Stressful Saturday: Keeping calm as a casual teacher

At times it can be oh so tempting to
hug those 'darlings' just a little too tight.

The holidays are meant to be a time for refreshing, relaxing and preparing for the next term, right? Well, we are back from holidays now, but I felt like my holidays were anything but those things. We hurried around with friends, travelling while we could, and returned home with time to spare to prepare. Only, I found that every time I began to think about work, the butterflies in my stomach would start.

Reflecting on my work, I felt like I was doing well, learning fast and aware of what I needed to develop. However, when I thought about facing another class, having another day of demands placed on me and the inevitable behaviour management required, I just wanted to cry.

Naturally, I hopped online to search for stress relief strategies. I know my teaching practice is developing well enough, so I figured I just needed some help in keeping my inner peace while growing. However, everything I found was general stuff I have heard before, or specifically designed for full-time teachers. For me to make the best of my time and find some peace, advice on displays and coordinating with parents didn't help a whole lot. In fact, it was almost all irrelevant. So, I approached a fabulous relief teaching community on facebook for advice, prayed, and developed my personalised stress management plan.

Step one - identifying causes of stress:

• As an early childhood teacher, students are not as independent as older grades, requiring constant supervision and help. It is not rare for at least five students to be asking for me (to go to the toilet, spell something, find out what to do, have help getting started) as well as at least one student who needs my attention due to their behaviour. Such intensity keeps me on my toes, but exhausts me both physically and emotionally, in the immediate and later on.
• By the end of two days, my body is exhausted. I dread those full weeks which leave me unable to enjoy my weekend due to pain and/or sickness. At time, two days on my feet is enough to make it painful to walk from the bed to the bathroom the next morning.
• Arriving home, it is difficult to leave work at work, even with no further planning or marking to do. As a perfectionist, I can't help but dwell on what I did, what the students did, how the day could have gone smoother, etc. This sometimes results in better solutions for the future, improving my practice, but some days it simply robs me of my peace and makes it impossible to relax.
• As well as being a teacher, I am a wife and a writer. This means, when I get home, I need to think about food, shopping, cleaning, blogging, researching, and pumping out the minimum pages required to complete my novel. Then of course there is this thing I have heard of called a social life, as well as exercise and taking care of oneself. It is a lot to balance, especially when half of it is still new.
• Work is uncertain, so my income is uncertain. Thankfully I have a husband who earns a regular wage. However, we are still setting up and both of us desperately crave a keyboard since I had to sell my old one. So while we could scrape by without my earnings, it is still incredibly helpful and I can't help but feel the pressure to earn a decent income. This is hard to guarantee when schools often don't call until the morning they would like you to work.

Step two - identify specific actions which can relieve each cause of stress:

• Continue to reflect on, research, and improve behaviour management plan and find ways to reduce constant demands for my attention.
• For spelling, I tell students that I will not help, they can take their best guess using strategies we discuss, ask a friend, or look for the word in their environment. If they still get it wrong, I don't mind because it means they are making an effort, taking risks, and learning.
• For the toilet, before allowing students into class, I check they have gone if they need to, and then have a name system, where they write their name on the board when they leave and rub it out when they are back, so I know where they are. If a student's name is already on the board, other students must wait until they come back. 
• For students who can read, I may write up activities they can do when finished. Otherwise, if a small group finishes at roughly the same time, I put one or two students in charge of an activity.
• For some jobs, even young students can be placed in charge. I had a revelation during the holidays that it is perfectly okay, to take a step back and allow a student or two to even run the class! This means I can help students one-on-one or mark writing up the back while a student leads a game of spelling bingo, or something else the class is familiar with. This is particularly useful in those odd left-over minutes when the class has actually managed to finish and pack up a bit early and has time for a game. Even better, this job can be given to a 'bossy' or 'naughty' student to give them a responsibility, allow you to keep an eye on them and the activity at the same time and maybe the other students will see that student in a new light. As an extra bonus, if the whole class is engaged, allowing me to mark, I can have a few more minutes to finish my food during lunch time!
• Some misbehaviour does not need addressing immediately. This was a tip from my fabulous facebook community. Sometimes, if the problem is inattention during mat time, it can be as simple as saying, "Student X, please think about your behaviour." If the behaviour continues, or begins to distract other students, it can be addressed by saying, "Student X is not making the right decision. So we will focus on our learning and I will talk to them later." Talk to them later? That's actually possible! Some behaviour is not dangerous and only compromises one student's learning, so the class can continue in their learning, and when they have moved onto an independent activity, then I can address the issue with the student quietly.
• This term, I have begun a new routine coming home that seems to have helped a lot. Lately, I don't play the radio or any music in the car, and simply reflect on the day, cry if need be, or problem solve. Then, as soon as I come in the door, I let my hair down, take out my earrings, remove my shoes, change into comfy clothes, gather some food and collapse on the couch to do something that will relax and distract me. No work clothes, no work papers, no work thinking. The day is done. If I need extra time to reflect, it will often happen later when I am calm and refreshed.
• My final causes of stress have all been managed with one last, extreme discussion. I actually cried talking to my husband about it, expected resistance and was blessed with amazing support. I am no longer working five days a week. I am available five days a week, but I shall turn down work if I have had two hectic days in a row or am feeling knocked out. We have actually agreed that three to four days of work is perfectly okay sometimes. There will be a time when this is not all so new and overwhelming, the book is finished, my muscles and immune system have built up and my husbands work has also calmed down so he can help around the house a little more. When that time comes, I will be more able to work a full week and will be able to build up to a contract or permanent full-time position. Until then, we shall get by fine and I shall take care of myself and my other commitments. I have to remind myself that being unable to work full time does not make me weak, incompetent or less qualified than 'everyone else'. This simply means I have a full life that requires some balance. As for the money concerns, we will be okay. We are incredibly blessed that my husband has reliable work that will support us, so anything I get is simply a comfort or safety net. With this attitude, I can turn down a single day's work, without apology, also knowing by now that I have some relationship with these schools and they will continue to book me.

