Teaching Isn't B&W

If you asked me at the start of 2018 if I read children’s books, my answer would have been a resolute ‘no’. Of course, I would read the occasional book for school to check it was suitable for my class, but to be honest, most of the time I used the blurb, other teacher recommendations and the theme of the story to help me select what to use in my classroom.

Finding the time or not wanting to pick up books wasn’t the problem. I am an avid reader and always have been. In 2018 I read 80 books; so far in 2019 I have read 89 books.

Reading is something I love to do to relax. But, prior to this year, I was reluctant to read children’s books for my own enjoyment.My favourite genre of book is crime: if there’s a few grisly murders and an ‘I didn’t see it coming twist’ I’m happy. I did read other genres alongside this (there isn’t much I won’t read!) but my TBR pile was so big, I found myself shying away from children’s books which I was unsure would have the complexity of plot I was after.

Of course as a child I read the big classics: Harry Potter, Roald Dahl or Worst Witch. I was obsessed with Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner when they hit the shelve. But when thinking of recent children’s books, I often immediately thought of David Walliams – and I wasn’t interested in reading them.

And then, over the last academic year, I started picking up books my class were reading and finding exciting plots and story lines (even a few murders!). I started reading them not just because I felt I had to, but because I genuinely felt I would enjoy the book.

I found a few that kept my attention gripped; I read some of them in one sitting. I started to realise that we are lucky enough to have a rich, exciting variety of children’s books being written for us: Storm Keeper’s Island, Brightstorm, House with the Chicken Legs and Beetle Boy just time name a few.

Now, this year, I can’t get enough of children’s literature. Being able to recommend books personally to members of my class; knowing what texts would work amazingly with topics and discovering new stories that will enhance their enjoyment of reading. My reading corner is solely full of my own copies of children’s literature.

Alongside this, I am lucky enough to be reviewing children’s books and discovering new, quality reads every month.

There are still times I use recommendations from Twitter or from other colleagues about what book would be suitable for my class instead of reading it myself. Sometimes I don’t read a book before using it with them as our class book (outside of Whole Class Reading) because I like to discover the story with them.

But now, unlike last year, I’m hooked on reading children’s books.

Emily

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You’ve done it! You’re finally stepping into your own classroom, which is probably one of the best feelings you’ve had in life. It feels like all your hard work has finally culminated in having your own class!

It can be easy to let work overwhelm you in the first year – and it’s absolutely okay to spend as much time as you want preparing! You’re excited; there’s loads of ideas firing round your heard; your bookmarks on Pintrest, Twitter and Instagram have grown out of control and you want to create it all.

But it’s super important to make sure your wellbeing comes first; a tired, burnt out teacher cannot give their best to their class; no matter how many fabulous resources you create. The best resource in the classroom is YOU.

TOP TIP 1: BALANCE

It may take a while, but finding balance for yourself between work and home life is always so important. A burnt out candle can’t glow, which you will need to in both aspects of your life!

Make sure (minimum!) an evening a week you go home early and spend a day at the weekend (minimum!) relaxing. Of course, some find work relaxing – but you need time to switch off or it will become hard to draw the line between the two.

TOP TIP 2: ASK

It’s absolutely okay to ask someone for help. Yes, we mean about lessons, planning or subjects – don’t struggle when there are experts all around you – but also when you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. Don’t suffer in silence; find a colleague who can be what you need. It might be just a listening ear, a helping hand or someone who can help you make a change.

Believe us, we know how hard it can be to ask someone for help if you’re finding things difficult. It can take lots of courage! But in the long run, it will have a much better effect on your mental health. If there is no one in school who can be there, then remember you can always reach out on Twitter. It’s a great support network.

TOP TIP 3: SELF-WORTH

Too many times NQTs (or even PGCE students!) walk into a classroom and think they don’t know best because it’s ‘just’ their first year of teaching. Know your own worth!

You will have fresh eyes, enthusiasm and new teaching strategies that other members of staff might not have seen before, or be able to see in the same way as you. Many a student or NQT has come up with a totally amazing way of teaching something! Don’t fill yourself with doubts – you wouldn’t have been chosen for the job if you hadn’t shown a real flair and love of teaching.

And in the future…

As you develop your own teaching style further, you’ll find tips and tricks to make things quicker. Less resources to make; more ideas to fall back on; trial and error of different strategies.

Just remember: do what works FOR YOU where possible.

