Teaching Resources

As teachers we are always looking for new ideas and resources that we can use in our classrooms to make lessons engaging for our students and ourselves. I believe I have a collection of websites and books that cover a range of teaching areas and topics that I would love to share with teachers and anyone else who is interested and what better place to share these then on my blog. Feel free to leave links to any resources that you would like to share with me and others in the comments below as well as a link to your blog if you like. Remember sharing is caring right?

This week I will share with you my top 3 Teaching websites:

1. Pinterest: I visit this site so regularly I may be addicted. This site was introduced to me while I was on my university teaching rounds by the kindergarten teacher who was absolutely an inspiration to me. If you are looking for activities, worksheets and games you can use in the classroom this is the place. Pinterest is an online pin board where you can share resources you find and look at resources others have found. The teaching resources here are mainly for Primary Teachers however I think you could use the same ideas with Secondary students with some adjustments. Love this site and I recommend checking it out. Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest by clicking on the red ‘P’ logo at the top of the page. Link to the site home page http://www.pinterest.com/
 
2. Teaching Channel: This gem of a website includes videos on just about every subject related to teaching you could ever desire. It covers both Primary and secondary teaching and I guarantee you that you will be inspired by the videos on this sight to try a new idea in your classroom. My favourite part of the site is the videos although the rest of the site is also worth a look: This link will lead you to the videos page https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos?default=1 
 
3. EduTopia: On this site you will find articles on any teaching related topic you can think of whether it be new learning theories or behaviour management this website has it all including educational videos. I visit this site regularly and have the updates in my Facebook pages feed so I can see what is new. Definitely worth a look! www.edutopia.org
 

I will be posting up Mathematics and Literacy resources soon, so keep your eye on this space for more.

Enjoy your teaching adventures

Sally

Trendy Tuesday : Basics

 

In my previous post I mentioned that chiffon blouses, singlets and skirts were great items for your teacher outfits. The basic pieces for a teacher’s wardrobe as I mentioned previously are already in your wardrobe and I will explain them in detail and show you three teacher outfits using these basics.

 

1.      White shirts: Perfect basic top for your wardrobe, make sure you wear a white t-shirt or singlet underneath as white shirts tend to be see-through. You can use this as a base for pairing with coloured and patterned cardigans and jackets.

 

2.     White singlet and T-shirt: These two tops I use mainly as layer pieces for white shirts and sheer chiffon blouses to ensure your bra isn’t showing.  If the school dress code is more on the casual side you can wear your white t-shirt as a top.

 

3.     Dresses: A dress that is on the conservative side is best. Remember my rule of thumb if you can see up it, down it, or through it don’t wear it. So make sure the dress covers up your cleavage and is no shorter than a pencil skirt so it should end just below your knee.

 

4.     Skirts: Pencil skirts are useful to wear every day at school and on formal occasions such as parent teacher interviews to keep you looking professional. I think maxi skirts and skirts that are the same length as pencil skirts are great for school as well just make sure they aren’t sheer, see-through or that students will be able to see up them.

 

5.     Dress pants: Dress pants are my best friend as they work for formal occasions and everyday as they look professional and no fuss ass you can bend kneel and move around without any fear of your undies showing. That being said make sure they fit you well and that they sit on your waist. In terms of colour I like to have brown, black and grey as you can mix and match them depending on the rest of your outfit. I like straight cut pants to wear with chiffon blouses and tops with more volume like jumpers and sweaters. Flared and wide leg pants will balance out your shape and make you appear slimmer and taller and match well with shirts and blouses that are more form fitting and hug your body.

 

6.     Cardigans: Cardigans that are black, white, grey and beige which are neutral are the best to start off with especially if you aren’t a fan of bright bold colours. Bright colours and patterned cardigans are great to add some boldness to your outfits to make them stand out and reflect your personality.

 

 

 

 Outfit 1

  Outfit 2

         
  Outfit 3

 

I hope this has given you an idea of the basics you need as a base for your teacher outfits. In the next post I will examine winter essentials including some winter accessories that will keep you looking good and warm.

 

 

Trendy Tuesday

This will be my first post in the Trendy Tuesday series and is inspired by a Facebook casual teacher group member who posted a question about what teachers wear to school. They were looking to buy affordable pieces that they can wear over and over again. In this post I will share with you an important rule on how to dress appropriately as a teacher and the five most affordable places to buy teacher outfits.

This is the most important piece of advice I ever received at University about how to dress as a teacher
 

           

  If you can see up it, down it, or through it you should not wear it (refer to diagram below).

 

Note: Clothing items such as mini-skirts, crop tops and mini dresses should stay at home. Anything that shows way to much skin should be avoided. Also take into account that you may encounter your students while shopping so keep your casual clothes tasteful.

