Author Archives Mathew Green

‘I’m busy, really busy….’

We live in a full world. We rush, we run, we shuffle papers, we attempt to multitask and we are all over-committed. We have a lot on our plates and it can sometimes feel overwhelming trying to keep them all spinning simultaneously. I get it, I truly do. The other day I was on my way home from school and I called into my local shops to pick up something for dinner. When I had decided what to buy I walked to the checkout. There a young man, probably in late teens, served me. I asked him how his day had been and before I had finished my sentence he responded ‘busy, really busy, you have no idea how busy.’ I was taken aback. Nevertheless, I wished him well and proceeded to walk to the car and head home for dinner. As I was driving I couldn’t get his response out of my head ‘busy, really busy….’ I don’t mean to sound archaic or insensitive, but what would a young working casually (I assumed from his school logo that was visible under his nametag) know about being busy? I began to get defensive and thoughts like ‘…what would he know about being BUSY? I’ll give him one day…one day…in a classroom and see how he copes with being really busy!’

After I had returned home, and settled down, I began to be a bit more apathetic about what had happened at the checkout. I realised that when you ask people how their day is going quite often the first response is ‘busy’ or that they are ‘tied.’ It is a response that we can’t help giving, it is automatic and it is a response that is ingrained into our twenty-first-century lives

Now busyness and tiredness in the twenty-first century is a far greater topic than we have time for in this short post, but it did get me thinking. I decided that for  thirty days that I would try an experiment. For thirty days, when someone asked, despite how tired, overwhelmed and stressed out I felt, I would search for other adjectives that ‘busy’ or ‘tired’ to describe my mood and my day. As a result, some interesting things happened:

  1. I had to pause and think about how I was actually feeling – instead of just blurting out how I felt I actually took the time to stop and listen to how I was feeling.
  2. I had to expand my vocabulary further – I had to search deep into my reservoir of language and find more suitable descriptive words like complex, full, challenging and intense.
  3. I felt less tired or stressed the less that I used those words.
  4. I learnt that my the words that I used had a powerful influence on my mood.

The words that you use have a power influence  on your mood, your emotions, and your mental state. I encourage you all to take the Thirty Day Challenge and please let me know  how you go.

Posted by Mathew Green on June 06, 2016  /   Posted in looking after yourself, stress

An Interview with Chris Guillebeau: being a non-conformist

A little while ago I had the privilege of corresponding with Chris Guillebeau. He is an author and passionate challenger of the status quo. I have been following his work for many years and I am a huge fan of his book The Art of Non-Conformity and his website. I thought that it would be interesting to ask him about his views on education and what he thinks are the essential skills that we should be teaching children.

Here is one of his latest interviews with Marie Forleo in which he discusses his new book Born for This.

 

 

Enjoy this short, but insightful, set of questions:
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you are from, your background.

I’m a writer, traveler, and entrepreneur. I’m currently visiting every country in the world. When not traveling, I live in Portland, Oregon in the U.S. A few years ago my wife and I returned from a four-year volunteer commitment in West Africa, which was a formative experience for both of us.

What projects are you currently working on?

I like to work on a lot of projects at once. Two of the present ones are an online course called Adventure Capital that will serve as an extension of the $100 Startup model for people interested in small business, and I’m also writing the next book that will be about quests and extended journeys.

In your manifesto  ‘A brief guide to world domination’ and your bestselling book ‘The Art of non-conformity’ you write extensively on the topic of thinking outside of the box and challenging the status quo. Why are you so passionate about these topics?

Because I want to help people understand that there are alternatives to traditional paths. I’ve been fortunate to have traveled a great deal and met thousands of people all over the world who have created incredible freedom for themselves. I want more people to be able to create the same kind of freedom and use it to help others.

Do you think that the current education system encourages students to think outside the box and challenging the norm?

There is more than one current education system, but I think it’s fair to say that most of them are somewhat resistant to independent thinking.

Why do you think this is the case? 

Well, I don’t think it’s the fault of the system per se. Systems are designed to accommodate large groups of people. They are inherently opposed to individual thought or alternative paths, since those things tend to detract from the greater group. So it’s only normal, therefore, that a system should reinforce conformity by default.

How do you think teachers empower students to think outside the box?

