Tips and Tricks for Stress Free PT Meetings

It’s that time of year again! Last year I had my PT meetings in February and to be honest I wasn’t half as apprehensive as I normally am in November and I’ve realised it’s down to the hype. The staff are talking about the meetings, any teacher friends I have, teacher social media pages, in February last I had junior infants so everyone was done with their meetings so there was nothing to create that apprehension. With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of tips and tricks to get you through the meetings stress free.

1. Preparation: I’m hoping to have my meeting notes ready to go this week. I usually choose three objectives which I’d like the child to progress in for the rest of the year e.g. handwriting, phonic sounds and sight words, concentration and how I’m going to try and reinforce this. I have senior infants so I will also reassess their phonics and sight words this week to give the parent an idea of where they are. Test results in older classes would be nice to share also.

2. Procedure: The meetings usually run over a week, ours take place Tuesday 20th, Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd. They can take place after school or before school. Meetings are usually 10 minutes each. For children with learning support/ resource hours, the support teacher can sit in on the meeting with you.

3. Time Management: This is the thing I struggle with most through PT meetings. The 10 minutes fly once you begin and next thing you know you’re one minute, five minutes, fifteen minutes behind. I think at my latest I was half an hour behind!! I now put a clock beside me on the table to help me keep an eye on the time. It’s best to have a small discreet one that you can put beside you on the table as opposed to taking the huge one on the wall down. I also put a sign on the door to say ‘please knock at your allocated time’. When the parent that is currently in the meeting hears the knock it usually reminds them that their time is up. I also say once they come in ‘I won’t keep you long’, so they know from the onset that it’s going to be a short, to the point meeting. It’s important to try and stick to these times for yourself so that you’re not staying any longer that you should but also parents with siblings may be due in at another meeting with another teacher. If the ten minutes are almost gone and the parent is still in I just politely conclude what we will work on for the rest of the year and tell them if they’d like to discuss anything else at another time they are more than welcome to arrange an appointment with me.

4. The Actual Meeting:As you only have ten minutes it should just be a quick overview of how the child is getting on and areas that will need a bit more focus during the year. Now is not the time to be telling a parent their child might have SEN or discussing major behavioural difficulties that have not previously been addressed. There is one child in my class that I am concerned may have sensory needs. I am meeting with the child’s mother this week to discuss this as it will take a lot longer than ten minutes so it's something to be aware of.

5. The Difficult Parent: Just as you shouldn’t wait until PT meetings to address a concern, neither should a parent, however it happens. I had one two years ago (the year in which I was half an hour behind) where a parent came in and blasted me for the homework difficulties her child was having yet she didn’t want me to cut down her homework load or have it differentiated in any way. This was definitely not the time or place for such a meeting and it was unfair on the other parents who were left waiting half an hour for their slot. Once I realised we were over time I asked her nicely if she could make an appointment with the secretary for an additional meeting next week as of course she left with nothing resolved and nothing else discussed besides the child’s homework. It is important if you ever feel threatened or intimidated by a parent to ask to be excused and seek another member of staff to attend the meeting with you (preferably the principal or vice principal if they are available). It is also ok to ask them to be present at the meeting if you are particularly anxious about meeting with a difficult parent. Although sometimes you may feel yourself getting irritated, it is best to remain calm and allow them to speak, once they are finished if you are feeling uncomfortable please remember at this time to ask to be excused.

6.Take care of yourself: Remember to keep yourself hydrated the week of the meetings, take plenty of honey for your throat as you will be doing a lot of talking and get a good night’s sleep. I got and awful dose of laryngitis in the middle of my meetings one year which was really not ideal. I also try and have dinner prepped for the three days before hand so at least I can just take it easy when I get home. They can take a lot out of you and it is draining on your body mentally and physically so try and have something nice to look forward to each evening whether it is going for a run, the gym, having a nice dinner, a film or even a glass of wine. Good luck 😊
Sarah!

