The purpose of report card comments is simply to convey the big ideas and most important information parents need to know. The most important, not everything. Think about what you really need to document. What do you need to have proof that you have expressed in writing? Ensure the comments align with the students’ grades….
Who Is Your Biggest Distraction?
For most of us the answer to the question, “Who is your biggest distraction?” is simple. We are our BIGGEST distraction! We often procrastinate and get distracted away from what we SHOULD be doing by doing the things we LIKE to do. Time is a precious commodity. We often have too much to do and…
How to Finish Your School Day
How do you typically finish a school day? Exhausted, running on low reserves, feeling guilty about the things that you didn’t get done and already worried about tomorrow? Working in schools can be exhausting. There is always a lot to be done and a limited amount of time to get it done. Our days…
Learn to Manage Your Most Important Resource: Energy
Your motivation at work is directly related to how you spend your personal time. If you don’t do anything after school that is re-energising, you are going to go back into the classroom the next day feeling even more depleted. The job will take even more out of you and you are going to get…
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
We all know the importance of actually taking action, rather than just talking about what we are going to do. I have certainly come across a lot of “gunnas” in my career. People who are “gunna” leave teaching, “gunna” write a book, “gunna” sell real estate and “gunna” make a million dollars. The following are…
What To Do When There Is Too Much To Do
Time is precious. Schools are busy places. There is almost too much to do and not enough time. No matter what time of year it is, the problem is the same: our list of tasks is never-ending and our time available is never enough. How can we deal with this in a sane way? Realise That…
6 Simple Strategies For Saving Your Sanity
Working in schools is busy. There is always too much to do and not enough time to do it. One of the many challenges is that the work can be never ending. There is always MORE that can be done. MORE preparation, MORE marking and feedback, MORE researching options, MORE skills to develop, MORE technology…
Is it time for a digital disconnect?
Are you too attached to technology and obsessed with the digital world? Between texts, emails, phone calls and notifications from the multiple social media apps, when are you really unplugged from this virtual world we have created? In the last 10 years the cyber demands for our busy social lifestyle has proven to be an…
Are YOU Adding to OR… Taking Away?
We are not invisible! There is no neutral. You are either adding to a relationship or taking away from one. Sadly, many people attempting to be neutral don’t even realise that they are taking away. These are the people who when they are lied about at their farewell morning tea, don’t even know! Their self-awareness…
Are You Too Warm OR Too Demanding?
Our ability to connect with students has a direct impact on our stress level and happiness. Behaviour management guru Bill Rogers uses the term WarmDemanding to describe the ideal demeanor of staff in schools. Rogers argues that our interactions with students should be characterised by a balance between the ‘warmth’ that shows we care about…