St Cuthbert Display

This display has now increased in size, but I think even here the picture of St Cuthbert is very powerful. As part of one of our lessons last week, the children thought of questions they had about the photo - we ended up with around 50 to choose from! Some were fantastic, some were very cute. Eg, 'Did he have bunk beds?'. Awwww! But, we've picked a few [some more might go up yet] to add to our picture and we have done some work to answer the questions the children had. The little posters were part of our work on the journey his body took to reach Durham - simplified to exclude the years spent in Chester-le-Street and the fact the monks travelled south and then back up again. But, we have got some stuff on that up now and these posters were just a way of the children sharing their knowledge. It is quite sweet and links well to our main Durham display with the collages I posted previously. :)

Class Trip = Success!

This week saw our class trip finally arrive. When we planned it for week 5 of term, it felt like it would be ages away, so it is a little odd now that it is done. I am not saying the time has flown by - it has been damned hard work - but it still feels strange to be over with this aspect of it.

All the children came, which had hung in the balance for quite a while, due to a sad incident a few weeks back when a young boy drown in the river we were going to travel along. Thankfully, we managed to persuade all the parents that we would keep their children safe - and, of course, we did. :)

The children really seemed to enjoy it. Our Big Write task was to write a letter about it, telling a friend what you liked/disliked and the vast majority were incredibly positive. A couple of the children had been scared by the boat at first, as they had never been on one before, but even they enjoyed it in the end.

The children got to dress up as Victorians and have a maths lesson, Victorian-style. They also got to do some Victorian laundry lol, dress up as miners and create some brass rubbings [another thing going on our display]. The Heritage Centre was quite small, but they seemed to think it rather big lol and their letters revealed that they had taken a lot in. Especially the features of the C19th prison cell and the punishments dished out lol. We had a wander up to the Cathedral and then along the river to the boat. The boat was definitely a highlight, as the boat driver was incredibly good with the children. Even when one, in particular, kept shouting 'Mr Boat Man....' as he had so many questions. Lol. He ran a little competition for them and said the reward would be ice-cream for everyone, if they all took part. Some of the children didn't believe him, so they were especially chuffed when we got off the boat and went to an ice-cream kiosk. We ate Mr Whippy cones with monkey's blood by the river! It so nice. And, for the first time in weeks, it was dry and quite sunny. [It has rained every day since!] It was nice to be away from school and everything went without a hitch. Yay!

My first school trip, as the lead teacher [apparently lol], was a success! :D

Display Pieces

We have really upped our topic based work this week, for our topic [Durham]. We had a lesson on St Cuthbert and the journey his body made, carried by the monks, to escape the invading Vikings. One aspect of the lesson was to create A3 collages of the key parts of our story. Below are some. 

The latter cow was the first one created. The girls involved started off well, with brown tissue paper for the dun cow. I went to help another group and they did that lol! I think it is quite pretty actually. It reminds me of the painted 3D sculptures of cows that were dotted all around Manchester a few years back. And, it reminds me of the story of the patchwork elephant. But, for our history/geography display, it doesn't really work. 

So, I had to get strict and give them only a few colours - rather than letting them collect their own from a table of resources - and now the result is a little more accurate lol. It is a little sad, definitely - so much brown! But, we have coloured land maps the children have done, posters, photographs and these great binocular pictures - where the children drew what they could see looking through binoculars towards Durham lol. So, there will be lots of colour. And, we've got some captions - the children wrote them and typed them up - to explain these collages, to ensure they make sense lol.

