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What is Boom? Boom is a platform that allows teachers to purchase and/or create digital activities for students. Boom “decks” are made up of individual, digital task cards for students to complete. What are the benefits of using Boom cards? Boom is great for… Differentiating your instruction (you can assign different students different decks!) Giving students immediate, automatic feedback Getting students EXCITED about learning with badges and fun digital “rewards” for their work Holding students accountable for their independent work Saving time (less grading!) Saving paper What do I need in order to use Boom? You will need: A computer, tablet, or...

  How to encourage volunteers into schools Whether their kids are in kindergarten or high school seniors, parents, caregivers and community members have many good reasons to volunteer at school. What Are the Benefits of Getting Involved? Getting involved is a great way to show children that you take an interest in their education. It also sends a positive message that you consider school a worthwhile cause. Many schools now must raise their own funds for activities and supplies that once were considered basic necessities. Parent and community volunteers are essential to organising and chaperoning these fundraising events and other school activities. The...

  To mark or not to mark? That is the question, because marking is one of those things that is always questionable as a relief teacher. Back in 2011, I worked as a relief teacher in the UK. One day I travelled for over 2 hours from South East London to a school in Slough (Greater London). When I arrived at the school I was instantly informed about the marking expectations at the school, and that even as a relief teacher I was to stick to the school’s marking code of conduct. It included writing two stars and a wish...

  No equipment, no problem! We all know that sinking feeling when you realise you can’t find the PE shed key, or someone has “borrowed” all the footballs. Here are a few ideas for when you’ve got a class ready for PE and absolutely no equipment. All these activities can be used inside or outside. Circles The class sits in a circle, everyone cross-legged with their arms round each other's shoulders. At a signal, they all try to stand up without breaking hold. This also works well in smaller groups, perhaps building up to the whole class. Speed Bounce Children...

  Holiday jobs for teachers We’re halfway through the long awaited school holidays! While this time is packed with family, sun, relaxing and recuperating before the new school year starts, for relief teachers this usually means a time for tightening purse strings and can be quite stressful as you have limited to no income over these 6 long weeks. We’ve surveyed a large list of relief teachers in the same boat to see what their top tips and tricks are on staying afloat over the school break and have outlined the top holiday jobs for teachers into a handy list...