Inspiring creativity, positivity and an adventurous spirit. Teacher, writer and blogger.
The winter can be hard for anyone. Getting out of bed, it's dark, by the time you get to work dawn is just breaking, but then as you walk back to your car after the day, it's closing in again. As a creative person, I find this particularly difficult. To be creative I need to …
Will be cracking this lesson out again next week!
A great lesson for the first week back in the new year. It’s a reminder of common spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes.
DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT HERE: New Year’s Resolutions for SPAG
Created by Joe Kirkham, thanks for sharing.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
UPDATE! (3rd June 2019) My debut novel, Kathmandu, is out now! Click below to start reading now: UPDATE! (5th April 2019) I'm really pleased to show you this. Finally, after focusing on writing for the last few months, I received the proof copy of my book Kathmandu today. 2019 the year of focus (original article) …
Still as relevant a year on!
In a few days 2017 will be done and we’ll move forward, bright eyed and optimistic (hopefully) into 2018. I’m sure you have ideas of things you’d like to do better next year; things you’d like to start or stop in order to make 2018 better, brighter and more successful.
However, new year’s resolutions are very hard to keep – one study I read says only 8% of people manage it. So it’s important to pick the right thing; something that is achievable and will have the maximum benefit to your teaching in 2018.
Here’s some ideas you might like to try to enrich your teaching life:
Keep a diary
I started doing this is September and I’ve loved it. I just record some positive thoughts each day, things I’m worried about and things I’m thankful for. It’s great to look back and see what I’ve achieved and how I’ve worked…
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A year on this still stands!
It’s Christmas eve 2017 as I write this and we’ve made it to the holiday! What a long term. But, walking back to my car through the school car park on Friday I noticed colleagues loading box upon box of work into their cars – as if they’re not taking time off, just working from home for two weeks. Why do we as teachers find it so hard to relax? To leave work at work and truly unplug?
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Here’s a few things you could try to unplug this holiday, the students will thank you for it when you’re refreshed and re-energised in January.
Leave all your work stuff in the boot of the car – or at least somewhere out of sight.
Don’t spend the holiday looking at the pile of books that you’d like to have marked for…
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Over the last few weeks writing, alongside the other pressures of life, has been a bit overwhelming. Two weeks ago, I got the draft of my first novel back from the editor. He's done a great job, I can't complain at all - it's now full of comments and improvement which I need to go …
We all know what it's like, you post something online, or send an all-staff e-mail, then notice the glaringly obvious mistake in the first line. That happens because when you read something you've just written, you read what you want it to say - not what's actually written. This is something that affects me, both as …
Continue reading "Five ways to proofread – both for you and your students"
Parents' evenings can be daunting for both new and experienced teachers. The sheer number of parents each expecting your full attention, detailed answers to complex questions and an in-depth knowledge of how their child is doing. It can sometimes feel like you're the one sitting the exam! Here are a few things to focus on …
A little over a year ago I made the commitment to put the story that had been buzzing around my head for a while down on to paper - and now I'm a millionaire. That's a joke, I'm probably poorer - I certainly haven't made any money from my writing yet - although one day …
Continue reading "How making time to be creative has changed my life"
How many times have you heard an assembly about working hard to benefit later, the metaphor of sowing seeds for your future, or an even less structured rant about "the future is what you make it, rah, rah, rah..." In fact, I am guilty of playing that same "stuck record" myself, telling students how important …
Continue reading "Helping young people visualise the future"