The best way out is always through

With the rise of perfect teacher instagrams, it’s very easy to feel like your classroom looks a state or you’re not organized enough or your resources aren’t up to scratch in comparison to everyone else’s. I took some time yesterday to go and speak to some of the other teacher’s after school, one-to-one and see if they were really ok behind their pinterest perfect classrooms. It’s very easy to think you are the only one having a tough year or a tough day and I found that three of the four teachers I spoke to had quite a tough day between challenging parents and tough students. I told each of them this story and now I will share it with all of you, the first time I told it was to a guy I taught with four years ago who failed his Dip and just felt like the worst teacher in the world. Needless to say he took my story with a pinch of salt and now four years later, he’s taught in America and Australia and he’s having the time of his life. Tough times don’t last forever, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Six years ago I got a temporary job with a fourth class, I was delighted as jobs were hard to secure at that time and anything at all was something to celebrate and I had just passed my Dip the previous year. Come September, I knew after my second day that this class was going to be tough, the kids didn’t get on with each other, constant yard problems, no discipline procedures in the school and they’d been like this since junior infants. I felt like I was losing my mind, my parents were so worried about me he wanted me to leave the school. I considered leaving teaching, thinking I just had an easy class in my first year and this was an insight into the real world of teaching. I felt I was the worst teacher in the world, embarrassed of what the other teachers thought and began looking at other ways I could use my degree besides teaching. Some days it was so bad I’d burst into tears as soon as I got into my car and twice I had to pull in because I couldn’t see whilst driving through tears. I tried everything with that class but nothing worked and up until the last day of the school year there were problems.

Needless to say I had too many bad memories to return to that school but kept in contact with the teachers. The class were given to a guy who had been in the school for many years, he was one of these teachers who the kids would call ‘the cross teacher’. Whilst meeting up with the staff Christmas of the following year he confided in me that if he were to get the class for a second year running he would leave. Turns out he was given that class for a second year as the principal felt he was the only one who could control them, and he left.

Meanwhile, I’d gotten a permanent job in another school and realized that the fault didn’t lie in the kids or in me, it lay with many problems in the school. No discipline code, lack of procedures and lack of support were to blame in allowing the problems within the class to continue each year without resolution. I haven’t felt like that since that year and I hope I never will, that’s not to say I’ve had easy classes since but I’m stronger now as a person and I’m confident in my capabilities as a teacher and I know as should you that I am a good teacher.

Steps for Stepping up your Classroom

Table Arrangements
First thing I do is arrange my tables. I find it hard to work or organise my room until I have an idea of the main layout. I always group my children and usually use colours to distinguish each table. I try and aim for 5/6 at each table. In previous years I had odd numbers. I had 23 kids my first and second year teaching so I had 3 tables with 6 children and 1 with 5 children. Last year I had 31 children so had 4 tables of 6 kids and 1 table with 7 kids. This year I’ll have 35 so I’m hoping for 5 tables of 6 children and 1 table with 5 children.

Unpacking and Arranging the Children’s Books and Supplies.
After this I choose a table to unpack all my teaching things e.g. boxes, books, station games etc. I take all the kid’s books too and sort everything into piles. Anything that will go in/on my teacher desk I will leave it on to organise later. I usually give each table a shelf and using laminated coloured paper I stick a piece of coloured paper to each shelf to distinguish them. I then start filing the books onto the shelves. Scissors, glues and markers will also go on these shelves. As regards the children’s markers and glues I usually put their names on each. Yes this is incredibly tedious to do but they take so much better care of them when they feel it’s theirs.

Bulletin Boards
I always get all my boards backed with papers and borders once my tables are set up. I guess this is for me-a sense of giving my classroom a bit of life and colour to motivate me. Sight words and board names can go on later.

Early Finisher Bins
Early Finisher Bins are 2 coloured plastic cabinets I got in Aldi last year with 3 drawers in each. The drawers need to be changed once each month and each table gets a drawer filled with activities for early finishers. September’s bins will be filled with revision of Senior Infants and new topics we will be working on.

Copybooks
As I teach first class my class have a range of different copy books. Project copy books are used for Irish, English, Maths, Music, Religion, Reading Box Yellow. Handwriting copies are used for spelling tests and handwriting practice and scrap books are used for SESE. I then begin the tedious task of naming all their copy books with labels. When I have all the books named, I use elastic bands and laminated coloured paper to bundle the books by table. With 35 children this year the extra organisation will be needed.

Teacher Desk
I try and keep m teacher desk as clutter free as I can. On my desk I have a copy of my monthly plan, my timetable will be pinned to the wall beside me and I will also have a detailed weekly breakdown printed and placed in a plastic pouch which is taped to my desk. Besides that I have a pen holder, my pencil case and a tray to hold the children’s sheets.

Other
• Other things to think on include;
• How will children hand in homework?
• Where will they hand up their sheets?
• Where will lunch boxes and coats go?

Sample Irish Lesson

Introduction
I always start my Irish lesson by introducing new vocabulary/ phrases. I always try to incorporate puppets into my Irish lesson to add that element of fun. I write the vocab or phrases on the board e.g. lámh, cos, ceann, béal.

