Teaching | But I Smile Anyway...

One-Liner Wednesday – #1LinerWeds – Job Satisfaction

05 Sep 2018 26 Comments

by Ritu in #1linerweds, #onelinerwednesday, Children, Sonu Singh, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #1linerweds, #onelinerwednesday, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Job Satisfaction, Teaching

“When you come home shattered, but with a smile on your face, you know you’re in the right job.” – Ritu

First half week has been really positive, and long may it continue!

For Linda’s #1LinerWeds Challenge.

I’m a 1%er! The Art Of Brilliance @BeingBrilliant #MondayBlogs

03 Sep 2018 76 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Andy Cope, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Doctor Of Happiness, Positivity, School, Teaching, The Art Of Brilliance, Training

When something stirs me, I have to post, and I have been affected, in positive ways, by several training sessions at school.

You may remember my posts:

At One With A Malteser

Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset

Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset: The Round Roti

(If you don’t, well they click away, I’m sure you’ll be inspired too!)

Last Friday, we were treated to a cracker of a three-hour training session by the official Doctor of Happiness, Andy Cope.

And what a wonderfully upbeat, positivity-filled guy to deliver this workshop!

Andy Cope

The workshop was entitled The Art Of Being Brilliant. And it really was BRILLIANT!

Google Images

Andy Cope has researched for 12 years about the emotion of happiness, at a time when all other psychologists were busy looking at the ‘illness’ aspect of state of mind. Depression/why are we down?/mental health issues… but no one was out there, thinking about what created happiness, or that feeling of contentment, and how we could all turn our state to ‘happy’ instead of ‘down’.

So he did.

We started off being shown a word.

Google images

A Finnish word, which piqued my interest straight away, what with my Finnish connections!

The Finns have a word that is all about their favourite bouncy cushions!

We were then instructed to go home, find those ‘meh’ pants in our underwear drawers, and chuck them away. Instead, we should start our day with our ‘special’ pants.

Why?

Because every day is special.

Google Images

And that is so true, isn’t it?

Through a series of humorous slides, clips and activities, the main aim was to show us that we needed to foster that internal sense of positivity that lives within us all.

There have been many types of research done on creativity and our ways of thinking. And all of them point to the fact that as a child, we are all geniuses, thinking out of the box.

But as we grow older, it gets taught out of us.

At school, we are not necessarily encouraged to have our own off the wall ideas, but to conform to a certain method of how to solve a maths problem, or how to conduct an experiment. Even art is prescribed.

A nursery child is likely to be fearless, in the name of learning about life, from jumping around to tasting strange things. But that same child will be totally different, ten years down the line, almost afraid to be unique in his thinking, following the expectations of the teacher, the school, and the government.

Slowly that creativity is almost beaten out of us.

It’s the same with our thinking and positivity.

The majority of the world is stuck in a loop. A learned loop. Learned from the grown us around us, the teachers who influence us, our colleagues.

And we, in turn, will pass that same thinking on to others.

If all you hear is moaning, and negativity, you are likely to find that you are also becoming the same – a Mood Hoover, as Andy Cope calls them.

Google Images

Instead of seeing the bright side of life, it’s much easier to see the flip side. And moan.

According to Andy, a third of the population are what he calls Mood Hoovers.

The rest of us hover between being a bit moany, a bit negative, but there are periods of brightness, positivity and HAPPINESS too.

Then there are the 2%ers – the 2% of the population who are truly happy, content with life, positive and at peace.

Google Images

These are the people who have learned to wake in the morning feeling thankful, facing every day with a zing in their step, not afraid to try something different from the norm, and they’ve learned to ‘build a bridge’ over troubles, and minor niggles, and ‘let them go’.

They are the people who seem to naturally follow the Danish Hygge way of thinking…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 (@ritubhathalwrites)

Embracing the little things that give happiness.

Sure, they will have down days too, they’re only human, but for the majority of their time, they choose to be happy and smile in the face of life.

“What does all this have to do with teaching?” I hear you say.

Well, nothing, and everything really!

