Shoebox Café BLOG - Private Tutor & Childminder PERTH & KINROSS, SCOTLAND

Here are some adjectives that I often describe myself as when I am run down and feeling...well let's just say it how it is, feeling like rubbish; sluggish, fat, fatigued, knackered, exhausted, beat and I'm sure many more. During a very hard and busy term, it's incredibly easy to begin to feel this way. But why? Yes, teaching is hard and demanding, but I love my job which has left me confused for a few years. I enjoy teaching, with great job and self satisfaction on a daily basis, so why am I feeling like a hippo that would rather float around in a pool of mud??? Raise your hand if you recognise these following bad habits: holding the need to pee because you're in the middle of a lesson, struggling through the pain of your over flowing bladder because as you were on the way to the toilet, you got side-tracked by a parent or your boss who just had to speak to you at that very moment; missing your snack breaks because you've got to get the homework marked and bac...

"Balance is not better time management, but better boundary managemant. Balance means making choices and enjoying them."    –  Betsy Jacobson Do your batteries feel drained? As you climb towards the final days of term, feel proud of everything you and your students have achieved. As the going gets tough, remember to take care of Number 1! An easy thing to say, but too often missed. We've worked hard enough without punishing ourselves further by forgetting simple personal treats and care. As I type this post for you, even though I'm excited to write it, I myself have reached the point of no return and my hair has not seen a good day for about two weeks! Albeit with my curly locks, working in Malaysia with the intense 30 Degree heat, doesn't make it easier. Frizz, frizz and more frizz! Some of the tasks completed by myself in the last 3 weeks are as follows; Class Residential, Residential Assembly performance, Whole School Art Exhibition, Reports, Parent-teac...

Up the mountain we go! It's that time of the year again when I'm permanently glued to the computer. As I type this post, I have unfortunately got distracted from my reports in the need of having a break! ;-) Whilst I sit here chomping on a double chocolate subway cookie, I am attempting to have a quick 5 minute break.  ..... Break over!  TIPS FOR ORGANISING YOUR REPORTS 1) Set up your student files by gender! This is very simple and stops the issue of needing to find and replace he's, she's, his, her, himself, herself...etc. 2) Inside your gender files, set up 3-4 differentiated folders (Low, middle, middle-high, high) 3) Create a bank of general comments in-line with your differentiated groups, copy & paste for every child in that group followed by a quick edit and tweek.  If you have any other fantastic ideas to support with this long process...do tell! ;-)

This post was also shared on The Staff Room We all know that peer and self assessment is the best way to ensure that our students are truly reflecting on their progress. It's with self and peer evaluation that helps young students learn how to assess their efforts and achieve the highest level of thinking; evaluation.  What do you think? How do you feel? What do you think you have improved? How have you improved since your last attempt? Was your outcome successful? If so, how? If not, why?  Not only is self evaluation crucial, peer evaluation offers our students the opportunity to learn how to provide supportive and constructive feedback to others. A necessary skill needed in employment. It can be very challenging to implement this with our timetable demands. How can we find the time to do this? Tip 1 - train your students in a few weeks with this simple key! Symbols are quick and easy to complete. Older students can spend more time writing reflection state...

Learning Logs 'I love doing my learning log every week. I get to choose my own research topic and I really enjoy making my pages interactive with flaps, questions and quizzes for my reader. It's so much fun!' Innuka, 8 Years Old, SCIPS, Penang. Are you bogged down with the daunting task of preparing daily homework for your class? Do your activities allow for creativity, choice & independence? Are you setting homework daily, marking daily & feeling frustrated with sheets/books/sheets/books/sheets/books piling up on your desk, on top of your daily class work? Learning logs are one of the best teaching ideas to inspire children to write. With a purpose, an audience and independence to choose, every child can present their ideas, thoughts and research in their own unique way. A way to improve this scrap-booking log idea further, children could present their research online by blogging either directly or by posting images of their log entry. Parents love ...

ARTICLE Click here >>>  It's the final climb...You've nearly reached the summit! Great tips on surviving long terms by managing your work/life balance.