Emily

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The same debate rears its head most holidays.

Why are we working in the holidays? Why aren’t we looking after our wellbeing more?

But every year it’s frustrating that people forget that the key here is choice.

If you are in a school that expects you to go in during the holidays, or gives you so much work that you feel you have to do work during the summer then absolutely, break the mould and make it different for yourself. Being told we have to do work in the holidays is not acceptable.

But.

And it’s a big but. If we are, ourselves, choosing to do the work because we want to, then why can’t we? Personally, I find it more relaxing to go back to school knowing a lot of my work is already done; 6 weeks is a long time to be off with not a lot to do!

If you have families your priorities may be different- but I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I pack things into Summer Holidays: 2 weddings (one in Ireland!) my birthday, 2 Welsh rugby games, a trip to Cornwall. But alongside this, there’s elements of my work I enjoy doing during the break because I have more time to do them.

What does not help wellbeing is people filling you with guilt.

You shouldn’t be doing work.

You should be doing work.

We are all professional adults who are capable of making decisions about when we choose to do our work. Let’s keep it that way!

Emily

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After planning our Secondary Week for the Year 6’s a while ago, I was looking forward to it with excited anticipation. I’ve never planned anything like this before, and I hoped that it would be a great transition stepping-stone for the class on their journey to starting Secondary.

I asked teachers,SLT and TAs throughout the school to volunteer to teach a lesson to the class (giving them free choice of which subject they most wanted to do!). Everyone really got on board with the idea, leading to us extending the Secondary Week to just under a fortnight of different lessons!

Our school has a really supportive atmosphere anyway with a great attitude to teamwork, but even so, I was really (pleasantly!) surprised that so many people offered to do lessons, as well as cover a range of subjects.

I’m hoping to show, and share, with you the lessons my Year 6 class were lucky enough to be taught during this time.

W/C Monday 10th June – our ‘unofficial’ starting week.

This week was used to ease the children in. It was explained to them that they would receive homework (with a range of hand in dates), detention slips (to show them when/how often this could happen) and also commendation slips for children who worked extra hard in their lessons, or were being role-models around school. All the children understood what was happening and were really excited to receive their timetables!

Tuesday

Martial Arts/Dance –

We spent the morning with outside instructors from @MattFiddesUK to do a martial arts class, followed by a session of dance.

Drama –

After lunch, our headteacher took the class for a drama lesson! It had lots of little activities:

• First, we played ‘123’. With a partner you take it in turns to say 1 – 2 – 3. Which sounds more simple than it ends up being! After you master this, you replace 1 with a clap, and 3 with a knee bend! A really fun warm up activity.
• Next, the children had to be in an ‘Imaginarium’. Stood in a circle, they were told a scene – for example, a haunted house. One by one, children state what they are, then act it out inside the circle ‘scene’.
• Finally, the children had 4 chairs next to each other in a line – a bus stop. Behind it were a range of hats. Children, up to 4 at a time, took a hat, sat on the bench and had a conversation in character. Some of the hat choices were fantastic and provided really great opportunities for interaction and teamwork!

Maths –

Next, a member of our SLT completed a maths activity with the children, based on probability. It was an activity which I hadn’t seen before, where children had to ‘race’ horses – and bet which would win – based on rolling a dice. They did this in pairs and were really enthusiastic (and, no surprise in my class, very competitive!).

Music –

The last lesson on our first day was music, with our Deputy Head. He decided to focus on the Haka, looking at rhythm and beat. The children had to spend time exploring this, using performance to understand more about both of these features. Once they had looked at this, they then compared it to a different song – what was the difference in rhythm? What about beat? How did that make them feel? Promoted some really fantastic discussion!

Wednesday

English –

This lesson was with me! With a focus on writing, we looked at creating a ‘100 Word Story’ for the Young Writers ‘Ancient Adventures’ completion using some ambitious vocabulary. After creating a class shared write, the children focused on their own 100 word stories, thinking about amazing vocabulary they could use! A simple lesson, which all the children enjoyed.

Maths –

Miss McNally (my brilliant PGCE student – @missmcnally1) created a lesson around pie charts, incorporating our termly topic of Twisted Tales. First they recapped working out the degrees of pie charts.

Next, the children developed their own pie charts from scratch using data that they generated by asking the class questions. They came up with questions like: ‘who was the greatest villain?’

