You may have noticed that the blog has been very quiet lately. Naturally, September has been very busy at school and I've had other priorities personally. One of these has been trying to do more art/crafts and have less screentime! As you can see, it's working!
Do you do Show and Tell in your school? We do and it's such a wonderful time of the week. The children love to share things that are special to them. I can understand people being against teachers joining in as they see it as a time where the children really take the lead. However, I've found it beneficial to join in and bring in my own item for Show and Tell every now and then. Here's why!
Firstly, it's a great way to model the things you expect to see - eye-contact, speaking slowly, clearly and audibly (!), body language.
Secondly, the children love to see a little insight into the teacher being "human!" This might afford them the opportunity to see a part of your life that would never crop up in class otherwise.
Thirdly, you can model your own achievements and how you have worked towards a goal. Maybe you've run a race and show them your medal. You can explain how much hard work went in to earning that. Perhaps you tell them about a new class you've tried and how you were nervous to try a new thing but you're glad you did.
Tomorrow I'm bringing in something I've been working on since going back to school - handwriting practice! I've been trying to teach myself calligraphy using brush pens. I'm currently on day 28 of practice and there has been a huge improvement. I thought this would be something nice to share with the children as many of them might feel inspired to work hard on improving their handwriting "just like Miss Downing" or maybe see that adults also have to work to achieve results!
In case, you're curious, here's day 1 and day 28 of practice!