Teachers have the ability to subvert the system! Or at least go around the system, or at least encourage students to think about their own motivations and goals. In other words, I’m not sure “the system” will ever change, but I’m also not sure it matters. In the hands of good teachers, students can develop in their own way.

What was your experience of school like?

It was quite varied. I moved around a lot as a kid and was constantly changing schools. Then I dropped out of high school after my freshman year. I later snuck into community college and then university, where I tried to complete the program as quickly as possible (I earned two Bachelors degrees in two and a half years, but I’m not sure how much I learned). Finally, I went to graduate school a few years later and earned a Master’s degree.

With such a range of experiences, it’s probably clear that some were positive and some were negative. I have good memories of a few positive learning environments, and I try to forget the rest.

 

If you haven’t already, please check out his work.

What would you add to his list?

 

 

Posted by Mathew Green on April 21, 2016  /   Posted in Interviews

What to do when you feel like you are slipping?

I’m sure no one ever sets out to become a bored, frustrated and mundane teacher. At some point, even the most out-dated and unmotivated professionals actually cared for the profession. The scary thing is that mediocrity seems to seep in slowly. Mediocrity seems to seep slowly into teaching practise – I know because I have experienced it in my own teaching.

Mediocrity is dangerous. It’s dangerous not only because a blasé approach to teaching directly impacts the students that you teach but also because it seem to creep in ever so slowly.

You have all been either subject to or affected by average teaching. I’m sure that no of the teacher started their teaching career feeling like they wanted to become frustrated with the profession. I recently took a new off-class position in a school. It was a wonderful opportunity and a great to further my professional development. Having said that, the adjustment hasn’t been easy. I have had to transfer to a new school (from one that I absolutely loved), leave my Kindergarten class half way through the year, learn a new set of rules and school protocols, meet new people, develop new programs and start afresh with a new group of students. In a funny kind of way, even though I have been teaching for a number of years, I have just had another experience that is not too dissimilar to that of new teachers!

In the first term or so of this new job I felt like I was starting to slip slightly. Despite writing extensively to new teachers and trying to inspire them with phrases like: excellence in teaching, initiating change in your school, passionate professionalism and don’t loose your spark I found myself slipping, slowly. I can honestly say that I truly enjoy and am passionate about the job that I am in, I have a renewed sense of excitement for teaching and I am a passionate as every about education. But this didn’t happen naturally, rather it was the result of a number of specific and intentional acts. So, how did I find my passion (again) for teaching?

I got honest with myself. I acknowledged that something had changed, I didn’t know what, but I knew that something wasn’t right. You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge.

I took responsibility. I decided not to blame anyone else, and I decided to figure it out.

I wrote down my priorities. I remaindered myself of what was important in my teaching profession.

I reread my teaching philosophy. I dug out the teaching philosophy that I used in my DET interview. I choose that one because I wrote it before I had set foot in the classroom, and before I knew what it was to be frustrated at teaching.

I made a plan. I decided that if I was going to do something I wanted to make it great. I wanted my department to be known for getting results.

I decided to take action. I instead of putting it off, I decided to take action and do something.

If you are like me and have questioned your role and wondered if you have chosen the right career don’t worry. It’s perfectly acceptable to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. You may have had a horrible day, a horrible week or a horrible year. The important thing is to not stay there. Failing to be honest with yourself and ignoring the situation will not fix it. Identifying that you are ‘slipping’ is really important. You have to recognise that something is not right, and you need to make some very intentional decisions to get your head in the right place. If you feel like you are slipping, don’t worry, acknowledge the situation, calm yourself and make a plan.

Posted by Mathew Green on March 17, 2016  /   Posted in Uncategorized

An interview with Professor John Hattie

Like most Australian teachers, I first heard about Professor John Hattie’s work in an undergraduate lecture theater. Despite the caffeine buzz and the limited nutrition damaging my body, I was impressed and inspired by the prolific work executed by Professor Hattie in the name of improving education outcomes in Australia and beyond. Professor Hattie is renowned for his research in student engagement and measurement of quality teaching and learning.

For some reason his name stuck in my mind after that introductory lecture and I actually went home and researched and read some of his papers. What I read sparked my interest in the differentiation between expert teachers and novice teachers. I realised that age and experience do not necessarily determine the quality of your teaching practice. It was an exciting thought for me that as a new teacher, I could still contribute positively to student achievement. Back then I didn’t know I’d find myself teaching in some really challenging educational contexts, but what I read in Professor Hattie’s research has helped me enormously in my day to day work.