Step three - Find a few general stress relief strategies for those moments that can't be avoided:

• Grab a treat, whether it's a chocolate, a massage, or one day of refusing to do housework. Rewards, bribery and distraction are a great way of recovering after a particularly rough day or week.
• Take a breath. There may be times when a mistake is made and the class is a rowdy one, so chaos reigns. If it's just off-task noise and not dangerous behaviour, take a step back, turn around, and breathe before returning to the situation.
• Remember why you do this, and if you couldn't care about the potential you are trying to unlock or the love you have for kids, count the dollars you are earning, remember what it will pay for, then even tell the kids. It's good for them to realise sometimes that you care, you are trying to help, but if they don't care, you still get paid and they lose out on what you are offering.
• Play some music or do some exercise. Doing this as a class at times can help the students too. Release those negative hormones, work up some positive hormones, lose yourself in the moment and relax.
• Redefine the stresses as challenges or goals and determine to make the experience a positive learning experience rather than something that happened separately to you.

Here are a few websites with some extra advice on stress management:

• Dealing with Stress - Stress Management Society
• 10 Ways to Reduce a Teacher's Classroom Stress - Worksheet Library
• 101 Ways to Cope with Teaching Stress - Smart Teaching

What do you do to reduce stress during difficult times?

Wisdom Wednesday - Empowering children for life

Why do children need an education?
My answer: to prepare them for life outside of school and after school.

I have found that the more relevant and explicit this link is for children, the more readily they engage, especially if the content is linked to something they care about outside of school.

For example, which would you think your children would get more excited about - learning decimals or working with money or learning how to become rich?

What? Learning how to become rich? Yes, working with money is more motivating for students, but if you amp it up even more, dramatise it a bit and attach a tangible reward, the investment, excitement and motivation in the lesson is amplified as well...

So, what bits of wisdom can you offer your students?
I just completed the planning of a whole day of teaching the children how to be rich. In fact, when I plan for relief around a theme, I tend to plan broadly for a range of activities for a range of subjects, so I could teach multiple grades over multiple days on the same subject. Basically, the idea is to take a topic of interest, amp it up, and teach skills or wisdom in that topic.

For example, on the topic of being rich:
Literacy - Learning to write a business plan, USP, persuasive letter to a client, news release to a reporter, marketing material, or a persuasive text on how your business will succeed (with points to consider provided).
Maths - Working with calculations to decide which is a better business choice, calculating returns on investments, calculating how long it takes for small sums of money to add up to large sums.
Social studies - Responsibilities associated with being rich. Plan as a class to take action on an issue now and execute in coordinated small groups.

Basically, I am working within the curriculum, but adding in relevant themes and wisdom they might otherwise never hear. How many of us learned about USPs while writing persuasive texts in literacy? Yet well written USPs can make the difference between being unknown or successful. While we all learn about calculating monetary sums in class, how many of us were taught how to handle that money and make wise decisions? My husband had to teach himself how to budget, and as a result of this, he is one of the few in his family who handles money wisely. Teaching our students such skills may be woven in naturally to the curriculum and give them an advantage they may not otherwise receive.

As a relief teacher, I am constantly reminded that my time with the children is limited, so I cannot continue such a large theme across a long amount of time usually. This leaves the children without the whole picture. However, I believe that even with one day, a difference can be made, skills can be taught, a passion can be sparked, a journey can begin, and the influence can last much longer. Choosing a huge topic, such as being rich, and starting with small, practical goals can be exciting enough to become a memory that pushes them to greater things. As a child, I hated the news, but I there are single news stories that impacted me, which I will never forget, and that was in a fifteen minute time span, but we have hours with the children. Let's make our lessons memorable, inspiring, practical, and worthwhile!

What real-world wisdom do you have that you believe students should learn about in class?

Telling Tuesday - Feedback for the regular teacher

Today's post will be short and sweet as I share a resource I've created and a few little reflections about it.

Ever since beginning my research on quality casual teaching, I have been reading about the necessity of leaving written feedback for the regular classroom teacher to keep them informed. Last week was my first week of teaching, so I used a few thank you cards I had lying around as they seemed suitable for the occasion. Now I am through the first week, I am rethinking my approach for the long-term. Some have said that it is best to use typed notes if possible, but I have found my ICT resources somewhat limited going into schools. However, I have seen one template that impressed me. A simple printed format that allowed space for neat, hand-written notes. While I am accepting of the desire to make such forms 'pretty' or 'cute', I can't say I really saw the relevance of the cow and barn pictures though. Perhaps I would understand if it had been in a country school or after taking an excursion to a farm, but this was not the case. So, upon reflecting on a few templates, I have set out to create my own. I had to include the 'handy helpers' box, as I love providing opportunities for the 'difficult' students to prove themselves and surprise the teacher.

After some more templates? They aren't quite as easy to find as I thought when searching, though I've come across them before. Here are a few:

• Relief Teaching - Feedback Template - This is a simple layout, similar to my own, but with typed plans already inserted.
• Teacher Brain - Freebies - Scroll down a bit and you will find 'Today in your class, note template.' It has the additions of pictures and a column to indicate whether or not the work was marked.
• Miss L's Whole Brain Teaching - Substitute Teacher Binder Freebie - The prettiest of them all and includes a whole pack of sheets for casual teaching.
• The 2 Teaching Divas - Forms at Your Fingertips - Presenting another range of forms, I find this one is nicely balanced between 'cute' and 'distracting.' Their feedback form is a more general overview, rather than a lesson-by-lesson recall.

What do you feel is essential information to provide in a feedback form? Does cuteness factor matter for you?

