Tag: teaching
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The OCD teacher
This is a massive confession and one that some people might consider to be ridiculous – but it is a real issue and one I am happy to share because I know I’m not the only teacher with this challenge in their daily classroom practise. If you ask any teacher whether they have a ritual…
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“Mum,”
I am called “Mum” by the children in my class, on average, once a week. I don’t remember ever calling my teachers mum when I was at school. It’s possible that I did, without realising, and my teachers were kind enough to just ignore my mistake. As a teacher, being called mum is either a…
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The tea leaf.
Did you know that a teacher’s job also includes looking out for light fingers? Nothing is sacred in a primary classroom. Nothing. From rubbers, to pencils, to paper, to paper clips. Anything can mysteriously go missing from a classroom at any given moment in time. The gold dust inside the classroom though, is blu tak,…
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The Trump effect
So there I was reading through a reading comprehension about the history of teddy bears with seven boys in my class. We discovered that a former American president was called Teddy Roosevelt, by his closest friends and family, to which Tigger asked “is the new American president really called Mr Trump? – like a fart?” …
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It’s ok to fail.
I only know this now, because I have failed at many things in life. So far. I failed my driving test the first time. I failed my AS Levels the first time, and in some subjects the second time too. I failed my final placement during teacher training. Shocker! But when I look back on…
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Poetry problems.
There’s something about poetry that children find tricky. I’ve always had a natural flare for poetry and writing. Ever since I was in year 3, when I wrote a rhyming poem about an autumn leaf. In year 8, RE, I wrote a poem about bullying that grabbed the attention of the Reverend teacher. She asked…
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Nostalgic memories, 1995-1996
Twenty years ago, in a services primary school, in Celle, Germany, I was a hardworking, reliable, responsible child in year 2. I remember when I wrote a story in year 2, which was probably graded using ancient national curriculum levels. It was the first piece of extended writing I had ever done independently. All of…
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“Show me some respect!”
I’ve never said this to a child, personally, but this week I’ve heard a child say it to another child. Apparently the other children don’t listen to him when he tries to tell them what to do… (Well, if you ask them like that, I don’t blame them for ignoring you!) He hasn’t been with…
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The Haribo trick
This week, I’ve discovered a way to engage his lordship in learning, without bargaining how much work needs to be completed by the end of the lesson. He did exactly the same work as everybody else. No questions asked. No arguments. He just did it. He did need some gentle encouragement to practise being patient.…
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The Bermuda Triangle
I know that in a few weeks time, I’ll be teaching my class all about the different triangles in maths. I’ve been practising saying iscoceles for a while, in preparation. The Bermuda Triangle is one of those mysterious triangles that still confuses me. Apparently, the Bermuda Triangle is in the western part of the North…
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