Brisbane, QLD


Saturday, November 22, 2008

SCHOOL'S OUT LET'S PLAY

Yesterday was the last day of my recent contract to teach upper Primary School (Elementary) children, who have difficulty learning to Read and Write. So I thought I would show you around my workshop. I only teach 3 children at a time,.....


...so I have a little room......


situated between two double teaching spaces, where Years 5,6 and 7 work.



These spaces open onto a wet area for Art, Cooking, Science and small group work. This area opens to the outside, teaching areas and playground.



The advantage of a double teaching area you can have two teachers helping you. The children have finished their end of year tests and they are now completing an Art assignment....

........sewing an advent calendar.


The Information Centre

The Author/Illustrator Narelle Oliver visited the school and ran a workshop on making prints.

Here are some of the children's prints.

Our school year finishes on 12 Dec. and the new year starts on the 27 Jan. So the children are about to hold elections for school captains and vice captains so the school is plastered with election posters.

School bag racks outside the classrooms


A gazebo outside the classroom. Used for learning and relaxing.


Outside the classrooms


Rainwater tanks to help during drought times.

The tuck shop, the lunches have been ordered and made and are now in the baskets waiting for the lunch monitors to pick up and take to the classroom.
The undercover area where the children eat lunch, there are 3 teachers supervising them. It is a small school with about 360 students from Prep to Year 7 (4 -12 yrs old). They wear a blue and gold uniform, they must wear a hat if playing outside.

Meanwhile teachers have lunch in the staff room.


Then the kids can play here or....


here.....


.... but not here, this is out of bounds. It is behind the oval and close to the environmenal area where the odd snake has been sighted.

They love playing cricket or football here. They also play softball, netball and tennis. They go swimming too.
They can play here.......
......and rest here.
School's out I can get in my little red car and go home and play blogging.

9 comments:

  1. Wow Diane, I really admire teachers (mother, brother & sister all were or are in the industry). I tried it for a while in the Pacific, but found I could talk about stuff for about half an hour and then that was it! Love the practical teaching though, I am happy showing someone how to tie a knot or make a fish smoker, but imparting knowledge through words, well, I leave it up to the experts!

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  2. Diane I think it`s great what you do for the kids...My son has a teacher who comes in also to help him with his reading and writing....When he was younger we had a lot of difficulty getting him to school through sickness and anxiety.....Teachers like yourself are a god sent....
    Funnily enough Daniel`s school uniform is the same colour...
    You certainly do have a lovely looking school....So clean and tidy and very new looking....
    Great post and thanks for the tour....

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  3. Great looking school. I worked in an elementary school for 28 years. I didn't teach; I was in the office end of it typing my little life away. I loved it. And they could have used one of those snakes to keep kids out of certain areas. Great discipline idea. :) And I'm fascinated with the rainwater tanks. I never knew such a thing existed. Thanks. :)

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  4. Your school looks very nice, especially compared to the school that is in the area of Crazyville where we live, hence one of the main reasons that I home school.

    I loved the Advent calendars that the students made. Very cute!

    Why do the children have to wear hats while they are outside? (just curious)

    And it's funny that you said that about a robot recipe...because I have already made the next post...and I say that same thing! Great minds must think alike.;)
    I'll post it next Friday....I used a picture of Rosie Robot from the cartoon The Jetsons. LOL!

    Have a lovely weekend!
    God Bless,
    Amy:)

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  5. Amy, Queensland is the skin cancer centre of the world. More people are diagnosed with skin cancer here than anywhere else and it is caused by over exposure to the sun's rays, hence compulsory hat wearing while playing outside. Unfortunately it only seems to work in Primary Schools. High school kids rebel against the rule.

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  6. It's so ORGANISED Diane! They must be a very well behaved bunch of kids you have there. I must say I'm impressed by the cooking and sewing - we never had any of that, even in High School.

    Drooling over the prints and the fact that you had Narelle Oliver....

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  7. Diane,
    Thank you for the tour...Pink rules with the schoolbags....

    You will miss the interaction with the children?

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  8. Wow Diane, had no idea you were a teacher. I too am a teacher, so I guess that means we are sisters! Ha! Looks like a wonderful place for the children to grow and flourish into the wonderful people they are meant to be. God is good!

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  9. Oh I like the look of that school, its so neat and looks so well maintained.

    Oh and they better be carful of the snakes at the edge of the oval, I mena the snakes there could swallow a whole child after all. ;o)

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