The thought behind this is that you, and how you project yourself as a teacher, has a huge impact on your class. If you show that positivity, fearlessness, and excitement, and embrace the unknown yourself, you are likely to be the teacher that creates that kind of ‘2%er’ influence in the life of children who may live in a house of ‘Mood Hoovers’.

You have the confidence to try new things, and you show the children that it is okay to learn ‘differently’.

You foster a love of learning with your own enthusiasm – and they WANT to learn!

And if we, as teachers can do this, our schools will become places where people want to come. We can help to create a generation of ‘2%ers’, unafraid to step out into the unknown, and excited by what life may have in store for them.

Seriously, mind blown!

And even cooler… There was a competition… to win a Happy tee-shirt… and I won!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 (@ritubhathalwrites)

Yes, I bought more books (I’m a bookaholic, I can’t help myself) but one was a ‘gift’ from our headteacher. And I am really excited to read them too!

As I went to collect my stuff, our deputy head smiled at me and said “Well done!”. I joked, that I must be one of those ‘2%ers’ then and he said “No Ritu, you are definitely a 1%er. That wasn’t your victory, it was a victory for our school.”

I was so touched… It means a lot to me to be seen as that positive influence, and I hope my love for teaching, learning, my job, my pupils and my colleagues shines through…

(As long as he wasn’t referring to some other 1% of the population who is as annoying as heck, smiling all the time!)

And I have sorted my undies out, only the best ones now for every day. I’ll use my best crockery, and wear my ‘nice’ clothes because every day is a new day. I’ve been building bridges over minor niggles and letting things go too. And going forward, I’ll use that lovely stationery I have collected, and take some of my special Arts and Crafts resources to school for the children to use, rather than leave them in boxes, for those just-in-case moments… Every day IS SPECIAL and so are we all!

(But as it’s my birthday today too, I’ll wear my extra special undies along with my Happy tee shirt!!!!)

Schools out there, I’d definitely recommend The Art Of Brilliance as a tool to reignite a flame of positivity that seems to have dimmed withing us all. We can all do it, it just seems we need to relearn how to be happy. And if we are happy, it automatically reflects upon how we are as teachers and colleagues, which in turn will create a positive, exciting learning environment, and engaged children.

From Andy Cope!

Find out more at:

https://www.artofbrilliance.co.uk/

Twitter: @beingbrilliant

Instagram: @artofbrilliance

Tired Teacher Thoughts #ThrowbackThursday

19 Jul 2018 108 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Life of A Teacher, Neverending, summer holidays, Teacher, Teaching, Vocation

We are nearly there, the finish line is firmly in sight!

Across the country you can hear the count downs, some with 3 days some with 5 left, but the quiet whispers of ‘One Monday left, One Tuesday left…’ has now changed to ‘5 days, 4 days…’

And no, that is not the school children getting excited at the prospect of their six weeks of bliss with no homework, no getting up early, no teachers and NO SCHOOL!

I am talking about the teachers!

I have always said teaching is a vocation.

You either want to do it or you don’t.

But even if you really want to do it, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can prepare you for the all encompassing exhaustion that accompanies the best profession in the world!

You see the little seeds of your pupils planted in your care at the beginning of the year, and as you realise what they need to flourish, you chart every stage of their germination, encouraging growth academically, emotionally and physically. The end of the year sees you proudly showing off the blooms you have helped to cultivate.

But not without wiping yourself out.

What with planning lessons that will engage and encourage, delivering all singing, all dancing lessons, assessing and marking, filling in spreadsheets and creating classroom environments to inspire, alongside termly reports and progress grids, not to mention our own teaching observations and performance management meetings, we still have to deal with staff meetings, parent meetings, parents in general and other class based issues. And I can’t forget the extra duties such as subject responsibilities, and clubs that we may run.

It is truly exhausting.

And we thank the day that the school gates finally shut in July… to the children anyway.

You see, contrary to popular belief, once the kids go home, it doesn’t automatically mean that the teachers pack up and leave in a ‘Let’s party! School’s out!’rush.