Geography –

Jo, my 1:1 TA (@jo_plumridge), created a brilliant lesson based around local maps. First, there was elicitation around what children already know about maps. Then, they had to find, using the map key, what different symbols referred to. Finally, they had to locate, on a local map, where each of those symbols could be found and use co-ordinates to explain.

Science –

I loved teaching this lesson (as seen originally on twitter by @mrsbteachy). We discussed the language of experiments to check children were secure with the technical terminology we were using (great chance to see progress from September!) to begin the lesson. Next, the fun part! In pairs, children were given a petri-dish, a swab and a toilet location in the school. Each pair needed to take samples and see where was the least or most hygienic.

We’re hoping to see some fantastic, clear results!

History –

Next up was Miss Lafford (my PGCE student from Oct – Dec, who came back to our school for her final placement! @miss_lafford). Her grandad was in the trenches during World War 2, so she planned a lesson using inference and enquiry to discover more about who their (at this point mystery) person was!

This included a range of genuine artefacts from the war including: a will that had been written in the trenches; medals he had won; photos and belongings that had been passed down. The children were really engaged with the learning, especially when they found out the personal connection!

Thursday

Computing –

‘Digital Schoolhouse’ visited us from New College Swindon, with some activities to help children better understand coding, algorithms and how computers worked. In one classroom, children had to use ciphers and other means to decode information.

Whilst in the room next door, groups had to investigate how information is stored on servers.

Digital Schoolhouse has been a really great project that the college have provided, in order to upskill us as teachers, while providing great computer learning opportunities for the children!

History –

This is my ultimate favourite subject to teach (closely followed by English!) so this lesson is my favourite I’ve done…so far! In this subject, we began with each child having a section of an Aztec timeline. They sorted themselves into chronological order and briefly discussed key events…most importantly the building of a temple. After this, we looked in closer detail at the gods that Aztecs worshipped in their temples. What animals were they influenced by? What areas of life had a god?

The children really enjoyed learning what they were worshipped for (and attempting to pronounce the names!) before then using their knowledge to design their own ‘god’ based on what they have learnt. Here is the design we developed first as a class. Standard teacher comment: I’m not an artist.

Science –

@MissMcNally1 taught another really interesting lesson! Earlier in the year we completed a heart dissection, so when she told the children that this time they were dissecting flowers, they were equally as excited. Using Freesia’s, Rosella went through the parts of flowers and explained that they have both male, and female parts. She produced a beautiful example for them, before the class worked in pairs to create their own.

Friday

English –

I won’t give too much away here, but we did some fantastic writing for @reading_realm! I am SO excited to use this app more within our classroom. It has some really great features (which work on not only reading, but spelling and grammar!) so the class were thrilled to have an activity to complete!

Science –

With a STEM focus, our Y4 teacher & assistant SENCO had the class making solar robots! They were more challenging to make than the children expected them to be, and we are now waiting for some very late summer sunshine to appear to test them properly!

PSHE –

Our brilliant nurture TA, Anna, did our PSHE lesson. We use Jigsaw in school, and she’s currently building up to our SRE lesson which I have the pleasure of delivering soon!

French –

Mrs Phillipon is our lovely French TA, who covers MFL within the school! She created an interesting lesson where children focused on body parts. First, the class sang head, shoulders, knees and toes. The main activity was to create their own ‘weird creature’ by rolling the dice to give it different body parts.

(Template from CPP Middle School)

PE –

Our PE extraordinaire – @sam_wood93 – started preparing Year 6 for sports day with javelin and sprint trials. After learning the key skills, children had challenges to complete in order to be ready for the big event!

This is just one week of the incredible lessons people planned and taught for our Y6 cohort.

I am so grateful to all the people at school who have helped out with this week and helped to make it happen!

Emily

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We have spoken previously about the activities which might make Y6 transition easier for them. But what about children’s wellbeing during transition? Not just in Year 6, but across the school?

It can be a scary time for any child; moving up a year group can seem daunting. So how can we make the process easier for them?

1. Start each child with a clean slate.

Some children will come to you with a label.

‘They are always distracting others!’

‘Probably won’t ever be above working towards.’

‘They always worked so hard for me!’

These things might turn out to be true, but it’s only fair every child gets a do-over when they get a new teacher, or go into a new year. It gives them a chance to spread their wings and make a difference to their own experience, before we treat them with our pre-conceived perceptions.