Taunting Tuesday - The bullies, mean peers and rude friends and how to deal with them

Bullies, bullying and bully policies have all become buzz words that draw attention from just about
everyone. However, I can't remember learning too much about this issue during my four year degree. Stumbling out into the wilderness of the playground, I refuse to go uneducated and so I set about finding materials worthy of reading and reflection to increase my learning in this all-important mine-field of an issue.

It started during the holidays with a Huffington Post article on three bullying important terms, bullying, meanness and rudeness. This made me stop and think about how easily confused and misused these terms are. Too often parents or students will throw these three terms around interchangeably, leaving the teacher with a conflict of interests between one parent saying their child was bullied and another parent saying their child is unintentionally rude. Sounds to me like a potential differentiation for newsletters, parent-teacher meetings, assemblies, etc. After all, the first action in my behaviour management plan (after stopping any immediate threat or danger) is to clearly define the issue. 

It seems to me that all three should be prioritised and addressed totally differently, once identified. If I were to state in a vague way my approach to all three, it is basically this:

1. Understand the issue, concerns and underlying causes (talk it out with every party involved if possible).
2. Discuss with the 'victim' how they are affected by the situation and what they feel could correct the situation and/or restore the relationship, trust, feelings of security, etc.
3. Discuss with the 'offender' how the underlying causes can be reduced (as much as possible) by the 'offender' and plan together how the teachers, staff and/or parents could help. If consequences are to be put in place, I would also discuss this with the student, ensuring they understood why they were being punished and why the type of punishment was chosen (E.g. "You are not allowed to visit the kinders any more because they don't feel safe when you do").
4. Explain to the 'offender' what they did wrong and why it is wrong, walking them through giving a real apology.
5. If a recurring issue with multiple 'offenders' or misunderstandings, discuss the issue with the class, school and/or school community.
6. Update necessary stakeholders (principal, colleague teachers, parents, etc). While stating this last, it is likely that these conversations will be taking part throughout the process, depending on how long the process is.

The above is a basic view of my behaviour management plan for dealing with issues which are major, either because they are recurring in nature or cause students to become upset and needing reconciliation. For more minor issues, such as a student forgetting a classroom procedure, warnings tend to be sufficient.

More specifically, here is how I would consider reacting depending on what the case involves:

• Bulling: I do not consider this acceptable and immediate consequences will be put in place as soon as I hear of it. Stakeholders including parents and principal will be involved. The offender will be monitored for a period of time and supported to overcome this behaviour as necessary. During this process, victims will be supported as much as necessary and possible to regain any loss of self-esteem, trust, or security.
• Meanness: As this is not repeated behaviour and the child feels regret, I would not make such a big deal out of this. I may mention it casually to a parent or ask colleagues to be aware of the situation, but beyond a sincere apology and action plan developed with the child, I would probably punish the child (if the situation calls for punishment, I would probably label it 'bullying').
• Rudeness: As this is merely a slip-up as a result of misunderstanding or lack of social skills, I would not usually 'frown upon' the situation, but deal with it as a molehill to prevent a mountain situation being formed. I would equip the 'offender' with any lacking social skills to prevent recurring situations if necessary and possible. Otherwise, we would discuss what the problem was and what the effect was in order to allow the student to understand and apologise appropriately. In this situation, I would also have a discussion with the 'victim' to explain the misunderstanding and the lack of bad intention the 'offender' had.

But let's not forget that prevention is the BEST part of the behaviour management plan. So here's how I hope to prevent recurrences or even first time incidences of these behaviours in my classrooms:

• Social classes - I prefer to do these regularly to support my students in a range of areas, including how to form relationships and treat others with respect in the classroom and beyond. These are great for dealing with recurring rudeness or anticipating common issues and dealing with them early.
• Share stories - This can be integrated with news sharing, literacy, drama, history, visual art and probably more curriculum areas. Sharing a story, or asking students to imagine a situation and resolve it, provides students with opportunities to reflect upon such issues and apply learning to their own lives.
• Take advantage of National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence - I'm sure there would be a ridiculous amount of possibilities for this. The Australian Government has even published a website for teachers, parents and students addressing bullying.

A brief post, but a huge issue which the media loves, so here are some more resources:

• Bullying Statistics - Why Do People Bully? - Here is a few possibilities for the reasons behind bullying which could be considered when attempting to prevent these behaviours.
• Western Education and Library Board - A Framework for Your Written Antibullying Policy - This is a template with examples to help you get started. If releasing such a document to parents, there is no reason you can't attach similar documents for meanness and rudeness as well, to allow them to see the difference.
• Bullying No More - Anti Bullying Poster Idea - I like these posters because they are not really explicitly about bullying, but they make specific points that can be used to address bullying, meanness and rudeness.

Do you have any experiences with students who have been bullied or are bullies? How about parents who misunderstand the differences and varying importance of bullying, meanness and rudeness? What are your approaches or resources for this attention-drawing topic?

Wording Wednesday - Planning a day around reporting skills

How many of your students read the newspaper? My bet is, not too many. I remember often being expected by teachers to be a fan of the news, though I am still not sure why. Is it because it is current, local, informative or what? I will openly confess that I still don't read the news. However, I have always loved those reports on certain shows which are known as 'interest articles.' As a child, I used to fight about bed-time because I had sat through over 45 minutes of news to watch that one report that interested me.

Writing or recording interesting reports to draw in young people is certainly a skill. How many of your students will graduate with it? As I continue to gather and create resources for my relief folder, I plan on sharing them here, hence the second freebie in a row now. Today's little freebie is a rough outline from which to form a plan for a lesson, day or even a couple of days running, all based around article writing. Students can involve a wide range of subjects, engage in topic of interest to them, and create a class news presentation, paper, magazine, blog or YouTube channel (these can be private last I checked). This could be done as individuals, partners, or small groups and could end up being published in some form or link to a social action unit. The options are huge so it can be used across a range of grades and adjusted to fit an appropriate time frame.