No.

Many of those teachers will probably leave earlier than normal, then the following Monday will be back in class. (Or maybe the last week of the holidays)

Yes.

We love our jobs that much.

Because it’s not possible to give your children the education they need without planning and preparation. And if we are teaching in the term time, and during school hours, we need to put in that overtime (unpaid, might I add) at home, and in school, to get things ready for our class of angels!

So, I will finish on Tuesday (Yesss!) then be back on Wednesday with my colleagues, clearing the classroom, sorting through resources, preparing display boards, naming books, printing resources, filing paperwork, ordering necessary items. We may be back all week, it may be a few days, but that will be the start of our break.

Then once we leave the school gates, our summer can finally start, but we know that wherever we go, our teacher mind is on somewhere in the back ground, collecting things that will help with our teaching, and any spare moments, we will probably be browsing Pinterest, saving ideas for the next year. And we will keep seeing stationery that would be soooo great for our class! (Cue spending from our own pockets, because we just can’t help it!)

You think your name (Mr/Miss/Mrs …) will be forgotten for the summer, but as you walk through your hometown, you can guarantee you will find a student, or their family, calling your name. Sometimes you want to hide, to forget you are a teacher, but for the most part, you relish the recognition! After all, a child remembers you and wants to speak to you, even out of school! That must be a good thing, right?

A teacher’s work is never done.

And I wouldn’t change it for anything!

( Actually, that’s a lie! I would change it so that there weren’t so many unrealistic expectations on the children, so much demand for accountability, so much paperwork and red tape, taking the fun out of lessons you could be teaching… Oh and a pay rise would be wonderful!)

So, once my extra stint is finished at school, I will be off to spend time caring for Pops, and getting some rewriting done on that finished but not forgotten manuscript (in between keeping the kids apart! 😉 You know what I mean!)

And before we know it, September will be knocking… actually August, because we go back on 30th August… well, us teachers, anyway!

But I am soooo not thinking about that end of the holidays yet!

#SoCS July 14/18 – Sup

14 Jul 2018 39 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #StreamofConsciousnessSaturday, Blo-Jo, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Socs, Teaching, Three Words

Linda’s prompt for SoCS this week…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “3-letter word.” Start your post with any 3-letter word. Bonus points if you end with one too. Enjoy!

Can you believe it’s almost the end of another academic year?

It’s flown by.

I’ve experienced the craziness of teaching in two classes every week, being a Governor, and heading the School Council.

I was certainly busy enough for it to feel like it just whizzed by.

But it definitely wasn’t easy.

Being in one class means you build a rapport with your children.

You really get to know them.

Being in two means you feel neither here nor there.

Yet you are still responsible for the progress they make.

Being a Governor gives you a real insight into the managing of a school, realising why decisions are made, which, as your average staff member, sometimes seem pointless.

Being the School Council lead means I am able help foster a sense of pride in the children about the school they attend. It has been fun, and I wish I had more time to actually do stuff with them!

There are still a few home visits to attend to for next year. There is a little preparation to do to enable us to be ready for the new intake.

Final reports and assemblies, old staff leaving and preparing to welcome the new.

But now, the year comes to a close.

Then this chapter comes to an end…

Catch ya later Peeps! Happy Saturday!

https://lindaghill.com/2018/07/13/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-14-18/

Born To Teach or Taught To Teach? #ThrowbackThursday

01 Mar 2018 91 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Career, School, Teaching, Vocation

Written before I finally got my own class! But the question still stands…

Image Source, words my own.

I think it’s quite apparent to those of you that read this blog regularly, that I work with children, as an educator, a teacher.

Something a colleague said to me the other week really made me think, and it’s been on my mind ever since.

Is this true?

A good teacher is born, just that.

It’s an inherent quality that is within you, from the beginning. And though there are teaching colleges, and degrees, if you don’t have that quality, you will never be a truly GOOD teacher.

Is it true?

I really don’t know… I have seen some truly awful ‘teachers’ over the years, and experienced them, as a student too. Those that teach by the book. Using methods that they have learned by rote.