Cluichí
-Next we play some vocab games to get them practising their new vocabulary. One of my favourites is Cluiche Kim, here I remove one of the words and the children must guess which one is missing.
-An mála draíochta: Here I have the new vocab cut and placed in a bag, or I write them on lollipop stick and place them in a jar. I play some music and the bag or jar gets passed around. When the music stops they must select a word and say it.
-Pásail an Liathróid: In this game an imaginary ball is passed around the room. The child must throw the ball to another say their name and the word. The child can then put it into a sentence e.g. (Shane, lámh).

Development
To help them enrich their understanding of the new words, I get them to make a small drama in their table groups. Each table gets one of the new words we are learning. They must incorporate the new word correctly into the drama as much as they can. The table that has used it correctly the most gets a Dojo.

Conclusion
The younger classes will write their new word and draw a picture of it.
Older classes or more able students will put their new words into sentences.
5th/6th classes or younger students with a flair for the language will put their words into a story.

My Back to School Haul

As much as I don't want to say it, back to school is approaching. Most teachers are back on the 4th, we are back on the 29th and with a new classroom there will be a lot of setting up to do. Yesterday, as I was visiting Donegal I done my back to school shop in Sprint Educational Supplies, Homebase and Dealz. Altogether I spent roughly €100. Yes that is a lot of money and yes I shouldn't be having to spend that much on school supplies but everything I bought is either very limited in the school or just not available. So here it goes my Back to School Haul :) .

First stop was Sprint Educational Supplies. Unfortunately our school does not supply backing paper for boards unless you include them in the art budget and with 35 children this year I was having to buy extra everything on my budget of €150 inlcluding paint brushes and palettes. Not ideal. So I bought 2 roles which cost €9 and €7, both 4ft by 12ft.

I like the Supreme markers for writing on the board, the pack I bought last year done me all year so I'm hoping I can say the same for this pack, they cost €5. Blue-tack (again not supplied) is always a must and something I really can't live without- €2.40.The glittery stickers were a huge hit with my previous class and they lasted for ages and cost €4. I also purchased some velcro for €4. There are some things blue-tack will simply not hold and here is where velcro comes in. I like to divide the childrens' books by table and I velcro a laminated sheet of coloured paper to their shelf so they know which is theirs.

I use elastic band to bundle the copies together by table and table colour, they're priced at €3. I usually put a laminated coloured paper in with this to distinguish the table. The post it's and labels are also must haves and are €3 and €2.

Here is a multipack of borders I got for €17. They are very cute and will match well with the backing papers. I do have borders from previous years but they are torn and tattered.

Laminating pouches were also on the list and is something I spend a lot of money on year after year. They have them in Sprint for €10.95 for a pack of 100 pouches.

My final purchase in Sprint was these egg timers at 1 minute, 2 minutes and 3 minutes which I searched so much for last year. They were €4.00 for the three pack. They also had bigger ones for €15.00.

My next stop was Dealz. Here I bought three 20 packs of pencils which is a necessity in the classroom at €1.50 each. My heart was broken last year with children forgetting pencils and it is something I will try to keep on top of this year to make sure we don't run out!! I also bought a pack of blue pens for €1.50 and I purchased these book covers simply to put my weekly plan and termly timetable into and stick it to my teacher desk. This was also €1.50.

Finally, I popped into Homebase. I bought this cool little container for my bits and pieces such as elastic bands, pins and blue tack and it cost just over €1. I love this owl box. Isn't it fab? I will put my station supplies for either Maths, English or Irish in here. It was roughly €9.

It is a lot of money but it should last me for the majority of the year. The only things I usually need to purchase more of are the pouches, coloured ink (which I didn't buy today) and pencils.

How much do you guys spend on supplies? Hopefully not as much as me! Hope you all enjoyed the post :)

5 Ways to Nail Your Interview

Hey everyone! I've been getting a lot of e-mails regarding interview tips. Can't believe it is that time of year again! Now, I have never been on an interview board but I have sat through a handful of interviews and some positions I got offered included part-time hours and maternity leaves. I accepted them but continued to apply for schools in the hope of securing a temporary or permanent position and eventually ended up declining the offers.

This is my 5th year teaching and I succeeded in getting a permanent job in July 2014. So here is my 2 cents worth on the interview process.



1. Dress Code

This is so important. Before they even begin to speak to you the interview panel notice how you are dressed and your appearance. I usually wear a knee length dress, a blazer and heels just because I feel like I look more professional this way. The last interview I done was for the school I work in now and a girl came in after me with a very short skirt and 'legs out' as you'd say. He went on to tell me he wasn't impressed by her choice of outfit. A pair of black trousers and a shirt or blazer will also be perfect. For boys I would definitely recommend a suit. For my first 3 years I always pinned my hair into an up do for an interview as I have very long hair and thought it would make me look unkempt. However, before one interview my hair had all fallen down as I had been walking for ages and it was a very windy day so I had no choice but to leave it down and pin the sides back. I got offered a temporary job that day! As long as you look tidy and presentable with subtle make up you should be fine.