So here is at least a day of reporting.

Want some resources to compliment this idea and aid in the more detailed planning? Well I happen to have found some I like:

• This form for peer reviews from Classroom Teacher Resources.
• TPT- A Peer Edit Guide to Write Right - While I would not buy this one for the ages I tend to work with, I love the five questions mentioned in the description and can see these being effective on a peer feedback form for opinion and news writing.
• Online Chart Tool - A free online tool for creating bar charts, line charts, pie charts, scatter plots, bar line graphs and more.
• ABC - Behind the News - An online news website designed with children in mind to introduce them to news reports.

Do you see yourself using such a theme in the classroom? How? Do you have any handy resources to add to the list?

Tricky Tuesday - Bringing humour into the classroom

Today, rather than share new ideas for bringing humour into the classroom, I'm going to share some short personal stories of successful pranks and light-hearted fun.

I was awake until past 1am last night and totally forgot about April Fool's until I woke up at 6:10am. Before I was even dating my husband, we had huge prank wars. I smothered butter on his car and put polystyrene balls in his air con. He stole my car, hid it, and locked the doors, forcing me to crawl through the boot. I had a friend take sneaky photos of the two of us for weeks and placed them in a room of his house like a 'stalker wall.' But the first April Fools Day of being married and I had nothing planned. He was in a rush to get off to work, so I couldn't be too cruel. As a result, he ended up with his cornflakes tasting like peppermint and nothing but peppermint. Too easy, but the laughs I got watching him process that first unexpected taste was great. If wanting to pull a prank on the staff there's no reason why you can't just bring morning tea to share and add an unexpected flavour or hide something in it. When our prank war was slowing down, I actually baked him a cupcake with a note inside it. In a cake, there's no reason you can't hollow it out and place a larger object or nothing at all.

I believe that humour is an essential part of life. Sure, not everyone would see the funny side of their car being stolen or completely messed up, but laughter is a medicine. While on the car topic, I'll jump to high school memories. There is always at least one class clown. One boy in particular would show up wearing an odd combination of both sports uniform and normal uniform as sports day was rescheduled and he didn't know which uniform to wear. On another day, he brought a jar of vegemite to school. He then proceeded to rub vegemite under the door handle of the principal's car, as well as a few classroom handles. The outdoor ed teacher was the first to come in our classroom with a black hand. He simply walked in and raised his hand and the class erupted with laughter. He took the joke in the good spirit it was intended. However, when the principal discovered the vegemite on his car, the clown was sentenced to washing every staff car during his lunch hour. This event actually helped inspire my own pranks on my husband's car. Many people have had a good laugh hearing the squeal he emitted upon discovering the vegemite smeared on his hand (it was videoed and placed on facebook along with a humorous threat for revenge).

I still remember my two favourite teachers in primary school due to their sense of humour. My grade 5/6 teacher loved telling embarrassing stories. I remember her 'getting to know us' by asking us for our embarrassing stories. Those brave enough spoke up and I can't remember any of those stories. I don't think I will ever forget hearing my teacher then confess her story though! She was wearing a pair of pants that were a little too tight. Then she dropped something... Bending down to pick it up, she heard that dreadful sound: her pants had ripped in front of the whole class. Her response? She stood up and laughed about it!

My grade 3/4 teacher was a prankster all year long. He was known as 'the ghost' in my little brothers class as he was constantly pranking them and never caught. Once, he snuck into their classroom, which was next door, during the lunch hour, and set an alarm on the computers. Their silent reading time was interrupted that day by the Richmond Tigers footy club song. In our class, his humour was sometimes more subtle. We were studying something in science (he is the only teacher I remember who made science enjoyable for me!) and he asked us a question. He gave two options for answers and asked us to stand depending on what we thought the answer was. The whole class stood by the first option. One lone boy stood for the second. When asked to explain his answer, he replied, "I don't know why, but the other answer seemed too obvious." Our teacher got a kick out of this, and it turned out the joke was on us as the entire class, except that one student, had chosen the wrong answer.

Jumping forward a few years into college, we had a math teacher known as 'the dragon' due to her no-nonsense views. However, she was always late to class. Yesterday, I was reading a prank where the teacher says the students are running the class for the day while she sits back to see what happens. In our case, she was late to class and we just took over the class. One of the louder students stood at the front of the class, told us to open our books and had us begin solving the questions on the board. To her credit, when our teacher walked in, she walked to the back of the class and took an empty seat and played student. However, the student concluded the problem and went to move on before it was finished. Our teacher then raised her hand, being a polite student, to point out that the problem wasn't yet finished. It was after that she took back her whiteboard marker and rightful position. I dream of the day when my students are out to a specialist class and I can walk into a colleague's classroom and take over. "Oh, there's a parent wanting to see you at the office. Your class looks to know what they are doing. I can watch them for you." "Oh, there wasn't any one there to see you? How strange."

So there's my few stories with little ideas for the staff room, the class next door, your own students, and your favourite colleague. April 1st is the perfect excuse, but with laughter being a good medicine, there's no reason you can't do it at unexpected times and become the memorable teacher.

Want some more ideas on how to inject some humour into the classroom? Here you go:

• Sunny Days in Second Grade - April Fool's Day Classroom Fun: Send your class on a search for 'the elusive lirpaloof bird' and get some photos of them all waving carrots in the air.
• New Teachers - How to Use Humour As a Tool in the Classroom: Reasons why we should utilise humour and humour we should be wary of.
• Hub Pages - Teachers Rule: Top Ten Pranks To Pull On Students: Some of these may be best suited for older students or specific circumstances, but there's some gems.