So, as you can imagine, I was delighted when Professor Hattie agreed to speak with me about the attributes that make a great teacher and the current issues in teaching retention.

According to Professor Hattie’s research article “Teachers make a difference” (2003) teachers account for about 30% of the variance in student achievement. This is the largest influence outside of individual student effort. This highlights just how significant the impact that quality can have on a student’s life.

 

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Professor Hattie is a New Zealand native, who currently lectures at Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

‘Professor Hattie’s work is internationally acclaimed. His influential 2008 book Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement is believed to be the world’s largest evidence-based study into the factors which improve student learning. Involving more than 80 million students from around the world and bringing together 50,000 smaller studies, the study found positive teacher-student interaction is the most important factor in effective teaching.’ cited here

Some of his teaching accolades are as follows:

  • Outstanding reviewer for Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2010
  • Hedley Beaer Award for Writing in Education, Australian Council for Educational Leadership, 2010
  • Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Auckland, 2010
  • Outstanding reviewer for Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2009
  • New Zealand Finalist, International IMS Learning Impact Awards, 2007
  • Highly Commended, Bearing Point Awards for Innovation in Technology, 2004
  • Inaugural SPANZ Leadership in Education Award, Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, 2004
  • Highly Commended, Bearing Point Awards for Innovation in the Public Service, 2004
  • Excellence Award for Use of IT in Education, Computerworld New Zealand, 2003
  • Member, American Psychological Association, 2000

Despite his remarkable career and accomplishments, he had a way of making me feel like an equal. He was friendly, as most New Zealanders are, and spoke with a confidence that comes from years of contributing to the discussion of practices in the education system.

It’s interesting to see data supporting what we all know – that new teachers are not supported in the classroom. What impact do you think this has on teachers?

J: Looking at the trajectory of teacher learning, we see that teachers gain almost all of their understanding of the profession in the first two years of teaching. This shows why those first two years are so critical for teacher development. Many people say they didn’t learn enough about the profession at teacher’s college. This is why many new teachers experience, what can best be described as, transition shock.

Stepping into the classroom as a graduate is a huge shock for many people. In Bruce Johnson’s paper, Conditions That Support Early Career Teacher Resilience, it says that “In Western countries we know that between 25% and 40% of beginning teachers are likely to leave the profession in the first 5 years.” It’s frightening to think that so many teachers are leaving the profession, particularly in the current climate with growing exit rates due to the aging population and retirement. Why do you think the attrition of new teachers is so high?

J:  One of my criticisms in Australia is that we’ve dramatically over saturated the market with teachers. The Ex-Director General of Queensland told me just a couple of weeks ago that last year in Queensland about 1,500 students graduated from teacher education programs, only 54 of them got jobs.

What about the quality of teachers that are left in schools?

J: A colleague of mine tracked the first two years of the careers of two groups of teacher graduates. One group were “A” or high achieving graduates the other were “C” or average performing graduates. What she discovered was that once the graduates entered a school, the schools made every effort to undo the what graduates learned at university by telling them, this is just the way things are, this how we teach.

My colleague then did an analysis of those schools to look at how successful the graduates were. In New Zealand we have an inspector system that helped answer that question. Her findings were that if you take the “A” graduates and you put them in not so good schools and you stifle their practice by telling them “this is how we teach”, about 70% of them leave. If you take the “C” graduates and put them in the not so good schools, around 60% of them stay. Conversely, if you take those “C” graduates and put them in good schools about 70% leave. And when you take the “A” students and put them in the good schools about 80% stay. And so the point that she was making was that the experience of those first two years is truly the biggest predictor teacher retention.

Bruce Johnson argues that the teachers want support, but that’s an interesting one too, because the thing that got me into this area was a study back in the 1990s by the same colleague of mine who interviewed first year teachers and within six months. They were asked, “What’s the best thing that could happen in terms of developing your career?” Close to 100% said, “Just leave me alone.” The government’s going to put money into inducting teachers and one of my problems with this is that the government’s approach to induction is where they give new teachers additional release time in the first two years of their career, instead of appropriate mentoring. This has been one of the biggest failures in the world, where they’re giving that money to induction as opposed to the system.

