It’s been a long term but we have finally arrived at the Easter holidays and I thought it would be a good time to reread my nurture 13/14 post and look at what I have achieved so far.
Work/Life Balance
Probably haven’t got anywhere with this one yet but then I didn’t really expect to. Half term was spent mostly marking and preparing and I have already organised going into school on Tuesday.
Family
Saw both my children two weeks ago and will hopefully see them both again next week. Had a lovely three generation lunch for Mother’s Day which was great.
Go Places
Only 6 weeks until we set off for Barcelona. Nothing fixed for October yet though.
Read
I have probably read less this year than ever before. I certainly haven’t read anything of any lasting impact. I do try and read blogs and the thoughts of people who do think about education but haven’t done any serious reading yet.
Classblog
Huge failure here. I never seem to have the time to update it or to get the children involved. It is a real shame as it can be so valuable in giving them an audience for their work. I think that I just have to accept that this year it is just one thing too many.
ipads
Much more success here. I succumbed to the lure of technology and bought myself an ipad mini. The idea was to get to grips with educational apps. The reality was spending huge amounts of my free time playing Temple Run2! However with the help of Mr Parkinson (@ICT_MrP) and his classblog, I have used several new apps with the class across a range of curriculum areas. I love the ipads for the way in which the children find them so easy to use. Using them really puts my pupils on a more equal footing. Seeing two of my least able and motivated pupils really interested in labelling coastal features using Skitch was brilliant.
Sats
They are looming ever closer and this term has seen a lot of pressure for the children to make progress. We have been doing guided reading and intervention groups at every opportunity as well as test practice. However the children have all risen to the challenge and are showing a really positive attitude towards the tests. Bring on the tests, we’re ready for you!
Social Media
I’m still looking out for interesting ideas and people to follow and trying to use it in a way that positively impacts upon my teaching. I’m quite surprised by the way that I keep gaining new followers even though I often don’t put many ideas of my own out there.
Teachmeets
This is a box that I can tick. I did manage to attend the Leicester Teachmeet at Crown Hills in March. It was lovely to catch up with some old friends again and to finally meet the lovely Hannah. It was an entertaining evening that gave me some ideas that are still circling around at the back of my head.
The saddest part of teachmeet is that it was the evening when one of my oldest virtual friends Bev, died of cancer. She was only 47 and it was a tragic loss for everyone who knew her. I don’t think that I will ever go to a teachmeet again without thinking of her.
Theatre
I am writing this the day after seeing A Chorus Line at Loughborough Town Hall. It was a fantastic production and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Kiss Me Kate was a huge success although it was a shame that we didn’t have larger audiences. I also have tickets to go and see Robert Lindsay in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels next week at the Savoy Theatre and am really looking forward to it.
Eating Better
Hmmmm! Possibly the less said about that, the better!
Switching Off
Again, not a lot to say
However, this term has been a really positive one. My class are lovely and although we are working fantastically hard, the atmosphere is often really relaxed and the classroom is a great place to be. It is hard work but I do love my job.
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