Primary practitioner? Make your day a little more stress free!

Experience brings its own rewards and teaching for almost 3 decades has enabled me to gather some amazing tools to making life as a primary class teacher a little easier. Learning from others is key; spend time in the staff room, get into colleagues classrooms when you can and listen to all feedback with open ears.

It’s all about trying to increase your toolkit and then doing what you can to apply it to your own practice! 

• Firstly, open the windows in the morning before the children arrive – fresh air helps the brain to keep working and allows something of the outside world into your room!
  • They could write on wipe boards with pens, in a ‘starter book’ and for those who need a little extra help and support work with a partner or a member of your support team.
• This frees you up to take the register, speak with pupils who may need to give you information or have a chat and creates a calm start to the day.
• Play music when changing for PE. Have a lovely classical piece for approx. 3 minds long and play it when the children change into their PE kit. Use it as a class challenge to see if everyone can be changed before the end of the piece!
• Encourage collaboration and support and ask the children who are quicker and more able to self-manage to help the others by handing them their kit or folding their clothes away for them. Make sure you know who wears glasses in your class.
  • Children often forget to wear them to school or to wear them. Knowing who should enables you to give them a gentle reminder if they aren’t!

“Never miss an opportunity for learning to take place. Write on the board a question of the day and have the children start to answer it as soon as they enter the class.”

• Use a lolly lotto to pick your pupils for jobs, taking messages and to ask questions. This way everyone gets a turn and it is fair. Children, especially those with specific needs, love a teacher who is fair, and it takes away an awful lot of fuss.
• Make sure the end of the day is well planned for. Support pupils in organising their personal possessions and structure the day so that you have time to handout letters, slips and homework.
  • Make sure they know to put everything in their bookbags and also ensure they have their coats, gloves and scarves and their packed lunch bags! Using monitors will help, but, having a system for their storage means that pupils can be more independent.
• End the day on a positive note. Factor in 5 mins to summarise what has been learnt and enjoyed and talk through the next day and the rest of the week.

“…sharing the learning and the events will create a secure atmosphere and enable the pupils to come prepared.”

And finally, end the day with a smile! It’s been a fantastic day of mearing and the next day will also be wonderful and full of surprises I am sure!