When they’re not in the classroom, most new teachers go in the staffroom and sit alone and prepare or mark.  Of course you need that time but there’s no development.  Denmark’s an interesting place, where they’ve always had teachers on class four days a week and they’re supposed to spend one day working together.  They’re in the process now of cutting that back because it’s not working for them.

For about the last 30 years we’ve had 40% to 50% of people leave the profession within 4 to 5 years for many reasons that I’ve mention. First year’s miserable out there. Also, we’re not necessarily losing just the good ones or the bad ones – it depends the nature of the school experience.

With regards to your 2003 paper Teachers Make a Difference, you mention a number of factors that affect student achievement. Some of these factors are student learning and student home environment. According to your findings 30% of the variances in achievement attributed to teacher input. Why do you think that teachers play such a crucial role in student learning? 

J:   Certainly, just to qualify, I’m saying that the larger source of variance, that we have some control over, is the teachers. The students have more variance, but the reality is we often can’t change what the students bring to us. And when we made the rules back in the 1800s that schooling was compulsory, it was based on the notion that expertise was better than parents.

We have to encourage everybody in the profession to improve.  Teachers learn most of what they know in their first two years. In those first years, schools expect teachers to be outstanding, but that’s absurd. And so I’m quite driven by the notion of looking at how we can collaboratively get all the teachers making a difference.

You write a lot about visible learning. How important do you think it is to see learning through the eyes of your students and why do you think that’s so significant in terms of effective teaching?

J:  A recent study by Bill Gates, comes to mind, where he put webcams in about 3,000 classrooms over a 3 or 4 month period and 60% of those teachers did not have a classroom discussion once.  Every teacher that you meet will say, “Oh, not me.  Not me.”  But when you go and actually look at it, most student’s experience in the classroom is learning how to look like they’re listening. And so my argument is how do you turn that around by saying, “Hey, your job is to listen through the ears of the students?”

Let me just comment on the kind of thing that we’re trying to do down here to break this. We had a dean of a teachers’ college down here about 7 or 8 years ago who decided to he wanted to change the traditional approach to training teacher.  He was an audiologist so he came from of the clinical practice model. The first thing you should learn to do is to diagnose where the student is in terms of ability and what their success should look like. The second thing is you should have multiple interventions so that if one intervention doesn’t work you must try a different one. The next part is to evaluate your impact.

Current in class teacher assessment tends to exclusively on teacher performance. Is this the full picture?

I have a former colleague who did a study where he put microphones on kids every morning and every afternoon. Then he would go home and listened to what the kids said. He did that for years and then he wrote a book called The Hidden Classroom, the premise being that 70% to 80% of what happens in the classroom are unseen or unheard. And when you’re a new teacher it’s probably 80% to 90% that you don’t see or hear.

So I have the argument, that it’s a sin to go in the class and watch a teacher teach because all you end up doing is saying, “You could have taught more like me.” What you should do is go in the class and watch how kids are learning.

The interview with John was insightful and inspiring. I have asked him if he would be willing to speak with I’m a New Teacher more regularly and he graciously accepted.

What questions would you ask him if you had the chance?

You can find more of Professor John Hattie’s writing here.

 

 

Posted by Mathew Green on February 23, 2016  /   Posted in Interviews

One of the greatest prac students I have ever met.

I wanted to congratulate you again for choosing such an admirable and rewarding career. Teaching is a fast paced and challenging profession and schools need dedicated and committed professionals now, more than ever. I have worked in schools for a number of years, and I have met many wonderful and inspiring teachers. I am so impressed by the standard and the commitment of the new teachers that I meet. I want to tell you a story – one about the greatest prac teacher I have ever met.

This prac teacher was completing her first prac and was quite nervous about implementing her first lesson in my class. She was shaking, hesitant but professional. She had handed me her program, a well planned, well structured, and well developed lesson on fractions. Her preparation was outstanding. As she walked to the front of the classroom to deliver her masterpiece, a student projectile vomited all over her shoes and proceeded to spray his classmates in a thick covering. I watched this poor prac student arrived at a cross road – she had the option of either taking the distraction in her stride and attending to the situation at hand, or, as I would have probably done on my first prac, cried and given up. This brilliant prac teacher, calmly and professionally, navigated through the situation. She cleaned up the child and ushered him off to the sick bay. She sent the children that had been vomited on to the toilets to get changed and somehow, miraculously, maintained the focus of the rest of the class. The good news is, the prac student delivered her lesson, and continued to grow and develop her teaching skills.