The display should end up pretty good. We already have a huge painting of St Cuthbert on one wall, with questions all around it that the children have asked/want to find out. Some of their questions were quite intellectual lol - 'why did he believe in God?'; 'why did the monks want to save his body from the Vikings?' etc. Some were just really funny lol - 'did he sleep in bunk beds?' lol... We also have a huge photograph of Durham Cathedral and some of the surrounding buildings. It must be 7 foot long! The TA - who is amazing when it comes to display pieces - has three copies, each smaller than the last. She is going to decoupage it, so that it has a 3D effort/looks like it is coming out of the wall. It should be really high impact. Exciting times! :D

Final Placement: Week Four

So, I am now officially half way through my placement. They always say the latter half goes much quicker than the first, so that can only be a positive! :D I've been at my placement school now for six weeks, four of which have been teaching 80%. Another four weeks teaching 80% to go and then two weeks of enhancement - still keeping my fingers crossed that my STCC lets me go into class one [EYFS] for those weeks. :)

The mid-way point also brought the interim report. I am very, very happy with mine. I got a good. My teacher suggested that there was room to move up to outstanding by the end of the placement but I don't think that myself lol. I am happy with a good. Good is, well, good. :D

This week felt very routine. I managed to shave 15 minutes off my Big Write marking time, which is great. And I was even praised by my STCC - never thought I would see the day lol. The children have engaged quite well with our topics this week - they especially liked examining two samples of soil [random, but they loved it], sitting around a puja tray and being able to handle the different objects on it whilst we learnt about Hindu worship, updating our chart of plant observations [for our plants experiment], using an angle-eater to hunt for right-angles and writing playscripts to go on the wall. :)

Regarding the plants, we have four lots. Three that are involved in our light experiment and one lot of 30 that are for the children. They planted their own and they each have their name on a pot. These are doing very well and we think that we might replant them outside in the vegetable patch this coming week. That would be a lovely activity, although I am not quite sure when I can fit that in lol. Anyway, we have put stakes in them for the time being, as we were ending up with something of a jungle on the windowsill. I wasn't keen on the plants topic [or the rocks/soils topic, to be fair] when I started, but part of me loves having a classroom with lots of plants in it. Plus, we planted them on our first day back after Easter - watching them grow almost feels symbolic of my own development. I think I have grown in confidence and there are a lot of things I am doing now, as a matter of routine, that perhaps I didn't think I could. There is no question about it - this placement has been 100 times better than my first. :D

[Cupboard]  

[Corner]      
[Windowsill] 

Quasar!

Not strictly a positive about my pgce. But, if I was not on the pgce, I wouldn't have known the people involved or have been living here, so it kind of is. :D

Today, to celebrate a friend's birthday, we decided to spend the Bank Holiday wisely. By visiting South Shields, having a meal in a cave and playing Quasar!

 I've never played before and was a little unsure of what to expect. Our team of 7 [should have been 9 but 1 was stuck in traffic and another thought it might bring on a panic attack] was up against a team of 9 children/teenagers. One in our group told the kids that we are all teachers and that definitely kicked things off lol. It was teachers vs the kids lol.

I really enjoyed it! I think it must be pretty good for you too - lots of running around, ducking and diving. You literally don't stop moving for an hour. Our team were pretty strategic - working in pairs or even threes to take down the other team lol. They were a little more random - although a couple could definitely grow up to be snipers lol! Worrying I suppose.

Anyway, outside, after an hour in the dark, we got the scores. Blue team [the kids] had -16!!! Red team [the teachers] had 1424!!! Get in lol. The kids were gutted lol. 

My own record wasn't great, although I came third on my team. The two guys in front of me were incredible - 80% accuracy rate. Using a laser gun is very different from using a shot gun lol - I don't think I aimed properly at all, but I didn't too bad - especially not as it was my first go. It has definitely recharged my batteries to help with the next four weeks. An afternoon of fun with friends is a must on a course like this. :)

Final Placement: Week 3

I have made it through week three of my final placement. Yay! 

It has been quite a good week. Obviously, there are lots of areas to work on and to improve, but I am getting into the routine now. Even if that routine does involve getting to school just after 7am, often leaving at 5pm and then spending a good 3 hours working at home before bed lol! 

