'World Kindness Day' is coming up on 13th November and is a great time to take a breather from the standard curriculum and teach our students some real values that will help shape them into being kind, caring and thoughtful young people.

This is a fantastic 5 minute video on the boomerang effect of kindness and would be excellent to show in an assembly or at the start of your day to inspire and motivate your students to show kindness to others:

You can end the video asking the students to look for opportunities to do something kind for someone else today. You could even spend time at the end of the day sharing what acts of kindness they demonstrated or what acts of kindness were shown to them, and reflect on how it made them feel.

Here's my act of kindness for the day, a freebie from my Christmas and New Year's activities resource which encourages students to reflect on what acts of kindness they can show to bring a smile to anyone's face:

Simply save this as an image and print directly to give to your students. I hope you enjoy and that this sets off a boomerang of kindness too!

It's almost Halloween again! Many students love this time of year - my secondary students were just talking to me today about what costumes they are planning on wearing when they go trick or treating! So I figured let's try and bring what they love into the classroom to ensure they are really enjoying their learning environment!

I just love seeing all the Halloween decor of primary classrooms, but when it comes to secondary we just don't see it happen as much. This can be for many reasons: sharing classrooms, secondary school tends to be more "serious", not enough time to decorate etc.
​Well, I have come up with 5 Halloween hacks that you can effortlessly bring to your secondary classroom or lessons that your students will thoroughly enjoy!

1) Halloween Gel Clings
These gel clings are a fantastic way to decorate your classroom windows or even white boards, as they are just so easy: you just peel and stick to any shiny surface! They are really tacky and stay put, plus they can be used year after year. Effortless and effective decoration!

2) Halloween Banners / Washi Tape
Another way to easily decorate your classroom or personal resources, is to get hold of some Halloween banners or washi tape! As both can be removed easily without causing damage, they can literally be used anywhere! You can put them on your whiteboard, the edges of your desks, on your computer, around your pencils etc - the list goes on! An easy and effective way to add some Halloween vibes to your classroom!

3) Halloween Stationery
​If you don't have your own classroom, then you can still add some Halloween cheer in your stationery kit. For example, you could have a small set of pencils and erasers that are themed for different seasons or holidays!

4) Halloween reward stickers
I don't care what anyone says about secondary students being too old for stickers - in my 10 years experience in the classroom, I've yet to meet any teens who don't enjoy earning a reward sticker on their work! Some might act more cool about it than others, but deep down you know they love it! So why not reward your students's work with Halloween themed stickers this season?

5) Halloween Activities for Teens
If you are looking for some fun activities that are suitable for secondary students that don't require any preparation, then you might want to check these resources out!
I have created some Halloween quote colouring pages and thank you cards that are lovely and relaxing to colour in! What's more, students can then use them as either decoration or as thank you cards for family and friends. I also have a selection of themed printable activities and a zombie tutorial on Photoshop that teenagers really love! Click on the images below to see more:

I hope you enjoyed these tricks and treats for your classroom, and I'd love to hear what you are doing in your classrooms this Halloween!

With 'Performance Related Pay' now in full swing for teachers, it is more important than ever to document the evidence to prove that you are meeting the standard requirements, which enable you to earn a pay rise or at least remain at the top of the scale!

It is appraisal meeting season right now in the UK and teachers around the country are reflecting on achievements from the previous academic year. It can be really difficult to remember everything we have done if we only rely on our memory, and many times we don't realise things we do in our "every day teaching lives" count as evidence for some of the standards too! I see this happen time and time again.
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Every school asks for something different from their staff: some are happy for you to just list what you have done, while others want a detailed synopsis and referenced appendix of evidence. Regardless, my advice is to keep track of things you do throughout the year in some way, shape or form. I'd keep a jotted note and where appropriate, a photocopy of hard evidence such as lesson observations, emails or school newsletters etc.

​With this 20 page binder, you can clearly see each of the standards as well as your personal Performance Management targets. You have a simple and efficient system of both making quick notes on a chart as well as recording hard evidence of how you are meeting the standards. Feel free to check it out here!

You can download the document and then put it in your own binder. My favourite are Staples Better Binders as they are really sturdy, durable and come in a wide array of colours. They have a plastic cover on the front and a banner on the side permitting you to customise your binders easily and professionally!

For the file dividers, I found these awesome ones from Amazon which are fantastic as they are made from high quality, tough polypropylene and they have plastic sleeves at the front so you can customise each divider which is so unique - superb for the cheap price of them!

So get organised with your performance management in whatever way you feel is best for you, and ensure you get the pay you deserve as a teacher!

Finally, I included this fantastic ​ring binder wallet which is great for holding small documents or cards from students and staff, which can also be used as evidence. This wallet is excellent as it is made from tough polypropylene and has a popper flap on the top to secure documents in safely!