For anyone who is interested in teaching their class about the election Twinkl have an interesting powerpoint, linked to SPHE, that explains the election in Ireland and how a government is formed as well as explaining all the key terms. With the election as a talking point for the entire weekend it might be something that senior classes would find interesting. I was recently canvassed by a 6th class child whose cousin was running in the election. Very convincing but not in my constituency.
As I sit here watching the count and wondering who will be elected my mam has drawn my attention to an article in the Irish Times where a school in the Galway West electoral area held their own election on Friday. Candidates were invited in to speak to the children and in one case attempt to bribe the children to get their vote. Children in 6th class were chosen as canvassers and all children voted. It is an innovative way to inform children about the election and get children involved. The winner in the election incidentally was a former teacher in the school. Results in the school proved that even bribery with Mars bars will not win you votes with that candidate only coming in 3rd place.
For anyone who is interested in teaching their class about the election Twinkl have an interesting powerpoint, linked to SPHE, that explains the election in Ireland and how a government is formed as well as explaining all the key terms. With the election as a talking point for the entire weekend it might be something that senior classes would find interesting. I was recently canvassed by a 6th class child whose cousin was running in the election. Very convincing but not in my constituency.
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There are some websites that I love and consider them my 'go to' websites for resources and ideas. This list will be a work in progress as I remember other websites or as websites are suggested. Feel free to comment with any websites that you love to use!
Seomra Ranga Where else can you start. I love Seomra Ranga when I am in Ireland and it is an incredible Irish based Resource site. As an Irish site it is very suitable for the Irish curriculum and no complaints about the Gaeilge which can be problematic on other sites. It is also FREE!!! Twinkl I discovered Twinkl very soon after moving to London. I have a platinum membership and use it so often. I love the resources for display and really like their new resources for the Irish curriculum. Some great info for 1916 and amazing one of lessons perfect for subs! Instant Displays If you want your lettering to match your topic then I think instant displays is the perfect site. They also have have displays read to go for different topics and I had their library resources in my class Fearas Scoile This is not a resource site but a blog that has links to resources sorted by category. Phonics Play Great games for phonics and also has plans to teaching phonics according to Letters and Sounds. Teaching Packs Teaching Packs has some brilliant resources for displays or activities and their packs are growing all the time. Teacher's Pet Another great website for displays. TES Recently TES has allowed teachers to start selling but there are still 1000s of free resources available to download on the site. If you are interested in working in the UK they also advertise jobs on the site I recently discovered Twinkl have an Irish facebook group where they are sharing some of their most popular and newest resources aimed at the Irish curriculum. One resource that I really like the look of and cannot wait to use as a stand alone lesson is a lesson on the decline of the Irish language. This lesson includes Ogham and there are also worksheets based on Ogham writing and an Ogham poster. I love the powerpoint which gives a lot of information about Ogham and reasons for the decline and subsequent revival of the Irish language. Twinkl have also included a comprehension based on this lesson
Having literally just blogged about the benefits of subbing/supply I started thinking about the advantages of having a class. So here are 5 benefits to being a classroom teacher.
