Rice, spice and all things nice...

Us vegetarians have to be rather creative when it comes to preparing our lunches and today's recipe went down really well (literally).  I boiled brown rice and cooked some quorn chicken (style) fillets.  I cut them into strips and added them to the ‘mildly spicy mexican sauce' by Chicken Tonight.  The rice was then stirred in. This colourful concoction certainly beats sarnies.

A feast for the eyes.

Pin up...

I came across these adorable pins in Paperchase and use them to pin up notices, pictures and postcards in my classroom.  The occasional student does a double take, thinking that I have an infestation of ladybirds but the majority find them curious and quaint.

Teaching through soundtracks...

As I've mentioned before, music is a great way to stimulate ideas and generate discussion.  What's better than one musical number?  A whole medley of musical numbers!  Below is a medley of songs that I will use when my oldest students revisit ‘Of Mice and Men' by Steinbeck, for their English Literature exam.  I have extracted the most applicable verse/chorus from each song and edited these together to provide one seamless soundtrack to the novel.  I will ask students to work out how the lyrics apply to the story:

‘Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?' by Bing Crosby

‘You've Got A Friend In Me' by Randy Newman

‘I'm Like A Bird' by Nelly Furtado 
‘Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado

‘Black or White' by Michael Jackson

‘I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Miserables

This is an engaging way to get students into a piece of literature.  You could even ask them to create their own soundtracks.

What novel would you select and what would be on your soundtrack for it?  I'd love to hear (and possibly pinch) your ideas.

Dress up those displays...

To personalise those classroom display boards or give them an instant lift, why not back them with wrapping paper?  This tends to be more durable than your school-issued rolls and more importantly, it adds a splash of colour and interest.  My students love the patterns below:

A notice board in my classroom

Such pretty paper! (From Paperchase)

I've gone polka dotty!

Today's teacher wardrobe choice...

This is what I threw together for work today (I'm wearing my favourite boots but they were unceremoniously chopped out).  The flowery skirt was a recent purchase and adds a ‘pop' of colour to a neutral outfit.  It reminds me of spring/summer; very welcome during this dreary January!

These boots are made for walkin'...

I love a good boot and I wore my favourite pair to work today.  They keep my tootsies warm in these colder months and the heel isn't that high at all; I feel perfectly comfortable in them after being on my feet all day. They look good with a skirt or slim-fit trousers and provide me with some extra height (much needed since some of my older male students are ludicrously tall).

Where do you stand on the shoe vs boot debate?

Wise owls...

For classroom doors that refuse to stay open unaided, this adorable owl door stop is the perfect solution:

I can’t remember where I purchased mine but here are some wonderful choices from Amazon:

Red paisley fabric owl £8.99

Sass & Belle applique owl £9.95

Be warned: the male students may become obsessed with using it as weight-lifting apparatus at the end of the lesson. Don’t ask.

Music to their ears...

Music is a staple in my classroom and the students absolutely love it. I have it playing for the first five minutes of every lesson; when students are walking in, removing outerwear, getting their equipment and placing their bags on the bag rack. They have been trained into knowing that when I press ‘stop’, I am ready to start teaching. 
   To eliminate the endless questions about the title of the song, I have a permanent spot on the whiteboard where I write what is playing. I play the same music for every class on the same day and just have it on repeat and on/off mute in the background. 
  The music is selected from classical music, modern classical music, pop instrumentals, film soundtracks and bhangra! I sometimes select the music according to the day of the week. For example, on a Monday morning I have something energetic and rousing playing like Offenbach’s ‘Can Can’ music or the Indiana Jones theme music to wake students up. If I want to lull them into calm on a Friday I turn to ‘Morning Mood’ by Edvard Grieg or ‘Shake it Out’ by Florence & the Machine (piano instrumental).

I have too many audio files to mention so here is a selection of some of the more popular ones:

Modern classical:

‘Divenire’ or ‘La Nascita Delle Cose Segrete’ by Ludovico Einaudi

Pop instrumentals:

‘Starships’ by Nicki Minaj (a piano instrumental version)

‘Next to Me’ by Emile Sande (piano interpretation)

‘Get Down’ by Nas (instrumental)

‘Harder than You Think’ by Public Enemy (instrumental)

Classical music:

‘Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity’ by Gustav Holst

‘William Tell Overture’ by Gioachino Rossini

‘Habanera’ by Georges Bizet

Film soundtracks:

‘Superman Theme’ from the original Superman soundtrack

‘First Class’ from the X-Men: First Class soundtrack

‘He’s a Pirate’ from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack

‘What are you going to do when you are not saving the world?’ from the Man of Steel soundtrack

Be prepared for student requests (which I don’t mind since it shows an interest) and students singing along (which I am usually spearheading)!

What do you/would you play to students? Are you going to give this a try with your classes? I’d love to read what you think...

Room for ‘shroom...

I am always pleasantly surprised by the number of colleagues who have soup for lunch. I guess I shouldn’t be since it is quick, convenient and hearty. My lunch idea below comprises mushroom soup (Crosse & Blackwell) and ciabatta rolls, lovingly coated in butter! I don’t have this every day and you can substitute all components for healthier options if you are that way inclined.

Chic Teacher's inaugural post!

I'm the kind of person who loves to add a splash of me to whatever I own and whatever I do. It was only inevitable that this obsession with personalisation would trickle into my teaching. This blog will share the personal and creative touches I add to my classroom; from my wardrobe and classroom accessory choices to teaching ideas that have generated quite a buzz with my students. I hope you enjoy what you see and I would love to read your comments and ideas as well. Let's debunk those old-school teacher myths and show how chic and teach can go together in perfect harmony...