2. Give children a chance to show you who they are.

Even if you know the children, which often happens in a small school, it’s worth doing a few tasks during transition to get a view of their individual skills: writing, art, sports are all great activities as you can see a range of talents the class may have.

If you don’t know the children already: a larger school, moving to a different area of the school or a new school altogether – then choosing activities will help you get a real feel for not only the individual children, but also the class as a whole.

It still surprises me every year just how different each cohort is, even in the same year group!

3. Start as you mean to go on…

It’s easy to let behaviour slide on transition days, but introducing rules and routines they will always have means you can start in September with clear expectations. Easier for you…but also the children as they know where they stand!

4. Pass on any needs to teachers, with some background.

If there is something that will make the child more comfortable, able to learn or is necessary for their daily routine then try and know as much as possible before transition days, not just September. Again, easier for you, as well as the child! They will get that immediate sense of understanding from you, which means relationships will have their foundations laid to continue building on during your time together.

Every school will have their own transition routines and ways of working. Some schools have one morning, or day transition. Some schools have more than this. So here are some handy activity hints for the time spent with your new class:

• Letter to their future selves – could be a motivational letter used by Year 6, to open before their SATs. Or, for other year groups, a letter to show how far they’ve come.
• Make bookmarks of their favourite book cover – these can be laminated and given out on their first day and give you an easy insight into which books are popular with your class!
• A Dragon’s Den style project (e.g create an eco invention). Really shows a range of skills – both academic and social – allowing you to get a real sense of how your class work together.
• An art activity – I love @_missiebee Julian Opie style class portraits! A perfect display to start you classroom with a welcoming feel come September!

Every teacher approaches transition day differently! Any handy hints or activities? Add them to our comments, or reply to our blog tweet on Twitter! We’d love to hear and share them!

Emily

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SATs are over, we are about to start our final term of the year and the Year 6 children are feeling the ‘big fish little pond’ syndrome kick in with full force.

This year, the BBC have created a ‘Starting Secondary’ campaign to help children on their journey to the next educational station. We know how hard it can be sending children on, whether it’s to one feeder secondary or several.

You’ll always have children who feel ready to go: they’re excited to get to visit their next school. Then, there are the quiet children who we all worry about. They may get extra transition days, discussion between SENCOs or need more conversation and preparation from school staff about what to expect.

But sometimes, there are those children who say nothing. They’ve never had any explicit issues whilst at primary school, and haven’t voiced any concerns about secondary. So often, we assume they’re okay.

But if they aren’t, how can we help them?

First, we can ensure that the children we are sending to secondary have a wide range of skills. We aren’t thinking academic skills here: we are thinking of those key social and life skills which will help them be well-rounded students.

• Organisation
• Resilience
• Self-sufficiency
• Being a responsible citizen
• Respect
• Independence

“I created a series of lessons based around these characteristics in collaboration with our local secondary: their ‘Year 7 Ready’ Project.”

These lessons are designed to combat a number of initial issues children might have: following a timetable, solving friendship problems, respecting adult decisions or even basics like creating (and using!) a to-do list.

Often, we expect them to be able to do simple organisational or independent tasks and find it beyond them. But in fact, if you’ve never had to do them before then is it surprising it is initially challenging?

If you are interested in these lessons, please find the link to the Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MS3EymAHSw7Qyz6zBiFvMdropygRvOnD

Next, we are really lucky this year that BBC Bitesize has recognised the gap of resources aimed at Secondary Transition. Their new ‘Starting Secondary’ campaign includes a number of really helpful resources including videos, quizzes and information on how it works, including ‘through the eyes of a child’ which I think makes it all feel very accessible.

For those children who worry about going up, but are also reluctant to share this with an adult, then they have the information to help them at their fingertips! With tech becoming an ever-increasing source of knowledge among children, it is valuable to have a reliable source available to them.

If you think it would be useful to your class, click here: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/tags/zh4wy9q/starting-secondary-school/1

Finally, and the transition activity I’m most excited about this year, is our ‘Secondary Week’ (that has extended out to nearly 2 weeks now!) we are holding within our primary school. All the other teachers, SLT, student teachers and TAs have generously got on board: children will move to different classrooms (having to remember their correct books and kit!) for their different subjects, by using their provided timetable.

We have people teaching: music, drama, RE, geography, languages, history, geography, science, PSHE, PE, DT, art, maths and English. For most lessons, I will be able to act as TA in class, for the others I’ll be covering, along with my PGCE student, in other year groups (from Reception – Y5!). I can’t wait to see what is going to be produced and covered during those lessons!