As a final disclaimer, don't forget to pick your targets carefully (to avoid washing every car in the staff parking lot at least) and remember respect. Some students and colleagues wouldn't find these amusing. Others are practically asking for it. Any other epic ideas out there to help us let our hair out every now and then, get a giggle and release some tension?

Mannerism Monday - Understanding students and self through personality tests

Note the days since my last post and you will see I skipped out on blogging last week. It was an epic, busy week and I am back to blogging with exciting ideas this week. Bare with me as I share how these ideas came about, what they mean to me, and how I can see them being applied. Today, I have to start with personality tests as it's got me on a bit of an unexpected journey.

On Tuesday, my parents travelled up and stayed with us for five days. During that time, I sat down with them and watched a marriage seminar on DVD (which I had watched previously with my husband). I knew I had hit a winner when they both sat there laughing instead of sleeping as they would tend to do when the TV is on. The final session was a short one introducing a test known as 'the flag page.' We were all so excited and drawn in by the whole thing that all four of us sat down that night and did our tests. It was simply three steps, during which we selected traits we have, rated them on how we feel about them, and chose five traits that were our favourites. Then we received our results. It turns out that the statement they make about this test is true - it is not so much a personality test as a passion test, to find where your passions lie. We discovered how much time we spent in each of four 'countries,' which described our personalities and the 'language' that makes sense to us. It also told us how soft/hard we are, what types of talents we have, and our top 5 motivations. This was then broken down to explain what our desires are, what motivates us to do what we do, how we connect with people and how we succeed. It is incredible to see how detailed each report was and how accurate! Before the test, we knew enough about the four countries to try and predict the top two for each of us. I am proud to announce that I knew exactly what countries Mum, Dad, and my husband were from. Having heard about them at the seminar that meant I knew which words would motivate and excite them, what their major desires were, and how they liked to approach things. However, then I did my test and that was a bit of a surprise. They say that when you see the results that you get excited just looking at your special set of words. Even looking at my parents, I got a bit excited, and I have enough in common with them that this was not a surprise. Reading through mine, I had predicted my top two countries, but in the wrong order. Then I read my motivations, talents, and the details that came in the report. Let's just say, I was so excited that I got as emotional as some of our younger students do during those times you can't calm them down. It's one of those times you just have to ride out the emotion, stop reading, and wait for your nerves to return. Thankfully, the second reading was a lot smoother. Isn't it ridiculous how we relate to the right combination of words that strike a chord with us. This test did more than simply make me emotional though, it made me understand my husband and our relationship just a bit clearer. I suddenly realised that certain aspects of his personality that annoyed me were not simply things he enjoyed, but they were on his top five motivations! These were the things he needed and provide the drive in his life, and I was fighting against them as if they didn't really matter. Big oops! As a result, I have a greater understanding of his needs and motivations, as well as the language which makes sense and appeals to him. Now we can work together in greater strength than before. This is not simply because we are newly weds either, as my parents also received new revelations with their results.

Because of this story and prior experiences with personality tests, I will be using the flag page as my only example in this post. However, there are alternatives. I have simply found that this is the most accurate, detailed and helpful test I have taken. There would be free alternatives out there, as well as similar tests which could also be useful, such as the five love languages test (for those of you familiar with this, have you ever considered completing it with your students to find what extrinsic motivations may be the best fit?)

Now that you've tolerated my story, let me relate this experience to your students. This would be an incredible way to start the year as a get-to-know-you activity, but could also be used later in the year if you feel the need, and could be completed with the child and even family, or as a simple observation kept to the teacher to inform practice. The flag page even has a version specifically for children. This version is a 'game' in which the students group cards to score points in categories and their final points reveal their results. This game allows up to six official flag pages to be produced, but more can easily entertaining, but a student from control company may prefer hearing that they were successful in achieving the intended outcomes and a student from perfect country may need sensitivity to how they felt about presenting to their peers and how they approached this.
be duplicated or recorded in written form. You could also find a free alternative to test your students or gain a personal understanding of the areas in a quality test, such as the flag page.  For example, by gaining an understanding of the four 'countries' you may realise why certain students don't get along, what students desire, what motivates them to some degree, and what language they understand best. This will allow you to use trigger words for those students when they need encouragement, motivation, or feedback. For example, a student from fun country will love hearing that their presentation was

I have one final thought on personality tests as I continue my job search (final interview before approval should hopefully be soon!). The flag page is marketed as finding 'what is right about you.' If someone had asked me my strengths during an interview, I could have listed things I was interested in and bounced around the question rather awkwardly, as I am rather well-rounded and tend to spend more time focussing on how to strengthen my weaknesses and enjoying other PD without identifying my strengths. Being well-rounded, this test helped me to identify particular strengths and motivations which drive everything else. Now, when I need to explain who I am, I have my personality in black and white and I have no trouble identifying just a few specific strengths. I am great at music and love it, among many other things, but it isn't one of my top five. In fact, my top motivation was 'inspirational' which means that I endeavour to make a positive difference in the lives of others, combining this with other motivations of mine, competence and creativity, and you will find that I always believe things can be better and will find a way to constantly improve and better both myself, my environment and those around me. As these are actually huge motivations in my life, they get me excited. Now, in an interview, I can approach the question quickly, enthusiastically and accurately, giving the interviewer a glimpse into the best part of me. Furthermore, now I know what motivates me, I can find that motivation when it escapes me. Add this professional advantage to the positive effect it is having on my marriage and I would say it is well worth the small fee to complete!

Curious to know more? Quench your curiousity here:

• The Momma knows - The Flag Page: Discover Your Child's Heart: A mother's review of the child's flag page game.
• Mark Gungor - The 4 Countries of People: A section of the seminar we watched, explaining the four countries. Once familiar with these ideas, it isn't hard to identify a person's main country with some accuracy.
• Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage - What Motivates You?: A page with the links to different tests (for children and adults).

