All About Abbie...

ATL Annual Conference: Uncertainty and Inspiration

2015-04-02T05:57:00.001-07:00

It has been quite a while since my last blog post. Teaching and life seems to take over and things slip. But after the events of the last week I felt galvanised into action...

As my Twitter followers would have gathered from the past few days, I have been at my union's annual conference in Liverpool.

As many of my colleagues and members of the profession will understand, there is a great deal of uncertainty and strain on teachers and those in education at the moment. There's the ever-increasing and unsustainable workload, an inspectorate that is not fit for purpose piling on the pressure, budget restraints on schools, and a record number of teachers leaving. With this overall picture, it is easy to become down-hearted, even down-right depressed by the state of education.

But I'd like to paint a different picture. When I go to ATL's conference, or meet up with any of my ATL friends, I always leave feeling energised and positive.

The conference centre painted a wall white and allowed us to graffiti on it - Graffiti centred around the #ShapeEducation campaign. Scouring the jottings and doodles showed me that teachers across the UK are feeling the same stresses and strains. I particularly enjoyed some of the creative ways colleagues expressed their views (note the centre picture and dalek!).

It's rare to be able to attend a conference and be able to strike up conversation with virtually anyone you bump into. I love that thorough conference I have met people working in every sector imaginable, including every age phase and conceivable setting. Us teaching folk are a diverse bunch but with a shared passion for the children and young people we teach. Despite the gaps in time between conferences and meetings, when chatting it is as if no time at all has passed.

There have been some incredible speeches and debates over the past few days, including from this year's fantastic president, Mark Baker, and of course ATLs general secretary, Mary Bousted. Both speeches seemed to encapsulate and articulate the precise feeling of everyone in the room.

One of the highlights for me was the ATL Future fringe event, 'Skills, Creativity, Ingenuity: Empowering Young People For a Changing World'. David Cameron (@realdcameron) spoke on the importance of creativity in schools, how it should be embedded and exploited in every subject. Something I will take away from his presentation is the need for "Wonder". He quoted Dave Harris (@bravehead) and said, "without wonder, there is no hope". Children need the space and opportunity to truly wonder about the world around them. David spoke briefly about having a "room of wonder" with various intriguing objects (e.g. A whale's ear, old typewriters, puzzles, curiosities, tadpoles, to name a few!) in for children to explore, investigate and be inspired by. I love this idea, and will definitely be incorporating this into my classroom/school/teaching wherever I can!

This year was my fifth conference and I sincerely hope there will be many more in the future! Through attending conference and my contributions in the ATL Future Steering Group (now come to an end after 4years) I know I have made some friends for life and met some amazing, inspiring, generous people that will have a lasting impression on me and my teaching. Now to start my new ATL adventures with a more active role in my local branch and the committee.

When I tell people that I am active in my Union, I know that for some people a certain image of marches, banner-holding and strikes might spring to mind. For me being an active member of a union is about sharing a vision for education, debating issues, supporting colleagues, developing myself as a teacher and give me the time and space to think about what I value and want for the education system that I work in. It is easy to feel trapped in a bubble during term time, being active in my Union has helped me break that bubble and appreciate the wider picture. Conference has shown me that in times of uncertainty, there can be strength in unity and the sharing of ideas and positivity.

To catch up with my Tweets from #ATLconf2015 follow me on Twitter @Abbie_Saxby

Spicy Challenges - Differentiation

2013-03-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have introduced a new strategy for differentiation in my teaching. I started by trialling it in maths and it has been a great success!

The children get to choose their own challenges: mild, medium, spicy and the ultimate chili bowl challenge! I started off by gently nudging them in the right direction, but to my surprise my class didn't really need the nudges. It always amazes me how, just by changing the name of a task or the way a task is presented, it can totally change how children take to it... I expected quite a few children to opt for the easier challenge, but they didn't! If anything more children took the trickier challenges. It was lovely to see so many children relishing a challenge! It has given the children a sense of ownership over their learning and they have more of an awareness of their own abilities.

I have now developed he idea further so that as part of the chili bowl challenge extension tasks, children can write their own problems or challenges linked with the learning intention of the lesson and put them into the trays for other children to have a go at!

How do you differentiate? What successes or challenges have you come across?

Pinterest - Classroom Ideas and Inspiration

2012-08-29T03:06:00.001-07:00

In less than a week the summer holidays will be over and I'll be back into the whirlwind of teaching once again! I've been trying to get my brain back into "school mode" and I've been in and out of school sorting out my classroom and finding sources of inspiration. I have found some great teaching ideas over on Pinterest. If you haven't explored Pinterest, I urge you to now. Here are my Pinterest pin-boards.