We can all take away lessons from this new teacher’s experience. She came fully prepared for the class, but demonstrated the ability to adapt to the situation as was needed. She led the class with confidence and ultimately completed the lesson she set out to deliver.

As educators we never really know what the next day will hold, but we can always face the joys and the challenges with confidence that what we are doing truly matters. Even on the tough days I try to keep in mind the privilege it is to teach and remind myself to always, always keep smiling and give my students my best.

Posted by Mathew Green on February 22, 2016  /   Posted in Uncategorized

Neil Gaiman, being yourself and making great art.

I can’t say that I have ever read any of Neil Gaiman’s work (although I most certainly will after listening to this speech). This speech spoke to me on so many levels; about following your passions, breaking rules and being yourself.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Posted by Mathew Green on February 16, 2016  /   Posted in Uncategorized

Convictions that drive us.

I have many convictions that help to shape my life. I have convictions about looking after my health, building a strong marriage and convictions about investing time and energy into my family and friends. The word ‘conviction’ is quite a traditional word that for some contains connotations of being restrictive. I see convictions as quite the opposite I see them as being deep principles that you can build your life around. I see them as anchors that give stability, even in the storms of life.

When I was seven we lived in quiet a remote village in the Peak District, in England.  it’s a beautiful area, covered in lush green paddocks but far from the water. When my parents told me that we were going on holiday on a boat I was thrilled! On our first night on the boat, a small rickety old thing, it was my father’s responsibility to anchor down for the night and secure our spot on the river. It was a calm night and there was no wind. After we had anchored down our family went to bed early. In the middle of the night, there was a terrifying crash. My father jumped up out of bed to investigate. We had drifted about three kilometers down stream and smashed into a wharf. We had done incredible damage to the boat and the neighbouring wharf all because we had not anchored down properly for the night.

Anchors are interesting things; they are not merely metal objects that moor a boat to the bottom of the river bed or the ocean. They provide stability or confidence in otherwise uncertain times.  As teachers we have to have an unwavering believe, a conviction in fact, that we are here to make a difference. Our convictions will anchor us during challenging times.

My convictions about teaching are:

For me:

  • I have a deep conviction that great teaching does make a difference
  • I have a deep conviction that I was born to teach.
  • I have a deep conviction that everyday I am closing the gap, little by little of educational disadvantage.
  • I have a deep conviction that all children deserve access to a world-class education system.

What are some of your convictions about education? What are your anchors?
Please leave your thoughts here.

 

Posted by Mathew Green on February 16, 2016  /   Posted in Uncategorized

Small actions, BIG results.

Small actions done consistently every day add up to big outcomes in the long term. A while ago I heard one of my favourite speakers, Robert Fergusson give a presentation titled ‘Mastering the Mundane.’ In his presentation Fergusson spoke convincingly about the importance of attaching significance to the small, seemingly insignificant, things that you do each day. His presentation got me thinking and it has stayed with me for many years. We often don’t see the compounding results, either positive or negative, of small decisions until much later in our lives.

Acts like brushing your teeth, daily exercise, kissing your spouse or being grateful may seem inconsequential but the truth is if you do these consistently they could have more significant outcomes than you can imagine.

Conversely, daily habits and actions that are unproductive can also have negative compounding results over the long haul. If you consistently work late, skip breakfast or neglecting time with your family you may find yourself heading down a road that you did not expect. When I was a student I never serviced my car. I was living out of home, had very little money and I just didn’t really see the point. I would drive my car all over the place, fill it up with the cheapest fuel possible, never change (let alone check) the oil and rarely check the tyres. I just assumed that it would keep going indefinitely. Of course it didn’t. The money that I had ‘saved’ from not servicing the car was quickly surpassed by the price of a new engine. Lesson learned. Small decisions like regularly servicing your car can save you lots later on.

If your health, life and career could be dramatically improved by the ‘small things’ that you decide to do or not do every day what would you do differently? What small things would you change today?

