I'm packing my bags...

I'm finally home from work, hair appointment and spray tan...it's 8.45!! I am finally de-stressing and just about to start the mammoth task of packing my suitcase for New York!! Woo!! I can pack light when I want but I prefer not to.Normally my OCD would have kicked in and I would have an outfit itinary all printed out after taking photos of outfits. As I have been so so busy with work I haven't had the time to be so sad. Therefore I am just starting to pack now- oops. I dread to think of all the crap I will take but not need. I'm also fully aware that as my luggae is changing flights it may get lost, this means extensive packing of hand luggage. The trials of packing eh?

As I'm away I will be having a blogging break and will look forward to sharing some snaps when I return :-)

Let's hope it doesn't turn cold like it was in February...I wont be tempting fate and packing my hat and gloves that's for sure!

What makes a good teacher?

I love my job (but loathe the paperwork) and I always want to make the kids enjoy school as much as possible. I realised today just how much kids can idolise their teacher when one said to me:

"Miss...I got up early today. I got up early because I wanted my Mam to style my hair like you wear yours. But she couldn't do it."

Now, my hairstyle is nothing exciting and the only reason I'm wearing it like it is at the moment is because I need to get my fringe sorted out! This made me feel happy (and also thought the parent would hate me for being harassed to do a hairstyle) and realise that as much as it feels like I'm so busy and weighed down by paperwork, the kids are still enjoying the lessons and I am having an impact in not only their learning but the way they behave (and obviously the way they look). Another child I found out changes into leggings and tunic tops to try and look like me when she gets home to play teachers! Flattered or scared? I don't know! haha!

I wondered, "What do I do to make the kids enjoy their education and like me as their teacher?" I came up with some thoughts which I had about my favourite teachers at school and realised they made me the teacher I am today.

No shouting

I don't shout at kids. I hate shouting. On the odd occasion where a child has done something so naughty that I have had to shout people are actually shocked since I never usually do it. I think that so many kids think that shouting is the only way to talk or solve problems. In my eyes, once you've shouted you've lost control of your own feelings and the situation at hand. I go with the more stern voice and talk about things logically and I can tell you that it's worked a treat this year (and in the past).

Talk

Basically, I am known as a good talker. I don't really like silence when I'm around people, it's awkward and uncomfortable. In the classroom this helps as I talk to the children. Again, at home there are lots of kids who are barely spoken to. They struggle to verbalise anything because they aren't used to a conversation. I share my life with them and they share what they are looking forward to or happy about and even what they are sad about. If I'm open with them they will feel confident to share their feelings with me and therefore the classroom environment is a very team like environment. Everyone looks out for one another.

Patience

The biggest thing to have when teaching is patience. There are times when I get frustrated, cross, ill or just plain tired. This is the time when I'm at my weakest, the time when the smallest of things will make me want to cry or shout. But, I take a deep breath and continue. I have a child who pretty much forgets to use full stops every time in their writing. Every time I make a joke about the full stops 'running away' and I sit and go through their work with them to put them in the correct place. One day it will stick but till that day I will soldier on like I do showing incredible patience.

Finding the good in everything

I want to share some of my kids work:

Our new jungle display!

Animals from my lower group...I do teach them - honestly!

Jungle adventure...

Jungle adventure...

What was it that made a teacher your favourite when you were at school?

*Ash cloud watch- seems to be fine at the moment! However I am now becoming ill! Booo!! I hope both stay away!!

OCD...

Obsessive. Compulsive.Disorder.

The above is defined as: An anxiety disorder in which a person suffers from obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions, such as cleaning, checking, counting, or hoarding.

Many people suffer from this and go through various treatments, however I think that the majority of people suffer from this in a small way somehow or other. I personally have a few of my own OCD activities.

Food

I love food ... but I know what I like and what I don't. When it comes to lunch at school I have the same routine each week. Sandwiches Mon, Tues and Thurs, sausage rolls on Wednesdays and beef sandwich roll on a Friday. I will happily have this and the same crisps and biscuits for weeks on end. A fellow staff member even jokes...Oh it must be Wednesday you have sausage rolls. This as you can tell does not go un-noticed. But considering pretty much every staff member is on some form of a diet I tend to consider myself as the most sane eater of the whole lot haha!

{Via}

Getting Ready

I have the same order which I do my make up every day and then get ready. I always leave my hair till last. If I get out of order I feel all all of synch. 

{Via}

Reading

I love to read gossip blogs on the Internet (finding out stuff is what i like but more about that later) and when I haven't read it in a couple of days I always have lots to read. I will then read and only stop reading on an even page. I don't know why this is but I do. I also generally read magazines from back to front. Oh and don't borrow a book from me and leave big creases in the spine - I hate that!