The best ideas are the simplest, you can pick up these little pots for very little cost. There's always the potential for chaos during a maths activity if everyone in the class needs to be rolling dice, so this is the perfect solution!

This is one of my favourite ideas! In year 3 one of the science topic looks at what plants need to be healthy and this is the perfect and really easy way to illustrate to children exactly what is happening when a plant grows. One of the most interesting stages of a seed germinating is that first moment when the seed sprouts roots and this is ordinarily completely hidden from view. I'm definitely going to try this with my class this year! I also came across a fabulous idea of growing seeds inside lightbulbs that you hang from the window frames in the classroom.

What a brilliant idea! My sister The Style PA suggested it could be adapted by inserting Kings and Queens. But this idea could be used in many ways. With a variety of book characters inserted, it would be a powerful way of children developing their skills of character description and would be an exciting way of starting a literacy lesson on descriptive language.

Another brilliant and cost-effective storage solution.

A great way of teaching children about erosion.

Another recycling idea - using Starbucks plastic cups as paint pots.

I think I may have to steal this for my classroom. I currently have words around my clock, but this is a simpler and and more visual aid for telling the time.

Every child works at different speeds and there are inevitably going to be a few children that finish tasks early. This is a great way of having a quick and easy bank of extension tasks that can easily be adapted and added to depending on the context.

This is a lovely idea for an early morning activity while children are filtering into school, a time filler activity, or as part of phonics sessions.

(for sources follow this link)

My Classroom!

2012-08-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

It's that time again folks... the start of the summer holidays and I've been busy in my classroom preparing it for September. I really like coming in for a few days in the summer holidays when it is quiet and I can have fun making resources and displays. I found the idea for this door display on Pinterest (there are some really inspiring and creative ideas on there, check out my classroom "pinboard").

This is another gem I found on Pinterest initially and hunted down a blank printable version over at Teachernet. After a bit of a struggle getting my class to complete homework consistently last year, I thought I'd use this fun and exciting incentive this year. If a child brings in their homework for the week, they get to roll the dice and move their name around the Homeworkopoly board. They can win stickers, mystery prizes and opportunities to play games. Some of the "stops" on the board have a little challenge the children have to complete in order to win the prize. (I think I might be even more excited than my prospective class about this addition to my classroom!!)

Learning Partners display and traffic lights

When children make good contributions to classroom discussion, or work particularly hard, they can get their name on the "Superstar Board" and earn themselve team points.

Beautiful Presentation reminder

Cursive alphabet

You can't quite see from this photo, but I have put numbers on each of the chairs. They have 1-30 on them on a variety of different animals. I am going to use these to build some maths and word problems into everyday classroom routines... e.g. "If your number is in the 3 x table join the line for lunch" etc

Maths area

This is my new targets display. The children have their targets on little rockets. Each time they meet their targets they get to move to the next planet and eventually end up on the Sun! My class really will be reaching for the stars! :) I just can't wait to get started... not that I'm willing away my summer holidays of course!

Feather and Black Challenge - Phase 2!

2012-07-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have been shopping to find complementary pieces for the Feather & Black challenge which you can read about here. Plus, I've added the reveal photo to Facebook, so you can hit 'LIKE' to vote for my room now .

As a reminder, here is the piece of furniture I'm styling up - Olivia white wooden blanket box.

My room is pretty much a blank canvas, but my style is quite feminine and I love having memories and trinkets on display. So when I went shopping, that's where I focused my efforts. I like to get the most for my money and seek out great buys, and that's exactly what I've been doing!

I definitely got a lot for my money and I went for a London theme and subtle colour palette. The small cushions were £12.80, reduced from £16 and the large ones were £20 reduced from £25. The Tea for Two London set was £18 and the 'Home' Scrabble Cubes were £19.50. The little white photo frames were just £4.20 each - all this was from Debenhams.

The Breakfast in Bed tray was £7.99 from Robert Dyas - an unlikely place for pretty bits. Store Twenty One was where I picked up the Morrocan style lamps at £5.99 each.

Finally, I hit Haydens Home Style, the shop my parents run alongside their carpet business, for the half moon rug £12.99, wicker tea cup planter £8.95, beach sign £4.95, small wicker heart £1.75, larger wicker, heart £2.50, Shabby chic heart photo frame £8.95.

The next post will include the final room with all the goodies in place. What do you think so far?

Alternative Wedding Guestbook Ideas

2012-07-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about mine and Danny's guestbook for our wedding and I found some really wonderful ideas in the blogosphere. I love the idea of having a typewriter set up so guests can leave messages and share their wishes for us. I discovered the lovely photo above over at The Boho Wedding Blog and the photo below at Blue Sky Papers.