Whilst the class teacher is always going to be 'the teacher', the children now see me as their proper teacher too. This afternoon, a few came to me with some playtime-related issues even though the class teacher was in the room. In a way, that felt quite good. I don't think the children ever really saw me as their proper teacher on the first placement, probably because it was a short placement. :)

The lessons went reasonably well this week and - thankfully - our plant experiment is really taking off. It looked, at first, like nothing was growing but they've taken off now. The photos below are from the start of the week - by today, they were all considerably bigger. The children have been noting observations - on a class chart - and we have been measuring them as well. It is a nice thing to have accompanying our science work and the children enjoy taking it in turns to water them all. As there are 12 plants for our experiments plus 31 extra [1 for each child and the teacher], there is a lot of watering to do lol. The larger 'in the cupboard' plant below had grown 21cm in just 7 days. I wish I could grow so fast lol! :)

 

[In the cupboard - three broad bean and one cress.]

  

[In the corner of the classroom - three broad bean and one cress.] 

  

[On the windowsill - three broad bean and one cress.]  

[Some of the 31 extra plants for our class vegetable patch.] 

I think I am going to survive this course after all and I really do like my class. There are lots of quirky characters and it can be a challenge, due to the vast variety of attainment levels, but they are all great children. I also love how random things really catch their imagination - for example, I use a timer when they change for PE, which is a set of cartoon track racers. A different racer seems to win each time - I suppose it is randomly generated. The children love it! They start cheering on for the racer of their choice and it actually works in getting them to change quickly, so they can sit on the carpet and see the end of the race lol. A little success but quite a nice one!

Four more weeks and then it is half term. It is going to be hard work, no doubt about that, [especially as Ofsted have as good as promised a "no notice" visit before June] but hopefully it will remain good fun. :)

Two Weeks In

I am two weeks into my final placement and things are going an awful lot better than my first!

There are still a couple of things to work on - obviously - but teaching 80% of the timetable is much better. The children know I am the teacher, rather than me ducking in to take this lesson and that lesson etc. Plus, I have a great relationship with my class teacher - she is incredibly supportive and knows how to give you feedback in a postive way. The class has some real characters and, I won't lie, some days they can feel a little too excentic but, on the whole, they are a good bunch. :D

I'm also taking part in the year 3 tennis club after school - as my class teacher needed help running it - and I am in the midst of planning a school trip [getting simple things like confirmation letters from companies is a bit of a struggle, but I'll get there in the end]! I've even managed to get the hang of the IWB - despite not having used one before this placement. :)

It is hard work - there is no denying that. I am in at 7am each day. I usually leave at around 5pm, although some nights I've been there until 6pm. Then, once home, I have to sort out my planning, flipcharts and resources for the lessons the following day. Sleep is a dream in itself lol... Whilst I am pretty sure that I don't want to do my NQT next year - I need to do something different! - I am feeling really positive about my pgce for the first time since it began. :D

Five weeks on placement. One week that is uni based. Another week on placement. Two weeks at school on 'enhancement' [I want to go into EYFS or at least KS1 lol]. Three days in university and then it is all over. And I plan on making the best of it - after all, I think I have proved to myself that I have the staying power to get this far, so now I am just going to enjoy being the teacher and exploring the area around Durham.

Life is pretty good. :D

Easter Chick Hunt

This afternoon, we decided to organise an Easter chick hunt. It was a bit of a faff but it was well worth it - if only for the giggles we got out of it. :)

The children were assigned a chick [numbered] with a card [numbered] to write down their clues. They had to hide it somewhere in the school grounds [which are beautiful by the way, as the school is surrounded by farm land and a forest!] and then write down a clue. All the clues were compiled in a box and dished out at random, so the children could follow a clue to reach a chick. Simple enough.

Some of the clues were priceless!
- 'Up here' with an accompanying arrow.
- 'On the grass' [helpful when there is enough grass to fill a football pitch lol].
- 'Left of the garden' [which, as the children discovered, could be any which way lol].
Etc. [There were too many to list!]