Here are a few small thing that, if done regularly, could have a huge impact on your teaching career:

  • Saying hello to the principal
  • Being courteous to you colleagues
  • Taking a deep breath and smiling before you walk into your classroom
  • Enjoying your lunch break
  • Returning phone calls
  • Building relationships with parents
  • Returning emails
  • Adhering to deadlines
  • Being present in meetings
  • Negotiating yourself out of over commitments
  • Walking slowly across the playground
  • Having a life outside of the classroom

It is so easy to neglect the small things that we (should) do each day. Amidst the busyness and chaos of the start of the school year these things can be easily forgotten. But these small things build up, so decide to build a reservoir of small decisions and do you best to minimise the poorer options.

What other actions would you add?

Posted by Mathew Green on February 04, 2016  /   Posted in Uncategorized

Stop and Think! What’s your Teaching Legacy going to be?

In the words of actress, director, and civil rights activist of Maya Angelou

People will forget what you said
People will forget what you did
But people will never forget how you made them feel’

How will your students feel and view themselves after you have finished teaching them?

We tend to remember the extremes: the amazing, and the horrible. If you think back to your childhood, it tends to be filled with these extremes. I remember the most horrific day of my schooling specifically Term 1, Year 4. I had a crush on a girl named Sarah. She had just arrived at our school, and within hours I had had enough time to plot our future together and was convinced that she felt the same. The truth is, I doubt that she even knew of my existence. I only spoke one sentence to her. I asked her ‘Could I sit with you at lunch?’ To which, in front of all of my friends, she laughed and turned away. Looking back, that wasn’t such a big deal, but then, as a slightly chubby Year 4 student, I wished the world would have opened up and swallowed me whole. Or the other time, the greatest day of my life, when in Year 6 I won a community award for my ‘engaging and entertaining’ acrostic poem on hot cross buns. Upon re-reading the poem many years later, I realised that there were a number of typos and strange rhyming sequences, including feast and treat, and Easter and minister.

If you’re reading this article I am going to assume that you want to leave a lasting teaching legacy.

  • I want to be remembered as a teacher that made students feel as though they could achieve anything that they set their minds to.
  • I want my students to leave my classroom with a sense of awe, wonder and appreciation for the world that they live in.
  • I want my students to be passionate lifelong learners.
  • I want my classroom to be a place where the words ‘hard’ ‘impossible’ and ‘boring’ are made redundant.
  • I want my students to see themselves as active citizens of the world in which they live.
  • I want my students to value individuality and value opinions that are different to their own.

One day your teaching time will come to an end. One day you will have taught your last lesson and all that will be left will be your teaching legacy.

How would you like to be remembered by your students?

Posted by Mathew Green on February 03, 2016  /   Posted in Uncategorized

Things that will just make your life easier.

Today I thought that I would share some ideas that will just make your teaching life easier. It’s not rocket science, nor do you need a master’s degree to implement them. They are just common sense ways that will make your day run smoothly.

Use your own mug. One casual teaching day I grabbed a mug from the staffroom and sat down to have a cup of tea. I wondered why one of the teachers was scowling at me. Doris was watching someone else drink out of the ‘Doris Mugs.’

Pay for your tea and coffee. If you use the tea, milk or coffee it’s a privilege. Make sure that you put money in to cover your cuppa.

Take notes in meetings. It’s important to take notes for two reasons: it helps you remember what has been said, and it makes your look like you are paying attention.

Be courteous with staff members. Just be nice. Say please, say thank you and show a smile. It doesn’t cost anything.

Thank people specifically. When your praise people, be specific. ‘I really appreciated the way that your spoke to Jane’s parents about the issue in class. Thank you’ is far more effective than ‘Good job with the assemble.’

Check your emails regularly. I check my emails each day at 8am and at 3:30PM when I finish. It’s just good practice to reply to emails and stay on top of your inbox.

Look at the duty roster. I am guilty of forgetting my duties. Each day, remind yourself of when and when your duties are.

If you jam the photocopier then fix it. It’s just bad manners. If your jam the copier, just fix it.

Say hi to the office staff. The office staff are the backbone of the school. Things that seem to just happen, don’t. Be appreciative.

Plan your day before it starts.  I write down everything that I need to do for that day. I keep a detailed daybook and I write down my to-do lists. If it is in your head it will distract you from teaching.

What can think of that will just make your day easier?

Posted by Mathew Green on January 31, 2016  /   Posted in looking after yourself
Whether you’re a casual teacher, permanently employed, working as a support teacher or on a temporary contract with your school, you are directly involved in educating, training and shaping some of the greatest minds that this world is yet to see.
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