{Via}

Information

I like to know things. Anything that interests me I will learn as much as I can about it. When I was introduced to hockey I read up on it, found out about the teams, players etc etc. I am now known to know just as much as my friends who have loved the sport for many more years. Any celebrity gossip there is I will know. If information is random about celebrities or fashion chances are I'll have some idea. Miss Twin once text me some random question to settle an argument because, "I knew you'd know useless stuff like that." If I watch a film, one of the first things I do is head to IMDB to find out about the actors and trivia. I have often been told I'd make a great detective. I just like to search and found out stuff. Compulsive? Yes but oh so fun!

{Via}

 I could go on but I think I've shared enough of my craziness for one day!! What about you? Do you have any specific obsessive traits?Surely I'm not alone?!

Volcanic ash...again...

Last year I went on an Easter break to Portugal. It was for 3 nights and I had a great time. On the way to the airport, myself, Miss Twin and GG received a text saying all UK airports were shut. What? How come? Instantly the thought of a terror attack crossed our minds. Surely nothing else could close ALL UK airports? We were wrong...volcanic ash could.

We were at the airport ridiculously early which in hindsight was a great thing as the que was as long as the airport by 11 of people waiting to try and rebook flights. We arrived at 7 and with only 5 families in front of us our waiting time was still about 1hr 30 so I can only imagine what it would have been like at the back of the que! We were re booked for the next day and sought our own accommodation near the airport. It wasn't too bad we thought, an extra day wont harm us. The next day we headed to the airport knowing we weren't going to be on the flight as overnight developments had worsened. We then were re booked for a few days later and given accommodation till flight. This included food as well which was brilliant. What was 3 nights turned into 10 days. It's times like that when I am glad I pack well with my outfit itinerary!! After having made a couple of purchases in Lisbon during the holiday and my spare outfits I still had enough clothes for the whole time.

The 5* star hotel we had to stay at for 6 days...

This brings me to to today- the ash cloud is back. My thought of, "Wow- it's surely a once in a lifetime occurrence," was wrong. Indeed something as odd as this can happen twice. Only this time I fear it will stop me from going away. I am due to be flying out to New York on Saturday via Amsterdam. At the moment that is looking so unlikely I could cry. I've decided the best thing to do is just to ignore the whole situation. What can I do? I've looked into alternative flights and even contemplated driving to London to fly out from there but if things go as expected the whole of the UK will shut. I need to keep everything crossed to make it out of here I think!

On a side note. I was awarded a blog award today from one of my favourite bloggers- Rebecca!Thank you!

So in keeping with the rules I will share 7 random facts

- The only pizza I like is cheese and tomato. 

- Chocolate is my absolute weakness- feed me chocolate and I'm your friend for life.

- I always secretly wish someone would write a song for me every time I hear a great love song on the radio.

- I wish I worked in the fashion industry sometimes.

- I'm known as being small but strong- I was nicknamed Bash when I was younger by my family.

- I love pink but never wear it.

- When I occasionally put the lottery on I get a little thought that it may just be me.

I'd like to pass the award on to:

Mollie

Joyful Sparrow

Summer-claire

K Fun

Happy Homemaker

Poekitten

O. Is Me

Making choices...

Today I was talking a lot about making choices with my class. Quite often my conversations with kids will go like this:

Me: You chose to do the wrong thing, you can't blame anyone else.

Child: But so and so told me to.

Me: If so and so told you to jump off a roof would you?

The good old, bog standard British excuse to to someone saying another person told them to do something. When kids are growing up they find it so hard to realise that actually, they make their own choice in behaviour regardless of whether someone has told them to do something or not. My kids have this in their mind now and I very rarely have the above conversation now, however, when they get older this isn't how things work.

Regardless of how often we make our own choices, there are many which even as an adult are made for us by the 'higher powers' of government and managers etc. We try and instill this value by allowing kids to make choices about their behaviour and generally the running of the school e.g. timetables is all set for them. This will hopefully make children realise that as you grow older, their own behaviour choices are so important.

We also discussed how to make someone special happy by making the right choice and most answers revolved around the idea of compromise. They all choose to do things such as play a friends game, play a game with their brother and take turns at being in goal. As a grown up compromise so often goes out the window. Due to the stresses and craziness of lives, people tend to become quite self-focused. This isn't on purpose it just happens. 

That's one thing I like about blogging and reading blogs- it opens your eyes up to other people and things they're going through or feeling and it's nice to have that back. Basically, I think a lot of people (myself included sometimes) need to focus on how to make the right choice to make other people happy. By working all the time I make the wrong choice as this gives me less time to spend time with friends and family. Maybe I should make a choice to spend less time working to make others happy. It's hard and quite often choices are but after all, you get what you give. 

What about you? Is there any choice you could make to try and make someone happy that maybe you sometimes forget about or just know that they're always there anyway?