Watching the children search and then support each other with the trickier clues [like those above lol] was really sweet. They seemed to work well in teams and were all running about the grounds with little hats and sunglasses. So cute! My teacher and I just enjoyed being out in the sunshine, though I did help a few children - particularly with working out what the clues actually said, due to some inventive spelling and rushed handwriting lol. My teacher decided that a plenary was necessary [the first one I've ever seen her do lol], so we all sat around on the grass, in the sunshine, and talked about clues. What makes a good clue? What isn't so good? How had they found it? Etc. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and even the children had a laugh at some of the clues [without upsetting anyone, thankfully]. At one point, I nearly lost it - which in turn made my teacher nearly lose it - retaining your composure is hard when things are that funny! Goodness knows what the chickens thought as they watched from their hutch lol! :D

Positive Feedback & A Sunny Day

Today, my teacher gave me a little bit of feedback about my time in school so far. I think my STCC has mentioned that classroom management was a bit of an issue on my last placement, so she gave me some tips. I have been firmer from the off this time, but I welcome the advice. She said I should spend my first proper lesson laying down the ground rules. I think I will create a class charter with them, introduce a noise chart and perhaps re-jig the reward system with them - make everything clear and get off to a good, firm start lol. :)

Anyway, the positive thing she said was that:
- I have built up really positive relationships with the children.
- I am already aware of their individual needs and quirks.
- I am "tuned into" the children and can read them well.
How sweet is that?! She finished by saying it was very obviously that I love working with children. It made me think a bit. At times - lots and lots and lots of times - on this course, I've felt like packing it in. I've had no intention of going on to be a teacher. But, I do enjoy being with the children and it can be a very fun environment to work in. With the motivation that gave me, I applied for my first job. [That still means I am way behind most people on the course - who are up to job application 1000 and one or two have actually got a job secured - but heyho, it's a start.] :)


During PPA, the teacher decided to go home [I think the beautiful weather had an impact, plus she had a hair appointment booked]. Rather than sit around at school and just waste time, she said she would give me a lift home. I was back for around 12.30pm. I took the decision to sit up on the Mound in the centre of college - overlooking the Cathedral - and I just read [The White Pearl by the amazing Kate Furnivall, as it goes] for 2 hours! It was bliss. So peaceful. So sunny. I even got a little bit sunburnt. A beautiful way to end a positive day. :D

Swimming & Ukulele

Today was a really nice day.

In the morning, the class performed their Ancient Egyptian assembly. We've worked so hard across the week to perfect it and they seemed to really enjoy it. They sang the songs well and all the parents beamed with delight. :)

After the fun of the assembly, we went to the local pool for the class's swimming lesson. From the perspective of the teacher and I, we just had to supervise each half of the class [as only half were taught in the pool at any one time]. And, my teacher insisted that you must have a chocolate bar and a hot drink during that process - hey, I'm not going to complain lol. Though, I did feel a little naughty, given the fact the kids were burning up all that energy and we were just injesting it lol. The only odd thing was that a lot of the children's parents were there watching - apparently they attend every week. They were friendly enough, but I did find it strange that they were there watching, especially if one of their children began to misbehave lol.

In the afternoon, we had a ukulele lesson with a very random, unusual and pretty gigantic man. He was a giant, I'm sure of it lol. I've never played a ukulele before, but my teacher insisted - she always joins in - so I gave it a shot. The class have had 5 lessons and I was pretty chuffed to have caught up with them. I was happily playing along and changing between chords F and C lol. Woo! Sadly, that is the only ukulele lesson I will attend - I am teaching Friday mornings, not Friday afternoons. Unless I hang around during my PPA to join in lol, but that seems a little mad given how much you have to do on a teaching practise lol. :)

So, all in all, a pretty groovy Friday. I really like my new class. All names learnt, little quirks noted and my teacher - whilst being completely different to me in every way - is very supportive and we can have a laugh together. Yay!!!