Transition is a time for children to learn and develop understanding for what the next stage of school has in store for them, and for us to assist that growth to happen.

Good luck in T6 everyone! Let’s give these children the best last term of the year – or primary school – that we can.

Emily

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Dear Past Self,

It’s been a while since you felt yourself.

Since joining the school as an excited, care-free NQT, everything has changed. You were someone who never cried and could compartmentalise. Someone who thought choosing where to go to dinner was the most difficult scenario you would be in any time soon. Someone who had never wanted to do anything but teach.

But, right now, you are feeling like you want to quit teaching. You are feeling like you aren’t a good teacher. You are feeling like you aren’t even a good person.

You have been called inadequate, boring, a ‘nit-picker’ and a bully. You don’t know the reason that you’re being targeted and it’s ground you down. It’s made you feel like there’s no point being in a career that, even though you love it, you clearly aren’t good at. The worst part is, it didn’t all happen at once so you didn’t see it coming right away. Slowly, over time, your confidence has been chipped away.

The final straw was a reference filled with such vitriol and inaccuracies that you wondered how you would ever be able to move on. How could a teacher with ‘poor appearance, poor lesson preparation and a lack of empathy’ ever be able to gain a new teaching post?

Soon after, you left. And now, you’re where you are now. Filled with anxiety (and this time last year, had stress-induced shingles!) wondering what step to take next. Questions are constantly running through your mind, every decision you make you overthink. You haven’t even told some of your friends that you’ve been out of work for a couple of months because you can’t face another conversation about it.

Feeling like you aren’t good enough a person to burden others with your problems; you’ve been made to feel you don’t matter.

But, you do.

You are lucky to be surrounded by a huge variety of supportive people. They will make sure you know you’re appreciated, remind you of all the positive things you have, can and will do. And soon, a new school will show you just how wrong that one person was.

You are worth more than one opinion! Instead of looking at the job advert thinking ‘but I can’t’ – start thinking

“Actually, I can.”

Instead of choosing to stay in, because you feel apathetic to the working week whilst not at work, choose to venture out. Tell yourself,

“Actually, I can.”

Instead of choosing to not tell friends, to stay quiet because it feels too raw to talk about, say

“Actually I can.”

Because speaking out won’t just help you move on, it may help others. You can get another job. You will regain your confidence. And you must believe in karma.

As the New Radicals say – “you only get what you give.”

So give out positive words, thoughts and vibes the best you can in every situation. You may sometimes feel down, or like life has no direction. There will still (even now!) be days when you feel like saying: ‘I can’t’.

Just remember to tell yourself:

Love,

Emily, from 2019

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As we approach the end of Mental Health Awareness Week – and of course SATs week – we felt it was important to reflect on our ‘wellbeing’. We wanted to share how we can develop (and maintain!) a greater balance of working hard whilst balancing our personal life, without also burning out. It sometimes feel like the impossible task, doesn’t it?

We’ve been there.

We’ve doubted ourselves. We’ve overthought situations. We’ve let anxieties control us. We’ve let other people’s opinions steer us. We’ve gone home and wrapped up in a blanket like an anxious burrito and refused to move for hours. We’ve both even considered leaving the profession we love.

But, despite the thoughts and feelings we’ve had in the (fairly recent!) past, we had to find a way to overcome these emotions which, at one point, took over our lives. Eventually we saw the light. After making time for self-care, our friends, family and things we enjoy doing – we soon noticed how the little things could make the difference. We found balance. These experiences were what ensured we became strong advocates for teacher wellbeing.

Making time for ourselves and the things we love doing may seem really obvious, yet it is still something so many teachers find tricky to prioritise. Often, we unrealistically over-commit to work meaning that there is no time left for the ‘luxury’ of ‘me time’. Time which we so desperately need! So how can we, as teachers, find that perfect balance?

Teacher wellbeing is an interesting subject. It’s often shouted about widely on social media platforms and the ‘wellbeing police’ soon come out in full force during school holidays. God forbid you are caught reading educational books during holidays; creating resources for your school and the wider community; planning topic work or even spend time in school! In reality, why are we bothered what other people think? In the words of Sarah Knight, ‘You do you’.

To support other teachers in their journey to finding their balance, we’ve teamed up with Opogo (https://blog.opogo.com – a career development platform for teachers) to write our 5 ‘top tips’ to achieving that all important ‘work-life balance’.