How do you feel about personality tests? Do you have any negative feelings or doubts towards them? Are you cautious due to the possibility of grouping or boxing complex individuals? Can you recommend a test you have come across and had a positive experience with?

Please note: I have received no payments or benefits for providing my opinions on the products mentioned in this post. This is merely my own experience which I hope may benefit others.

Thankful Thursday - Starting the day through attendance with a happy tone

How practiced is your "good morning students" speech? Here is a rough example of mine as a relief teacher:

 "Good morning. My name is Mrs. Edwin. I will be teaching you today as (teacher name) is home sick. You will notice that some things I do are the same and others will be a little difference, but together I'm sure we will get through an awesome day. Etc, etc. Thank you for having me in your class today, I am happy to be given the opportunity to work with you."

Believe it or not, I think that last statement is as important as the first few. I believe starting the day positively and acknowledging the students should be a basic part of our mornings. Let me give you a more personal at-home story to demonstrate my point.

I am not really a morning person. I can be when I need to be, but I prefer not having to be. My
husband discovered this quickly when he started work again after we got married. He would get up anywhere between 6am and 6:20am, early by some standards and not at all by others. I would drag
myself out of bed, as the loving wife, and make his coffee while he showered. The leftovers from dinner would be packed in his lunch containers and I'd sit with him during breakfast, wave as he left, shut the garage door, and return to bed. The first week or so, this routine was fine for me, but then my 'true morning colours' began to show. He would ask me to make his toast because he was two minutes late and I would grumble. He'd ask for mayonnaise to go on his salad and I would snap. He'd ask me if I was going to post that letter today and I would disappear into the bedroom and leave him to say goodbye to himself. Oh the joys of being a newly wed! He would argue that some nights he didn't sleep well, but he didn't snap at me. I would argue that I couldn't help not being a morning person. Finally, being Christians, we realised what was missing from our routine. Believe it or not, we hadn't started our days by praying together and thanking God for our blessings. For some, this may seem like a needless or foolish thing to do. For us, it is necessary. Each day, we wake up just a little earlier and mutter some prayers before dragging ourselves out of bed. Since starting the day on a positive note and setting my vision straight on my blessings, I'm suddenly a morning person! I haven't snapped once at him for the silly little things (does anyone else hate the sound of cereal being eaten?!). This just reminded me how important it is to start strong on a positive note.

During my final semester of university, in the first few weeks of one of our units, we were explicitly taught the benefits of being thankful ourselves and generating a positive atmosphere in the classroom. I have heard it said that for some students, simply arriving to school is an accomplishment for them, and they appreciate that being acknowledged by a grateful teacher. Some of these 'difficult students' were no problem in this class. How many of us incorporate thankfulness into our behaviour management plan?!

As I was thinking about thankfulness and starting the day right, it occurred to me an easy way to do this in the classroom. Finishing off my statement of what I am thankful for or why I am happy, I ask the students, "When I call out your name, can you please tell me what you are thankful for today." Depending on the age and how many days you have the students, you can change this up for age-appropriate language or a different question for different days. Responding to students' answers will also allow them to see that you are interested in them and perhaps have something in common. Here are a few examples that allow students to start the day focusing on the positive and allow you some insight into the lives of your students:

• List three reasons to be happy today.
• Tell me the best thing that happened to you on the weekend (or yesterday, or last week).
• Tell us one thing you are looking forward to (be prepared with a clever answer for the inevitable 'leaving school' or 'going home' if you ask this one).
• Share something you like about this school (again, there maybe a 'nothing' response, so could you get away with saying something like "I see. So you love getting out of the classroom? Is there something you think we could do outside the classroom today?")
• Introduce me to someone in the class and tell me something fabulous about them I might not know or find out on my own today.
• Who is your favourite teacher in this school and why? (And if you are their regular teacher, you could ban them from saying you are to encourage them to think outside the regular classroom. Otherwise, as a relief teacher, take some notes for the regular teacher so she can see what students appreciate about her.)

As a final thought, if you wanted the students to leave with a positive impression of the day, excuse them to get their bags by asking similar questions (you could also use this for feedback on your teaching or their learning for the day by creating appropriate reflective questions).

Want to know more about gratitude in the classroom? Bounce over to these pages for some additional info:

• Edutopia - Gratitude Can Fuel School Transformation: an article on the impact of gratitude in a school environment and how teachers can practice it.
• Great Schools - The Grateful Child: looking into the 'new science' of gratitude studies, how gratitude impacts children, and how children can be taught thankfulness (don't miss the little list on the left of nine ways to teach gratitude).
• Greater Good - Gratitude Activities For the Classroom: a great list of ideas to incorporate to develop a positive environment in the classroom (and a warning that these should take place only once a week to have the maximum impact).
• Archdiocese Chicago Catholic Schools - 3 Simple Steps to Building Resilience Using an Attitude of Gratitude: a short sweet article which links the desirable characteristic of resilience to gratitude.

So there you go, a few good reasons to be happy and thankful I hope? How many of you encourage thankfulness this far away from Thanksgiving?

Terrible Tuesday - Learning through our mistakes and making them acceptable

So this week I discovered something terrible. I had made a mistake. I had confused eligibility to teach with the approval to teach documents, so when I went into schools to make myself officially 'available for work' in NSW, I was told I am not in the system. Oops! With all my research and hours of reading, I had not realised there were two separate forms for two separate reasons and I needed both to get a casual job. Cue the strings as I return to my computer to write the humble email back to the other schools to admit to my mistake and keep them aware that I will be available soon.

A quote from Elementary Matters in an article on failure.

Let's be honest now. Mistakes are embarrassing. Students are fully aware of this when they stutter during a presentation and hear the giggles among their peers. However, taking risks is part of growth and mistakes are a part of learning. As a result of this, we have all come across those students who will not complete work, will not start work, or will constantly be asking for either help or approval. If you have the joy of multiple students with such inclinations, completing tasks can become quite the battle and your attention stretched thin.