 

Two Exceptions

1. Chiffon shirts in my mind are an exception as long as you wear a t-shirt or singlet underneath. Here are two of my favourites available at best and less online. Links are below each picture if you want to purchase them.

   
   

   
   

    LD BLOUSE FLORAL

LD SHIRT XOVER

 

 

 

2. Pencil skirts and knee length skirts are okay to wear so long as students will not be able to see up them. Here is one I would pick from Big W:

 

Emerson Textured Flippy Skirt

Five Affordable Shops

The most affordable places to buy your teacher outfits would be department stores. My favourites if you are in Australia are:

1.   Kmart: is my favourite department store to shop at for all clothing pieces and accessories. They have very trendy pieces like leather and fabric tights and basics like cardigans and white t-shirts. However you can only buy clothes in-store and not online.

2.   Big W: has a great range of shirts and black dress pants as well as some trendy pieces all at affordable prices. You can purchase items online

3.   Best and Less: has a great range of chiffon blouses, basic white t-shirts and long sleeve tops. Affordable prices and you can purchase online.

4.   Target: I tend to get most of my clothing pieces from Target on sale or on clearance. I highly recommend their dress/work pants even at full price as they are comfortable they look great and fit well. You can purchase items online and check out the clearance page.

5.   Ebay: You can find a range of clothing pieces at affordable prices. Always measure yourself and ensure your clothing measurements match those of the clothing piece you are buying especially when you are buying from China. I highly recommend buying more than one item at a time and combining the postage. Always use registered postage so if your item is stolen or lost on the way to you, you can claim money back from the post office.

 

I hope this post was useful and lookout for the second post in the Trendy Tuesday series that will go over some basic items that you can buy or use from your existing wardrobe that you can mix and match to create various teacher outfits.

Disabilities!

I visited a special education school about a month ago and it was the most confronting experience I have ever had. For the most part I felt uncomfortable, occasionally it felt like I was in any other school. As it stands I can't see myself teaching at a special school until I have more experience as a teacher.

When I think about children with disabilities it makes me so depressed and angry at the same time that children have to deal with their disability when they should be enjoying their childhood.


I admire the teachers who have the patience and strong mentality to cope in such an environment!

People with a disability

At the moment I am doing my only special education class in my teaching course and it
has really opened my mind up! and I've realised two important things

1. People with disabilities are people and they deserve to live life like anyone else

Apparently however teenagers seem to be unaware and insensitive to the fact that just because
someone is disabled doesn't mean you should insult them. My shift manager had to go and speak to
the teenagers as the disabled person was not pleased by the behaviour! I feel kind of ashamed because I was serving another customer and he was asking for help but I ignored him because I thought It would be rude to the other customer. Really I was taken by surprise and was a bit scared to handle the situation. (Ancedote from my casual job)

2. How much I take for granted the opportunities available to me! selfish thing to think I know but it is true

I need to be more aware of how I can overcome my own fears of saying or doing inappropriate things around disabled people.

Mostly it makes me sad to think of the momentous challenges people with disabilities face on a regular basis compared to the ones I face which seem smaller in comparison.

Why Become a teacher!

It is easy to lose heart as a teacher when everything in life doesn't go as planned. Currently I have been on my holidays and have had some time to rediscover my motivation for teaching.

My first Prac was so fun and enjoyable and my teacher was so happy with my progress that he said he would put in a good word for me if I wanted to work their when I was qualified

Second Prac not so great my teacher was basically absent for the entire first week of my prac because she had a cold which I also had yet I dosed myself up and continued to attend. Then on the second week my teacher had some sporting excursion so she was away for most of the second week. I was then told that I should really think about whether teaching was the right choice for me. Which seemed unfair because I only took two half days of because I had to go to my casual job and she suddenly decides to tell me I'm not commited enough !

Third Prac Highschool, went into prac scared and un-confident, taught a year 7 and 10 class got the disruptive behaviour of two students in my year seven class to stop and even managed to teach my Year 10 class something. Therefore I ended my prac on a high note. I was now confident and comfortable in teaching and realised that this was the career I wanted to pursue.

Nothing is going to stop me, this is what I want to do and I'll move hell and high water to make sure I am the best teacher I can be!!

= )

Professional Experience!!

During my experience I learnt  these important lessons:

1. Develop positive relationships with your students as even the most disruptive students will buckle down and do their work if you show them respect. (i.e that you mean business)

2. Be flexable in terms of altering lessons plans and  in the everyday running of school life as anything can happen!

3. Challenge your own beliefs and your students; expose them to new ways of thinking

It is often easy to lose sight of why we going into teaching in the first place when we are caught up the haphazard events that life often throws at us!

INSPIRING AND MOTIVATING STUDENTS TO LEARN IS OUR PURPOSE!

that is why I want to be a teacher and why I will countinue to strive for this throughout not only the rest of my professional experiences but the rest of my life!