1. It is okay to say no.
   Really, it is. We know that at times the guilt sets in and we feel that in order to demonstrate our dedication and commitment to our work, we must say yes. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of saying yes and over committing to a number of tasks. Eventually, we just feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what we have taken on. It’s true – we can do anything, but not everything.

2. Give yourself permission to switch off.
This has – and continues to be – one of the most challenging aspects of the job for both of us. As cliche as it may be, you cannot pour from an empty cup.

3. Change your mindset.
Going to a restaurant, how often do you actively give positive feedback? Usually, as a society, we make time to complain rather than compliment. Is it any different in teaching? By creating a positive atmosphere for ourselves by complimenting colleagues but most importantly, ourselves, we are enabling a positive, growth mindset. The same mindset we encourage the children we teach to have.

4. Make time for the things and people you love.
This is the most personal and for many, the most important element of finding balance. Sometimes, whatever line of work we are in, work can take over and we prioritise looming deadlines, replying to emails and planning for school over what really matters. For a career that ‘starts at 9 and goes home at 3’ (lol) we don’t see nearly enough of our loved ones! Make sure at least two days a week you are spending time with people who matter.

5. Support is a vital lifeline.

We became friendly on Twitter through a mutual enjoyment of Love Island, but what really cemented our friendship was the support we could both offer each other. During a really rough time, it became such a lifeline to discuss with each other what we were going through and give ideas, advice and support to make that time easier. Even if it was just being an ear to listen! We are big advocates for Twitter, not just as a tool to find amazing resources, but as a place to discover a supportive, friendly group of peers. If you have a problem, it’s likely someone has been through it before and can help you using their own experience.

Hopefully a few ideas here can help with your own work/life balance, as it has helped us! As always, if you feel you need support with anything you have read in this blog, our DMs are open.

Emily

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Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (and the start of SATs…the irony has not been lost on us!). So, after our recent post, we wanted to think a little more about why MH often affects people within our line of work.

As teachers, we are so invested in our work. As one of our Principals recently said: ‘in the corporate world, you wouldn’t be paying for anything out of your own pocket. It’s our own love of the job which means we end up doing this & more’ – she isn’t wrong.

In our career, we have an embedded sense of responsibility to each child in our class. We feel ownership of their whole holistic wellbeing, which inevitably means we become invested in a lot more than just their academic achievement.

But to care for each of these children in this way, we must first look after our own wellbeing. How can we be responsible for showing children how to be happy, well-rounded individuals if we aren’t caring for ourselves first?

Here lies the difference between ‘Mental Health’ and ‘Wellbeing’.

The concepts of ‘stress’, ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ are extremely hard to understand if you are not, or have never, been through them on a personal level: even seeing a close friend or family member’s experience with mental health will not give you an insight into what it actually feels like. When someone says they are off work with stress, it is easy for us to think ‘well we’re all stressed but I’m not taking time off!’. 

This is what someone might think, until the point you then feel so stressed you need to take time off work. The concept and spectrum of ‘stress’ is so wide and varied that until you’ve hit that point where you simply can’t cope anymore you can’t fathom how it can so significantly affect someone.

“I know for me, it was a very difficult concept to understand – then all of a sudden I was going through it myself. I had anxiety which was developed at work, but affected my life.”

Wellbeing is how we care for ourselves in order to minimise our stress and anxiety as much as possible; it doesn’t mean it won’t happen to us. But it means we are taking steps to protect ourselves where possible. A work/life balance is individual to each person.

Some people might enjoy doing some work at home – an idea might strike you that you want to instantly work on or you may just find it easier to mark books in the sunshine with a cider.

Some may prefer staying slightly later at school to get things done, or getting into work really early in the morning.

Wellbeing is when it is a choice you’re making.

When you’re having to do work at home because your to-do list never gets any smaller, that’s when wellbeing can take a hit.

When you need to go in by 6:45 or stay until 7 or later because you have to in-depth mark every piece of writing for every subject.

It’s all about setting those boundaries for yourself to, where possible, break the cycle. What changes can you make? Or, if changes can’t be made, what can be done to best minimise the impact on life outside the classroom?

One strategy on Twitter to help tackle this is #EdWellbeingGoals (myself & @nourishtheworkplace) – an idea which developed from trying to have a clear set of targets to help you try and find some semblance of balance with work and life outside of school.

