Little Star Resources

“The Freedom Writers” is one of my favourite ‘teacher’ movies. I would highly recommend that all teachers and parents give this one a watch. In fact, it’s that good, if you enjoy an uplifting and inspiring story about overcoming adversity, then you should shut down your computer, go and get yourself a copy and a bottle of wine and sit down and give it a watch. It’s fantastic. Hilary Swank is an amazing actress and she shines as Erin Gruwell in this movie.

If you didn’t already know, it’s based on a true story. These events actually happened. I think, for me, knowing that made it even more special. Whilst I cannot identify with all the events that took place, I know all too well what it feels like to work your butt off to be able to buy teaching resources for your kids when your school wont provide you with them. I know what it feels like to have children who you believe in so much, but for whatever reason don’t believe in themselves, so you pour all your heart into showing them that they can do it and overcome whatever adversities that present themselves.

I’m going to quickly sign this post off as you really are wasting time reading my words, when you could be watching this film. If you’ve seen the book/s in your local bookstore, I would highly recommend you watch the movie first and then read the book/s (I never thought I would hear myself say that!). I think the books are easier to read if you’re already invested in the characters from seeing the movie. I tried reading the book/s first but struggled to really get into it. After seeing the movie I knew I just had to read the book/s. And they’re amazing too.

For more information about The Freedom Writers visit: http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org

Let’s face it, being a teacher means having to carry around with you a lot of stuff. Marking, work, resources, pens, books, planners… the list is truly endless! Carting this little entourage around with you means you have to be smart. Smart enough to look after your shoulders and back. Here’s my favourite picks for transporting all those things that you need on a daily basis around with you.

A back pack on wheels like this one from High Sierra is a great way to carry your things around whilst taking all weight off your back. Not only is this bag stylish, it’s big enough to carry all those day to day things you need. It also has lots of zip pockets so you can stash things like your wallet or phone in another compartment for easy access. A definite must for the teacher on the go!

If you’re not a fan of dragging around a backpack, how about investing in a regular backpack that you can wear to distribute weight over both shoulders. Try this one from Caribee. Not only is it big enough to slip your laptop computer into, it’s also waterproof! Bonus! Like the High Sierra featured above, the Caribee also features lots of separate zip compartments to slip all your important bits and pieces to ensure they are at your fingertips as needed. Boys, if pink isn’t your cup of tea, this bag also comes in black and olive.

For the teacher who really does have to carry the kitchen sink with them to school, a craft bag such as this one by Paper Craft will do the trick. Big enough to carry around all your essentials, and also has lots of separate compartments to stash all your added extras. Again, boys, you can purchase these bags in more manly colours if you so desire. What I like about this, is that you can still carry around all your things, yet it has the safety of a zipper closure to ensure items are not lost along the way.

If you’re not into the zipper closure and you want something more open and easily accessible, how about trying a Pack and Roll? This is basically a crate on wheels. You can pack all your things inside of it and roll it on out to work. The beauty of this product is that it’s collapsible. So when you’re not using it, you can collapse it and store it away with ease. And we all know that in a teachers office, space is a hot commodity! At my Kindergarten we use portfolios as a means of assessment. I use these babies to cart around my kids portfolios between school and home. They’re a fantastic mode of transportation and save many trips to the car when you have two classes worth!

My favourite pick of the moment is this folding shopping basket. It’s a lightweight way for me to carry around my essentials. Wide enough to fit my MacBook lying down in and big enough for me to carry around what I need on a daily basis. The handles fold down so I can easily sip it into the boot of my car and because it’s not super big, I ensure that I am only carrying around what I need for that day. As I, like many other teachers, have the tendency to carry around my entire collection of teaching resources on the off chance that I might need something.

So there you have my favourite picks. What are you digging at the moment in terms of “Teacher Bags” to carry your day-to-day essentials around?

(photo by jaquiza)

Well, okay, so it’s not summer, but it is the Term Three school holidays. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been hanging out for them for about three or four weeks now. It’s in my experience, that term three seems to drag on and on. Believe me, by the end of week eight, had it not been for my school holding our “Kindy Sports Carnival” in week ten the kids wouldn’t have managed! But, the holidays are here and I intend to make the most of them!

Again, if you’re anything like me, you spend the majority of your time working. Case in point, it is Sunday and I am already making lists on my computer of things I need to do to prepare for next term. I also spent yesterday shopping for resources to use in setting my classroom up for next term. School here in Western Australia broke up on Friday. Take note, that wasn’t two Friday’s ago, or three Friday’s ago. It was the Friday just been, two days ago. Each holidays I’m reminded of the immortal words of John Lennon, “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”  At the end of the holidays, I always feel like I’ve worked myself to death and haven’t actually enjoyed any of the life that is happening all around me.

So here’s what I’ve learnt, or am learning about utilising the time in the school holidays effectively.

1) Organise to do an activity out of the house a day. As in, get out, get active and be social. These pearls of wisdom, come from my best friend, M. She’s also a teacher but at the other end of the spectrum to me. I teach Kindergarten, she is a high school English teacher. I once asked her how she manages her time in the school holidays and those were her words of advice. They’re gold, and I kid you not. Get out of the house! Go see a movie. Catch up with a friend for coffee. Go and get your hair done (because you haven’t had the time to do it during the school term!). Go shopping. Meet your partner at their work for lunch. Take your dog for a walk. Go to the gym. Just get out of the house and away from your plans for the next term’s worth of teaching. It’ll do amazing wonders for your sanity.

2) Make a plan and do your best to stick to it. My husband is a great advocate for making to-do lists. If there is a way something can be made into a list, trust me, he’ll find it and execute it like a pro. When I first started teaching and had an ample amount of time to manage, he sat down with me and helped me create a list of things that I needed to do and when I intended to do it. Make a list of the things you need to get done. Whether that be time spent in your classroom getting ready for term starting, to writing your programme, to sourcing ideas of lessons to teach your kids. Write down when you’re going to do it, and do your best to keep to that plan. And to follow on from that…

3) Not everything has to be ready for day one back. You don’t have to have everything in your classroom completely done for day one with the kids. In fact, the more “day one’s” I have, the more I’m taking that advice on board. I do my best to have lots of fun and exciting things ready for my kids for day one of a new term, but the real fun is adding to it with them. If you spend your entire holidays doing everything, not only do you miss out on that fun with your kids, you are also likely to burn out. Teachers are given those holidays for a reason. We need them as much as the kids do. Teaching is a high stress career and if you don’t take some time to yourself in those holidays, you will not be on top of your game and will be heading down the one way street of doom. So what if you haven’t got absolutely everything ready for day one. Your kids will be more impressed with the new things that are added with each passing day and their enthusiastic and refreshed teacher, than becoming increasingly bored once they’ve exhausted all possibilities with all your tricks laid out on the table and their lack lustre and tired teacher.

To all the Australian teachers reading this, enjoy the term three holidays. I know I plan to. I hope they are fruitful and fun!

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