Lovely typewriter - The Boho Wedding Blog

Leave a message on the tree...

I like this idea, guests leave a message on a puzzle piece - Wedding Guestbook Puzzles

Why not leave a message on a decorative plate - The Lemon Peel

I know Danny would really like this idea, leaving messages on records - Ti Amo

I also really like the idea of using old vintage postcards for people to leave messages on - The Boho Wedding Blog

Feather & Black Make-Over Challenge!

2012-07-09T14:06:00.001-07:00

The Feather & Black challenge couldn't have come at a better time for me, we'd just manged to get rid of an old desk that was taking up valueable space in our bedroom... which just so happens to be the PERFECT space for a lovely blanket box from Feather & Black. I have long admired their gorgeous bedroom furniture. My fairytale, dream house would have a Feather & Blacks bedroom - in (my favourite) the Sienna range.

While we have not long moved into the house, we are still working on making the space our own and adding our own finishing touches to it. We are also still in the process of building up our collection of furniture (coming from rented and furnished accomodation whilst we were students). What it really needs is a bit more character. I love the windows in our bedroom, they let in lots of light and they have huge window sills. But at the moment our bedroom is still very bland and it's lacking something... Here is the bedroom "before" the Feather & Black make-over...

Keep your eyes peeled for my next two posts... revealing the makeover as it progresses! In the meantime have a look and see which range is your favourite on their website. Good luck to the other bloggers taking part in the challenge, I can't wait to see what you do with your rooms! Check out their Feather & Black make-overs - at That's Yummy Mummy, Mummy in Manolos, Mother's Always Right, and Emma and Three. My challenge will be featuring on The Style PA's blog too so be sure to pay her a visit. Below is the beautiful blanket box that I will be adding to our room in a bid to give it the Feather & Black make-over challenge!

Also, on another note, at some point in the last couple of posts I hit the big 300! Happy 300th blog post to me, hurrah! Thank you to anyone who has had a little look at my blog over the past three years...

Vintage Wedding Fair - Chiswick Hall

2012-06-30T11:28:00.001-07:00

I attended the Vintage Wedding Fair at the Chiswick Town Hall in London with The Style PA a while ago now and I've been meaning to blog about it. I'm getting rather excited about our wedding, we've got a while to wait yet (until next summer!) but it has given us lots of time to prepare and save our pennies! I want to make as much as I can myself and save as much money as possible... so I thought the Vintage Wedding Fair was the perfect opportunity to find some inspiration!

I absolutely love this simple and beautiful jar of flowers. I'm thinking of having flowers in teapots and chocolate hearts in teacups for the table decor at the evening venue.

There were some lovely dresses... but many were far too lovely... and therefore well out of my price range!

I don't think I want a veil. I'm more or a fascinator or headband kinda gal. I saw some gorgeous flower, lace and pearl headbands that took my fancy. But I can't start gathering accessories until I find the dress. So my search continues!

Love Cafe - St Leonards

2012-05-20T06:11:00.001-07:00

On a recent jaunt into St Leonards we stumbled upon a lovely little cafe.. The Love Cafe. We popped in for a late breakfast and it was thoroughly delightful!

I totally loved the decor, every table was different. Danny and I opted for the wingback chairs and cosy little table.

Danny with his 'Love' cup of tea!

Delicious freshly squeezed orange juice!

I had intended to photograph the food before I started eating... but my mushroom and poached egg on granary toast was so tasty I had to tuck in immediately! The service was speedy and very friendly, the next time I'm in the area I will definitely be visiting the cafe again and try something more substantial from their menu.

And... it has a trapeze artist on the ceiling... what more could you ask for!?

Vintage Car and Bus Rally - Hastings

2012-05-20T05:46:00.001-07:00

I'm really not much of a "car person", but I must say, I do appreciate these lovelies! Older, vintage cars just seem to have so much more character and I love the shapes and colours. I can't say I enjoy peering under the bonnet as it's all the same to me, but the style of the bodies and interiors of the cars is what does it for me. Me and Danny went for a swim and noticed this vintage car and bus rally on the green opposite and decided to have a look around...

I'd love a gorgeous old car for mine and Danny's wedding!

An Abbie-sized car! I was certainly built to be a Fiat 500 owner!

The highlight for me, were the old routemasters on show. This one was the most lovely shade of green!

My Beautiful New Dresser

2012-05-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

I bought this gorgeous dresser in Hastings Old Town junk yard as a way of displaying the pretty teacups, teapots, milk jugs and sugar bowls I have been collecting. Every time I walk past it I can't help but gaze at it... there is almost so much prettiness in one space that it hurts my eyes!