2. Personality

Another hugely important factor that principals take into consideration. They are looking for someone who will mix well with their staff and be easily approachable for parents and also easy to work with. I always greet my prospective principals with a huge smile and shake the hand of each person on the interview panel. I also try to make conversation with them before the interview begins. Smile a lot during the interview and don't be afraid to laugh at yourself if you mess up your words, we're all human after all. Also, try and make conversation with the secretary as you wait as believe it or not, principals do go to them asking them how prospective candidates interacted with them as they waited. During my last interview, the 'secretary' actually turned out to be the vice principal so you just never know.

3. Preparation

I live by the sayings 'you can never be too prepared' and 'fail to plan, plan to fail' the same is true for interviews. I jotted down any question I was ever asked at an interview and kept it safe as well as asking friends for tips on what they were asked. One way to impress and which can be easily done through prep is to log onto the school website and really research the school. Read their policies, check their gallery for recent events, see what they're strengths are and what you might bring to the school that they don't have already. If they're big into ICT or creativity have something prepared on how you can add to it.

4. Arrive on time

Please give yourself time to arrive at your interview. There's nothing worse than being under pressure for time and rushing to get there. That will just give you a red face, increased blood pressure and a sweaty appearance, none of these (along with the fact that you're late) makes a good first impression. I usually go to the school the day before if I don't know where it is, time how long it will take and usually add an extra hour to that (half an hour early and a half hour in case something goes wrong). You can never give off a bad impression by being too early, it shows commitment and that you are organised and have good time management.

5. Try and enjoy it

Yes this might sound crazy but if you don't get a job out of this you will get experience and another 10+ questions to add to your interview prep. Don't feel like you've failed if you don't get the job, a lot of times the jobs are already taken or the principal is looking for a particular skill or teacher. Show off what you have, now is not the time to be shy, and try not to let nerves get the better of you. There are other jobs out there if you don't get this one.

Good luck :)

Anyone wanting interview sample questions and answers, packs are available on my blog store http://primary-teachingideas.blogspot.ie/p/store.html#!/10-Questions-Interview-Package/p/64402298/category=0

Job Application Process

I was extremely organised about the whole application process, but then again that’s me, lists and to-do lists to keep myself organised. Something I found beneficial to keep tabs of the different jobs I wanted to apply for and starting dates, application closing dates etc was to open a spreadsheet. This consisted of a table for the name of the school, address, what way they would like the application to be sent on (email/post), what had to be included in the application, closing date, starting date and any side notes (if they want a teacher to be dipped, with music, sport etc).

After that I set about my cv and making sure I had included any relevant information in it. Unless I had any work experience regarding education, working with children, or ways that could benefit the school I left it out. There really is no point stating that you babysat your neighbour's kids or that you won first place in an art competition in 4th class (I’m not being mean, someone actually did include that in an application to one of my previous schools). Cv’s should not be longer than 3 pages and should be precise and to the point. When I initially finished college I included my grades from TP and my exam results as well as my Leaving Cert results. After some years teaching experience I swapped this for a list of schools I had worked in and classes I had taught.

For your letter of application, it should also be very short and to the point, your teaching experience and what you hope to bring to the school.
Standard application forms are the trickiest part and for me was where I spent most of my time. Any schools that I was particularly interested in I spent a lot of time researching and taking notes on. Nothing impresses a principal more than noticing how you took the time to look into the school.

One question on the application form asks how your experience and skills can benefit the school. For teachers who have a year or more experience in a school whether it be subbing or if you were actually employed in the school, make sure you state anything you were involved in in this box. For example, if I were to write it I would include how I helped set up Aistear, SALF Folders, Ready Set Maths, Literacy Lift Off in previous schools and how I’ve had classes winning Creative Schools Awards and drama competitions. This is no time to be shy, you must believe yourself you are the best person for the job. Outside of school experience or if you are just newly qualified ensure to state any talent you have whether it be IT, music, drama, art, sports, creative writing etc. Principals like a well-rounded staff so they always hope to see some new talents and skills being brought to the table.

To be able to answer how you can contribute to the ethos of the school you really need to check the mission statement of the school and read up about what the ethos of the school is. As regards the success this should be found easily enough on the school’s website on the home page or the gallery as no school is going to hide any success that they have had. You must try and find ways in which your skills and talents and who you are as a teacher can fit in with this school.

For references try your best to get one from a college lecturer, a principal or teacher from a previous school you have taught or done TP in.

Hope this helps guys...
Sarah :)