1. A class of your own Nothing beats the feeling of going into a class on September 1st and knowing that they are your class. They are yours to teach, to inspire, to nurture, to protect for the year. You get to set the ground rules and develop a class routine. All those tips you have picked up in training or in the various schools subbing can finally be put into action. 2. The little victories Whether its Ann finally remembering to put up her hand when she has an answer or long division has finally clicked for Ben that feeling when a child who has struggled with something finally gets it is amazing. For me it was a child who had severe behavioural issues, and therefore a bad reputation among the rest of the staff who thought he didn't listen. He had speech difficulties and had difficulties in writing - neither of which helped his reputation. I assessed him as being at a level for RE to be told by the RE coordinator that there was no way he could be at that level and where was my proof. I had none but told her I would have it the next day. Knowing that I would never get the story of Noah's Ark in any written form from him I decided to record him. He remembered every detail of the story that we hadn't read in a week. I was so amazed and proud of him that day and was actually so close to tears when I realised how much he could do and was capable of. I suppose given the RE coordinator the proof that he was actually at a higher level than I gave him gave me a huge amount of satisfaction in my own capabilities and was a confidence boost for a highly anxious NQT. 3. Your own classroom Everyone knows how they want their classroom to look and can spend so long on imaging the various displays that will be in the classroom. Finally you get the chance to put your own stamp on everything in the classroom and make it a place that you love to teach in and that the class love to learn in. 4. Planning As much as I dislike planning I love planning. I love to plan my own lessons and decide how my class are going to learn something. I love being able to decide how to incorporate topic work into literacy and where possible numeracy. I love being able to show children that everything can be linked and we can find ways of incorporating our history or science to literacy. Thematic planning is so important and finding themes and topics that children like and are interested in can make learning more fun and enjoyable. 5. Security Nobody likes the uncertainty of day to day especially when you are waiting on the phone call that morning. Its lovely to know where you are everyday and who/what you are going to be teaching. Not having to go into a strange school and a new class everyday can have major advantages and some great friendships can be formed in the staff room. There are some things I absolutely love about being a substitute/supply teacher. As I look at going back into the world of subbing I have decided to reflect on the benefits and advantages of being a day to day teacher.
1. Meeting new children I love getting to meet a new class and trying to work out all the characters that are in the class. It can be good to know to watch out for little Mary or little Johnny doesn't like change but I prefer when I can go into class knowing nothing about them them and treating them all equally. Some children get a bad reputation and love the chance to be able to be the good child rather than the child whose name is called first every time something happens. 2. Talking to other teachers Okay I will admit not every school you go into other teachers will want to speak to you. I have found in Ireland teachers tend to be much more friendly and willing to talk to the sub. I love the chance to talk to other teachers and get little nuggets of information. It might be something they learned at a course, a success they had with a child, or getting the names of different resource websites. 3. Seeing different classrooms Classrooms are changing for the better. Displays in classrooms now are amazing. I can't wait to see some Irish classrooms but with more and more resources for display becoming available for the Irish classroom it should be brilliant. I love to see really good displays and take pictures to influence how my own classroom will be next time. On supply/subbing you get to go into so many different classrooms and see different types of displays for so many different topics. 4. Teaching different classes Not everyone is cut out to be an teacher of infants and likewise not everyone wants to be a senior teacher. I love the opportunity to discover where I work best. I love teaching the material that is learned in the senior classes, particularly maths and history but I also love working with the infants and seeing the progress they make on a day to day basis. I find the English curriculum more exciting for the infant classes as I get to teach the more challenging material and still get to see the day to day progress. 5. Paperwork I still have some planning prepared for days when nothing is left and have some go to resources and my memory stick but I love not having to do all the paperwork associated with being a class teacher. That said I always mark what I teach and leave a note of everything taught and how the class behaved but I love the freedom of not spending my weekends planning and assessing and marking and resourcing. Anything I do I do it because I want to - not because I have to. Last September I was incredibly lucky to start working in an amazing school but after a term plagued with illness and no sign of my health improving I made the decision to hand in my notice at Christmas. It was the best decision for me as it would finally give myself a chance to recover and for the children as they would have consistency with a teacher. I had found myself on a crutch before the end of September with an ACL injury but while waiting for a diagnosis I was on a lot of pain medication. As I was suffering with side effects of medication I found myself having to go sick a lot or being sent home as I was unfit to teach. Most recently I have found myself on more medication for a virus.
As I am getting back on my feet (and crutch) and have finally gotten pain levels under control, without any side effects, I am preparing to go back to London after Easter to do subbing/supply and in the meanwhile I am going to ease myself back in with some subbing in Ireland. I have been amazed and delighted to discover Twinkl have some fantastic resources for Irish schools and I cannot wait to try some of their lessons. Delighted to see their 1916 resources and while I'm sure many schools are already covering the topic hopefully I will be able to use some of the resources if in a class that is covering it. Super excited about getting back to schools and can't wait to teach Gaeilge again. Hopefully the phone will start beeping soon!! |
AuthorThe blog of a newly qualified teacher from the West of Ireland, working in a London School. Archives
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