Beautiful Books!

2012-04-29T07:59:00.001-07:00

Cut Book Illustrations by Tomas Allen

I love a good book, especially a beautiful one. Here are some Tumblr inspired finds that all celebrate beautiful books! I ~~want~~ need one of the book shelves below that looks like the twisted branches of a tree. There is something simply magical about it...

The Guardian's Beautiful Bookshelves article

Gold picture frame book shelves

Beautiful Book Covers

Books and Roses

Fairy Tale Window Books

Mad Men - I'm Mad About Their Style!

2012-04-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

I know I am completely behind the times, but I've just caught up with the amazing series, Mad Men. I recently bought the series 1-4 boxset and have proceded to devour every episode. I love the style of the programme - but I particularly love the three main female character's outfits... oh and the womanising escapades of the handsome Donald Draper of course!

I love how completely different, Betty, Peggy and Joan's styles are... and if I were to say which style I was closest to, it'd have to be a mixture of Betty and Peggy. I'd love to be able to wear some of the gorgeous dresses that Joan wears but alas, I certainly haven't got the amazing figure to pull it off!

I love lots of the 50's dresses Betty wears, particularly in the first couple of series!

Joan's look favours figure-hugging dresses... I love the blue one above!

Which Man Men character sums up your vintage style best?

Coca Cola Ads From The 50's and 60's

2012-04-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been watching a lot of Mad Men... can you tell!? I have been kicking myself for not watching the series when it was on TV, so I bought the boxset series 1-4 and have spent the past few weeks catching up! It has made me appreciate the old ads from the 50's and 60's so much more. I love these old and retro-styled Coca Cola ads...

Rainbows

2012-04-24T10:20:00.001-07:00

Rainbow Cake!

Rainbows make me smile. I just can't help it, colour always seems to brighten my mood. For me, one of the best sources of colourful inspiration is Tumblr. In fact, I follow quite a few lovely sources of inspiration on Tumblr... find me here and be sure to check out Bows and Polka dots and Prettiness and Buttons and Snapped in the Street (for some random finds in mundane places). But for now, just enjoy some of the colourful finds I have stumbled across that put a smile on my face.

Rainbow painted walls

Old Town Inspiration - Vintage Treats!

2012-04-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

I ventured into Hastings Old Town today with Danny and my older sister, The Style PA, to peruse Hastings Old Town for vintage inspiration. We also went to view a potential wedding venue (but that's a story for another blog post. Needless to say it was mightily exciting!). These lovely scrabble rings were courtesy of Little Treasures, one of my favourite shops in the old town.

I love old apothecary cabinets! Each drawer should hold something different and mysterious...

The Imaginarium in the Old Town junk yard... I think if I visited the junk yard every weekend for a year, I would never struggle to find new and interesting things each and every time!

Very tempted by some lovely old maps...

Pretty things!

I love the idea of using old suitcases for storage and decor.

Wedding Ideas: Scrabble or Lego?

2012-04-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

I am a massive fan of Scrabble! My favourite necklace is a scrabble "geek" necklace, and I would love to bring a little bit of Scrabble into the wedding celebrations somehow. I really like some of the ideas above.

Danny is a massive Lego enthusiast and has kept every brick of his (precious) Lego since he was a child. So it would only be right to have Lego versions of us on top of our cake! Though, of course, I'd have to customise the Lego wedding dress so that it was polka dot!

There are some really lovely Lego themed wedding cakes out there too...

Wedding Ideas: Polka Dots, Teacups and Jam Jars...

2012-04-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

We haven't set a date yet, but that just give me more time to dream about the possibilities for our wedding... and find ways of achieving them on a budget! So far I'm really liking the idea of lots of polka dots (naturally!) teacups and jam jars for flowers. I think the trawling of charity shops for old teacups and saucers, cake stands and jars will have to start now!

A Dotty Wish List...

2012-03-24T13:57:00.006-07:00

Polka Dot Converse

Pushka Polka Dot Cutlery Set

Polka Dot Bicycle

Spotted Strap Watch

Brighton Belle Polka Dot Dress

Hands Up if You're Enjoying The Sunshine!?

2012-03-24T10:11:00.006-07:00

Hands up if you're enjoying the sunshine!? We certainly were today. We dipped our toes in the ridiculously cold sea (it looked to inviting!) we ate Italian ice cream, lounged on the West hill and had a thoroughly sunny time!

What did you do today to make the most of the sunny weather?

Engagement... and Other Exciting Stuff!