Let me introduce my plan for attacking risk-taking, mistake-making fears. To start out the day (with a literacy lesson), I read a Dr Seuss book filled with nonsense words. Don't you love them? In fact, here's a whole list of books with nonsense words in them for your collection. The more dramatic the reading and confusion over the nonsense words the better. Make sure when you are finished (or finished certain pages) that you ask the students what has happened? Point out that despite these ridiculous, meaningless words, they can understand it.

Next, comes the challenge for the day. They are to go and do their writing (whatever that may be for the day, perhaps in a similar topic to the book read), but they are not to ask for help! Describe different strategies they could use to attack unfamiliar words. I am sure my younger students will forever remember me standing across the room saying "sound it out and try" and turning away to another student or task. Of course, there is a time for explicit teaching, but sometimes students learn just as much from problem-solving and taking risks themselves. Remind them they can use dictionaries or other texts in the room and if you have a focus strategy already this is a perfect opportunity!

Before the students think you have totally abandoned them, explain the purpose of the task. They are to write independently, proving their awesome capabilities, and experimenting with new words. At the end of the lesson (yes, warn them of this too), you will look through students work. The most amazing words which are spelled correctly will be announced and demonstrated for the class. The 'mistake' words which are mis-spelled will be re-used, because sometimes mistakes might not be great in one context but are brilliant in another. These words will be combined in a special class story, celebrating the risks they took during writing.

What story? You have no time for writing stories? Well, luckily for you, there is a teacher still awaiting approval in a new state, and she has nothing but time for developing handy resources. Just make sure that when you choose a nonsense word for the character's name that you are consistent and use the same word. I have made the spaces for her name red to make it easier for your. So here you go!

Wanting still more support for encouraging risk-taking in your class?

A quote from Neil Gaiman that is circulating pinterest.

Check out:

• Education Week - Students Not Taking Risks? Maybe It's Us and Not Them: A challenge to encourage risk-taking in the classroom.
• All Things Upper Elementary - Building a Culture for Risk Taking: An epic blog post with suggested activities and approaches for encouraging risk-taking.
• Edutopia - Making Friends with Failure: Ainissa makes the point that certain areas of the curriculum should actually encourage risk-taking and accept mistakes.
• Anxiety BC - Helping Your Child Overcome Perfectionism: A guide for parents which may also provide useful hints for teachers.

Do you have any experience with risk-taking or students who struggle with making mistakes? How about first hand experience with making mistakes and making ammends? Please share in the comments!

Social Sunday - Beginning with 10 ice-breakers

I have no amazing statistics to show how many teachers are in the same boat as me, but I struggle with learning names. Usually I find the boys easy and get them all down in the first day or two. The girls seem to have some evil plot to make it as difficult as possible though! I get the single red-head down easy, and the girl with the unexpected accent doesn't take too long. Then I find myself sitting at the front of the class looking over 10 blondes and 7 brunettes with constantly changing hair styles and try to find something memorable about them. At first this was a serious struggle for me, but with practice I have been able to cut down my time to learning everyone's names in two, maybe three days. However, as a relief teacher I may only get one day.

Let me digress for a bit and tell you a story about my memory. As teachers, most, if not all of us, have heard about the multiple intelligences or learning styles. During college, I finally discovered an unusual technique that worked wonders for me. I could recall information, but always struggled with facts. Every Monday afternoon, usual classes would be cancelled and we were required to go to a short session of our choice to learn different skills. I chose a short course known as 'mempics.' The music tutor at the school had discovered this himself and was passing along the skills as a useful way to ace exams. We began by creating a list of 20 totally random words. We then created a very simple image to represent that word. Getting into this we discovered that concrete words like 'cat' were easy and obscure words like 'blue' took more imagination! We joined these images together, varying the size, length and direction the illogical 'sentence' took. We repeated this process a few times, sticking to the same pattern and saying the words out loud. We then placed the paper away to be quizzed. As a group, we discovered that we knew each of the 20 words in order, both forwards and backwards. Then something strange happened, the tutor started to throw numbers at me. I would envision the 'sentence' and be able to tell him which word aligned with each number!

With this knowledge of how my personal memory can be strengthened (both through graphics and verbal repetition), I set out to discover a list of ice-breakers I can use in a classroom to strengthen my ability to learn names. I have included links below, so you may follow them to find further ideas and personalise your own list.

1) 2 Truths and 1 Lie
           Perfect for introducing yourself to the class. Write or tell three facts on the board. Two of them truths and one of them a lie. They may be fun, crazy facts (I have eaten spicy bullfrogs in China), relate-able facts (I have a dog called Pookie), or classroom related facts (I am here to make sure you stay in your seats and don't make a noise). If you couldn't pick my lie in those examples, please check your pedagogy! Each of these kinds of facts will accomplish a purpose though with the crazy facts making you appealing and new, the relate-able facts making you human and safe, and the classroom related facts setting standards in a fun way. You can have the class vote publicly or silently.

2) Our crazy facts AKA Secret lives
          This one may be better suited to older students or diverse groups in order to keep their facts diverse. The aim is to have everyone write down something that is true, unique to them, and unknown to most, if not all, of the class. For example, I could write "I have eaten intestines and I liked them," "I laugh when I ride roller-coasters," or "my dog is so clever it knows the difference between his toys and kids toys." (Yes, I love my dog!) Once the students have all passed in their secret facts (this may take a while, so perhaps have this activity running simultaneously with another), have the class try to guess who each fact is about. This is great for learning names as there will be a lot of pointing, name use, and a memorable fact to associate with each student.

