt for a lovely fruit tea and then before bed maybe a warm milk with added honey, cinnamon or nutmeg? It will send you right to sleep as well as soothing your teacher voice.
Exercise
Ha ha ha, this is soooo rich coming from me! I'm not saying to join the gym or run a million miles but regular exercise is good for you. It actually increases your energy levels, helps beat stress, gives you a natural high and burns fat (all those extra placement treats)... still need convincing?
Eat Healthy
Blah blah blah, that old saying... your body is a temple. All I want to do when I'm teaching is go home and order a Chinese. My diet in first year was pretty awful, I'd have a crap sandwich with crisps at school and then something quick for tea... even though I was placed in York! I felt so sluggish that in second year I decided to book my ideas up; porridge for breakfast, soup & yoghurt for lunch and then something healthy for dinner. To make it easier this year I have made a list of all the meals I like that are quick and easy to make and then each week I'll pick some to put on my fancy new meal planner (paperchase £7). Then I know what to buy at the end of the week and what I need to get out the freezer each morning! Hello healthy meals :)
ENJOY yourself
We all chose to become teachers because we liked it. We all got this far on the course because we love it and are evidently quite good at it. If you aren't passionate about your work or don't enjoy teaching then you are in a pretty sticky situation aren't you :) I bet every single one of you are excited to get stuck in, deep down ;)
& if you're finding it too much
You can always check out the Times Educational Supplement website or Pinterest for ideas, I have collected some fab ideas on my Classroom Lovin' board :) Here are two of my favourites... A line activity to help with fine motor skills; a good warm up for literacy lessons or big writes! Then there's a jar full of kind actions that a child must choose from if they have been naughty in order to balance it out again :) you know I love all that karma stuff!
Do what you can AT SCHOOL
I know this was difficult in first and second year with Uni buses coming for us but this year I think we all have a lot more freedom. I am super happy with my hire car because I can leave school as early or late as I want to. Even in second year when I knew the bus was coming at 4:30 I spent my hour marking books, organising the timetable and whiteboard for the next day, chatting to the cleaners and if I was lucky I'd plan guiding reading too. Less on the 'to do' list and way less to carry home. I think everybody should have a set time in the evening to stop working and switch off; and make sure you stick to it! You should find yourself being a lot more productive within that time, as well as leaving yourself a few hours for a shower, baking session, soaps catch up or whatever else tickles your fancy on a Thursday evening.
Take time to be YOU
We all become so focused on our placements and being Miss or Sir that it's nice to remind yourself that you are a person outside of being a teacher. Don't forget about your life outside school, you aren't just a generic teacher type, I'm guessing you probably have loads of interests. Mine are all super geeky but let's not judge eh? ;)
Make non-work plans
As well as taking time out of your week to just be you, your weekend should be spent with the other humans (and/or animals) in your life; family and friends! You should try not to pour over textbooks about aztecs or revise long division for too many hours; I know you are all secret brainiacs that don't need to. Also, just think about when it's all over.. we can all PARTY!
..and I thought Sam was organised! This has given her food for thought. All except skipping the creme egg from Tesco...
ReplyDeleteSam's Mum