Then I have seen those inspiring educators, who seem to just emit that glow of learning, and seem to impart knowledge to their students, without the kids even knowing that they have just learned something new.

Sure, it never hurt anyone to learn a few skills, but it’s how you use them in practice that is the important thing, I guess…

I wanted to be a teacher from the tender age of 7. I remember it well. When I realised what I wanted to do. It’s all down to Jo Duck! She was our Head Girl at school when I was finishing Primary School, and she came down to us for her work experience. Up until then, I had naturally enjoyed school, and the teachers were part and parcel, of a great experience that I had had. Suddenly, it was brought to my attention that being a teacher was a job! It was something I could do too! And well, that was it, my mind was made up.

Sure I went through the ‘I wanna be a pop star/film star/hairdresser’ etc. phase, but I always came back to the teaching option. As I grew up, attending all the family functions that having a huge family generates, I would naturally end up with all the little kids around me, sometimes even setting up a school, and playing being teacher. This continued as I got older, but it would be the parents bringing their children to me, and knowing I would happily keep them entertained.

The thought of spending my whole working life with these little creatures of wonder, these empty vessels, these dry sponges, filled me with excitement! I wanted to be the one to fill them with knowledge, to give them the liquid knowledge for them to soak up.

Then, as was the requirement, I went to university, to study for my degree… 4 years to perfect what I always wanted to do. But by the third year, I was totally disheartened. Really? Is THIS what teaching was? A whole load of red tape, paperwork, assessments, tests? When did we get to be with the children? Learning? Playing? Having fun? I know there was going to be work in there too, but what I remember from school was so different to what I was expected to provide to a class of children. It’s like the National Curriculum had arrived, just in time to suck out the fun from schools. This was not what I had signed up for!

I was so close to quitting, but a conversation with my mum sat in the stairwell of my student digs in my third year, convinced me to at least finish my degree. But the rot had set in. I had lost that oomph.

Fast forward 14 odd years. I had worked in retail, in the banking industry, then in an office for a marketing company, but no schools. I had my husband and family, and situations at the time meant I left my then job, to give my all to my children, and my son in particular, who needed more support, academically.

But I couldn’t be a Stay At Home Mum, for various reasons. I needed to find work. Something that would suit my life as a wife and mother. One of the mums at Lil Man’s school knew my qualifications and mentioned that there was a Bi-Lingual Teaching Assistant job going at the school. Hours-wise, that would be great, term-time, holidays with the kids, and start and finish alongside them too! And maybe, just maybe, I could get to do what I loved, finally!

I applied, I got an interview, and I got the job! Well, it would have been a no brainier, Teacher for Teaching Assistant money (and, believe me, it is a pittance of salary!).

So, nervously, I stepped back into education, and almost as soon as I got in, working with Primary and Junior school children, that spark was truly ignited once again. Why had I never gone back to it?

I wanted my own class, but I could also see the stresses and strains that the class teachers of now, have put upon them, by the school’s management, who, in turn, are pressured by the higher powers, to produce results, Results RESULTS!

It’s still there though, that yearning for being an inspiration to a generation of children through teaching them. Sure, I get to be something to them as the Teaching Assistant, but it’s not the same as them being your babies, your class… I’m lucky that the teacher I work with gives me a lot of leeway, and respects my ideas, sometimes using them too.

Going back to what my colleague said to me, the other week. She was surprised that I wasn’t a teacher in the school from my demeanour and behaviour with the kids. And she told me “I believe a true teacher is born, not taught. It’s in you. And I can see that in you.”

Honestly, it was one of the biggest compliments that I have ever received, both professionally, and personally.

I can totally see that teaching is not a job or a career, but a vocation. You have to want to do it, you need to have the love for it, in order to do it well. And from that, get the results you hope to achieve.

One day…. I hope, it will happen. I’ll be able to do the job I love fully, with the support of my colleagues, and I already know I have the support of my family behind me!

What do you think? Born to teach or taught to teach?