3) Letter to class mates
          This is another bonding experience for the classmates. Have each person choose a classmates name out of a hat. Depending on the group and how close they appear to be, you may want them to play a game with their partner/s first so they have at least one experience to write about! Each student then writes a letter to their partner. The challenge is to make it as positive and encouraging as possible while still ensuring it is true. This also practices their letter writing skills, so as a legitimate literacy exercise it can be worth some time. Again, be prepared for those who find this easy and finish early. If those who are struggling didn't get a game with their partner, you may give them the option if their partner finishes early. Such letters may then be short and sweet and contain compliments on how a person plays. "I liked playing with you. It was fun. I liked that you got the dice for me. You explained the game well. Thank you." I know many first graders who could write statements such as these! At the end of first period, or the activity, you can dismiss the students or have certain students move on by passing them their letters (reading in front of the class could serve as a confidence boost or unwanted attention, so use with your discretion). This can help to draw a class closer together, set a positive tone to the day, and teach you some good things about every student.

4) Create a time capsule of today
          Begin the day by presenting the students with one goal: "Today, we are building a time capsule." You may provide each child with an envelope or have a box sitting at the front of the class. Begin with a project which involves them sketching or describing themselves or their week and ensure every piece of work is named. They could write letters to themselves, add samples of work from the day, calculate how many days it will be until a certain year or birthday, etc. It enables you to delve into history, literacy, a bit of art and math. Individual envelopes may also be decorated (and clearly NAMED) which gives a quick visual clue to help remember names when needed. Though you wouldn't be relying on these the whole day, they help to get the memory going to start with. Having the work all in one place also enables easy access for marking purposes and easy access for the permanent class teacher to look back on.

5) Self-portrait
          Students would be glad to start the day with something creative often and it can be paired with written words to become a multi-literacy task or presented to the class verbally (don't forget that speaking and listening is a literacy skill too). During the writing/presenting, students should explain how this picture represents them or how they constructed the picture. If it is a realistic self-portrait, how did they make it accurate? Was there a mirror, photo or friend involved? If you ask for a symbolic picture, this opens up the world to a much broader range of responses. Such an open-ended task provides diverse and interesting expressions of self with explanations which will remain with you all day and give you insight into the personalities in your class. If going symbolic, make the most of modelling before the activity to show students how you could represent yourself (an animal, a cartoon with strange characteristics, a food, or a country even?) This will help to jog their thoughts, see the range of possibilities and catch a glimpse of the human you are.

6) Weekend writing
           This is often a usual class routine on a Monday, so if you have first day in a class on Monday, it is a logical choice that is familiar with the class. Often younger grades will draw a picture and write a few sentences about what they did. If you would like to change it up a bit you could ask them to write one or two truths and make the rest a tall tale. Again, this could become a guessing game.

7) Web of connections AKA Spin a classroom web
          Have the class stand or sit in a circle. Before class, make sure you have met a few students and found out something about them (which we are all in the habit of doing anyway, I hope). Holding a ball of string, introduce yourself, saying your name and something about you. Say the name of a student and a fact about them, such as what they did last week or even what they had for dinner last night. Keep hold of the end of the string and throw or roll the ball of string to them. They then say their name, something about them, another student's name, and something about them. Make sure they keep hold of a bit of the string as they pass the ball of string on. By the end of the activity, the string will have formed a web and everyone will have two things shared about them and their name said twice. If this isn't enough, have the web untangled and sent backwards (nice way to clean up) or start again. You could also try compliments or questions. For example, I could start the game with "My name is Mrs. Edwin. I am honoured to be your relief teacher today. Tom, what is your favourite animal and why?" Tom would then answer and ask another student a question.

8) Class interviews AKA Microphone mania
          Similarly to above, the purpose of this activity is to encourage connections and get to know something about the students, as well as their names. You may begin with roll call and ask each student a question. That student may then choose to ask you a question (or once you are done you can open the room to questions from anyone, but then be prepared for the usual, dominating students to pipe up). As you endeavour to discover useful information about your students, think about questions involving strengths, school friends, favourite subjects, pets, and interests that you may be able to relate to. Alternatively, you could have the class ask you questions, then have each student pair up with a partner and interview them. At the conclusion of the interviews, they each give a short 'news report' on their partner. As such, this activity could develop more fully into a lesson on news reporting or interviewing skills. If you are going to make this into a larger theme, you could talk about truth, questioning, accurate rephrasing, presenting and body language, and even craft microphones or video cameras (or whip out the real thing or ipads if you are blessed enough to have such access).

9) Mini class mural
         How miniature this is will be up to you and your resources. Students may get a square or even a puzzle piece. Their task is to make their name and identity clear on whatever they receive. Make sure you have time to speak to each student about their piece of art and use their name. Again, I love this activity as it allows both visual and verbal association. At the conclusion of the activity, students may help put the puzzle together. If you are feeling creative, you could have done this before and written a message on it before taking it apart for the students. This will allow them to see the message once complete. If the teacher is away for some time, you could easily take a piece out of the puzzle, take a photo of it and send it in the mail along with their puzzle piece and a note from their class.

10) Write a story together
          I love that this activity can be used whether your resources include a digital notepad, story creator, the whiteboard, or a pad and pen. Start the story with one sentence and include your name. For example, "One day, Mrs. Edwin took a walk through the city park when she noticed large bubbles in the middle of the lake." You can then invite a student to come forward or have them dictate the next sentence to you, but they must include their name. Continue until every student has their name in the story, ensuring the last few students know they must conclude the story. This material could then be used to examine parts of a story, sentence structure or numerous other literacy concepts. Alternatively, you could then take your story and turn it into a drama, having each student play their role. In order to reduce the chaos arising from 25 students running screaming around the classroom, you could utilise the freeze frame, having small groups re-enact appropriate segments of the story. Again, depending on the resources available to you, you could then take photos of the freeze frames and create a class picture book.

That concludes my top ten favs for ice-breakers. What do you think? Do you have favs that aren't on the list? Do you have a different approach to one of these same ice-breakers?