Skip to main content

How I Win at School Holidays

By
It has taken me a while to hit my stride when it comes to school holidays. There have been holidays completely wasted doing endless school work, holidays spent doing things for other people... and now I think I have worked out a formula that works for me. So, here is my list... a 'to do' list... of things that make up my school holidays. 1. Turn off the alarm and wake up naturally each day. During term time, I get up at 5.30 each morning. In the school holidays I wake naturally by 8am, and feel much better for it. I try to keep my bedtimes regular, and no more than an hour later than my school bedtime. This means I get the best out of my days, and don't struggle as much with re-setting the body clock. 2. Have at least one day in bed. I spend at least one day of my holiday in my pj's, mooching around the house. I read in bed. Eat junk food. I spend the day alone (no kids of my own). Its brilliant. And needed. Do it. 3. Revise your ward-robe. Catch up on the washing, sort through your clothes. What needs repairing or replacing? Will it be suitable for next term's weather? Fix what needs fixing, chuck what can't be saved. Donate to charity where possible. Then go clothes shopping and make sure you are ready for the new term. Dressing professionally and presenting professionally will make you FEEL professional. 4. Housework, housework, housework! Do those housework tasks that have piled up- give everything a good clean. By the last weekend of the holidays I aim to have fresh bedding on all the beds and a spotless house. It will ease some of the guilt over the coming term. You know, that teacher guilt that drags you down because you JUST... CANT... DO... EVERYTHING. Giving your home a school holiday clean up will make you feel much better. 5. Cook and freeze some bulk meals. I make soups, casseroles, curries and bolognaise for winter. In summer I roast and shred chicken, make bolognaise, etc. There will be a time in the coming term when there is just no energy left to cook a meal. Or to get take out. Having a home-cooked meal in the freezer is a life-saver. Top tip: freeze some in single-portions for those occasions when there is no food in the house to take for lunch. 6. Do something for YOU. For me, I like to read a book. A whole book. From cover to cover. It is glorious, and makes me feel glorious. 7. Exercise. Nuff said. 8. Catch up with friends and family. 9. Do enough school work that you are planned and organised for at least the first week. Give your classroom a once over, and toss/ organise what needs to be done. Then walk away. Actually, run away. 10. Work on your personal appearance. Sounds harsh, doesn't it? I mean that now is a good time to pluck those eye-brows, book that wax, get a hair cut... all those things that make you feel more professional over the coming weeks. So, that's it! My list of 'to do's for the school hols. If I can tick this list off (and there is less to it than there seems), then I go into the new term feeling under control, organised, and excited. A feeling that will last at least until the first staff meeting...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Plague Upon All Your Houses

By
I find Math to be an absolute headache in terms of resource management. There is never enough resources, occasionally too many, and they are often in bad repair. This is why my next few posts are about Math resources. Enjoy! As I teach in NZ and follow the Numeracy Projects, place value houses are a common material to work with. I printed mine off A4 size from http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/sites/default/files/Numeracy/2007matmas/Bk4/MM%204_11.pdf . Each 'house' was copied onto a different coloured paper, and then cut out and laminated. I didn't cut them out again after laminating, as it made it easier to punch a hole in the corner and thread a ring through (are they 'magazine' rings?).  My awesome set can now hang from the wall if there is space. No more scrunching up in the bottom of a drawer! They are also really quick and easy to unclip and use, then pack up again. I started off using a whiteboard pen to write the digits directly onto the laminated charts...
10 comments
Read more

10 Alternatives to Plastic Counters

By
Shifting classrooms always requires a scramble to inventory current equipment and to replace those old regulars that you use a lot. I know that almost every classroom must need counters at some point in time! Having a range of alternatives can often pique children's interest, but can be a budgetary stretch at the same time. Here are 10 alternatives that I have rustled up with a minimum cost. 1. Smooth stones come ready made and freely available from your local beach or stony river. Small pebbles are perfect as game tokens, or collected for use in Math lessons. They look great with stickers and glitter glued on and are REALLY durable. However, they can be heavy when stored en masse. 2. Wooden shapes are available in packs of 12-20 from your local dollar shop. These are particularly awesome to use for number stories (i.e. 6 bumble bees were sitting on a flower and 3 flew back to the hive, how many were left?). They are more durable than paper cut outs, intriguing and reasonabl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Recycled Love...

By
I don't have a teachers desk in my class. The desk I had took up far too much space and was always a mess. So it went to another classroom. Often I regret it, but mostly I rejoice at the extra space. Now I no longer tell children to 'put it on my desk' to deal with later... things get done immediately. Less mess, less stress. I need a place to keep my stickers and stamps though. I recently cut up and cleaned a couple of recycled milk bottles. I chopped off the tops and added a gorgeous little strip of fabric tape and some labels. These are now pinned on the wall next to my IWB. You might notice that I keep my smelly stickers in ziploc bags. This keeps them smellier for longer. As I took this picture it made me think of the red spotty tin that sits at the top of the teachers workstation. I have a series of decorative tins along the top- one for felts, one for permanent markers etc. The red spotty tin is specifically for WHITEBOARD markers. That way my students are able t...
2 comments
Read more