For me, they are:

• Reading every day.
• Baking once a week.
• Doing exercise three times a week.
• Leaving work by 4:30 at least once a week.

Although small, these goals ensure at the very least a few moments in the week where you can switch off from teacher mode.

“At my last school, we had a large workload with very high (and ever-changing) expectations of what we should be doing and when. On moving schools, I needed to make sure I had down time to keep my anxiety at bay”

This is obviously a huge topic and this is a tiny insight – we’re sure there will be further blogs on both mental health and wellbeing coming from us in the near future!

As always, if anyone ever feels they need someone to talk to, then our DMs are always open.

Emily

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With SATs starting on Monday, it’s time for all Y6 teachers to grab that giant gin glass and spend the weekend relaxing.

And as they relax, those 36384 questions will begin whirling round your head.

Did I remember to let everyone know their jobs?

What if I’ve forgotten to log a procedure?

Will any children call in sick?

What if I receive a moderation visit?

What if the reading paper is about a Spanish speaking cat….again?

It is inevitable that we find it hard to switch off – after all, it’s the most intense week of our year. So here are some handy hints to help both you, and the children:

You:

• Allow yourself to actually switch off this weekend. No work emails; put your laptop away; spend time, where possible, doing other things you really enjoy.

• Let yourself indulge. I find I crave everything I shouldn’t eat (and drink!) that weekend. I’ll only be more miserable on Monday morning if I’ve denied myself of treats I enjoy. (Except, I should probably take my gluten intolerance into more consideration…)

• Know that you are as prepared as can be. Spend that time after school Friday finalising what you need to, so you can switch off at the weekend. If moderation come, there should be no worries. It isn’t just down to you, but also SLT to ensure all evidence and procedures are complete and in place. Everyone will have done their job!

• BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! It’s so easy to let those niggling doubts creep in at this time of year. But you have done the best you can. You’ve trained those children to know what to expect and taught them everything possible before the week has begun! Know you have done everything in your power to make it an easy, stress-free week for your class.

• Visit your favourite place and people – my plan is to go to ‘He Says She Waffles’ for a big milkshake and savoury waffle! But this could be a walk, the local park or just some downtime with some close friends or family. Make time to do something you enjoy.

The Children:

There are two distinct types of classes (both of which I’ve taught).

1) The Class Who Are Blasé

This class don’t even realise that SATs are coming up. They barely acknowledge the tests and are already thinking ahead to the performance, or secondary school. Of course, there will be the few children in this class who are nervous for the tests but on the whole, the class are fizzing with energy that you hope they expend into their answers.

2) The Class Who Are Constantly Revising

This class all are very aware of how near the tests are and are conscious of using all the time left to them. They always keep asking for extra work, or wanting to know what they can improve on (improve on relaxing kids, you’ve got this!) in the few weeks before. A bit of nervous crying can happen, with some reassuring pep talks needed.

Obviously there will be classes where there is more of a mix, but generally the feeling of anxiety (I find!) either spreads like wildfire or stays contained to the children who feel it. With that in mind, there are a couple of things I like to do each year with my class before SATs begin:

• Write letters to their ‘future selves’. We do this either on their transition days, or at the start of Year 6 – they then get them back on the Friday before they start. Not only will this motivational letter give them advice from themselves, but it is a great tool for showing them how far they’ve come already!

• Give them ‘Smart Cookies’. Each child is baked a cookie (or 2, depending on class size!) with a message asking them to spend the weekend relaxing. It really brightens up their Friday and lets them know you’re thinking of them!

• Breakfast Mornings on SATs week. We are luckily continuing this at my current school. Each child is invited to come in for a sausage, bacon or veggie roll to make sure they have a good (if not all that healthy!) breakfast to start the day, as well as more time to adjust to school before they get going. Although, this should probably be a tip for teachers too, as I always find it improves my mornings too!

• Afternoon Activities. This will be more subjective to each teacher, but I don’t like to do revision at all during SATs week afternoons! We are going to be doing a mix of sport, artwork and craft (a lot of ideas have been bookmarked on Twitter!) to help the children unwind, release any pent up feelings and get rid of some of their energy!

• Plan a ‘Post SATs Trip. We’re going to Harry Potter Studios this year, to finish our topic (and had a thoroughly enjoyable planning trip!). TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!

We each deal with SATs (and the stress that can come with it!) in a different way, but remember: we’ve got this.

Emily

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