2012-02-18T01:17:00.008-08:00

Well exciting news! As of valentines Day I am officially engaged! The other half proposed whilst on holiday in Athens on V-day... how romantic! So there are lots of exciting things to look forward to in the future... like a polka-dotty wedding for starters! It will definitely be a couple of years yet, as I need to save some pennies first, but that just gives me more time to ponder and plan. My younger sister, so she tells me, has already got half the wedding planned: polka dot wedding dress, and dress code, cupcake wedding cake topped with a Lego version of me and the groom, and instead of sugared almonds in the guests' favours... Lego!

There are also some more exciting things coming up this year...

Going to Ghana!

I am officially off to visit a school in Ghana for a week with my school. As lots of you know I went on a charity trip to The Gambia last summer (read about my charity work, explorations and adventures)and I am really excited about going back to Africa and seeing another part of the continent. Especially as I will be helping out in the link school we have there.

Attending the ATL conference
In Easter I will be attending the annual ATL conference in Manchester. It'll be a fantastic experience, not to mention a lovely chance to catch up with old friends and people I met last year!

Holiday and Italian Wedding!

In the summer I will be heading off with the family back to Italy to attend a friend's wedding and to have another exploration in Rome... exciting!

What exciting things are you looking forward to?

Athens - Riots and Graffiti - The Darker Side of the City

2012-02-17T07:36:00.011-08:00

During our stay in Athens, there were scheduled protests against the proposed cuts in Greece. We were having our traditional Greek taverna meal to the background noise of petrol bombs being thrown at riot police and had the faint haze of tear gas in the air... how romantic!

We made our way through the masses of people who took to the streets we arrived back to our hotel and was able to then watch the protests unfold from our balcony. There was an impromptu rally right beneath us as a group broke away from the main march to chant their disdain for the proposed budget cuts.

There was a heavy police presence...

A small section of the protest march as it filed past our hotel. As the people were pushed back from Syntagma Square outside the parliament building and then subsequently from Omonia square and the smell of tear gas in the air and smoke from the burning buildings became stronger as more people came past. We had to cover our mouths to stop our throat and noses burning...

Some of the aftermath the next morning... almost every bank along the protest march routes had been vandalised, smashed and/or burned...

Some shops were also targeted by more extreme protestors...

Overall the clean-up was swift though, by midday most shops were cleaned out and were having new windows installed. We visited the parliament building and Syntagma square in the afternoon and, apart from the police milling about, you would never have known that it was the scene of violence only hours before.

Something that was incredibly striking was the sheer amount of graffiti in Athens. It was rare to see a building without a piece of graffiti on it somewhere. Some of the graffiti I would class as art, including the amazing hands painted on the side of a building directly outside our hotel in the Psirri area of the city.

Some of the graffiti had a political undercurrent, and was clearly a comment on the current troubles happening in the city...

Outside the Flea Market in Monistiraki

Athens - Rain, Ruins, Romance and... A Ring!

2012-02-17T06:34:00.013-08:00

I have just returned from a city break in Athens. It was a wonderful mini break after a long and tiring half term at school... Above is a snap of me on a rocky hill just outside of the Acropolis. The views were spectacular and you could see the whole of the city sprawled out all around you - beautiful!

Beutiful views of the snowy Alps on our flight to Athens.

Our meal in the traditional family-run Greek taverna. The meatballs, moussaka and the greek slad were delicious!

Mmmm feta and olives!

We did have a bit of bad luck with the weather and here's me doing the obligatory "singing-in-the-rain" moment.

Nutella croissant for breakfast!? Yes please!

Goats cheese and olives are among my favouite things... so I was in heaven!

One of the theatre's at the foot of the Acropolis

On our first day we visited the Acropolis, as we reached the lofty ruins a huge dark ominous cloud came across the hills and there was a thunder storm! With the Acropolis being build on solid rock we quickly felt like we were rock-pooling with all the huge puddles springing up! We got absolutely drenched, but we made a quick pit-stop to a Starbucks for tea and hot chocolate and changed into dry clothes at our hotel.

Beautiful views!

Over the break (on Valentine's Day) there was also a little addition to my ring finger...

Ta-dah! The beautiful engagement ring :D

Relaxing and enjoying the views... one guess to decide which feet belong to me!

I would totally recommend a visit to the Greek Capital. There is so much to see, culture to take in, and delicious food!

My Home - Before and After... The Big Transformation!

2012-01-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

There is nothing quite as exciting as moving house and making the new place your very own. In September we moved into a new place and, while it was very exciting, it needed an immense amount of hard work! We have finally got more or less everything sorted now in our cosy little flat - apart from the flooring in the bathroom. So I thought I'd share the before and after pictures with you all!

The entrance to our main living area...

The wonders of pretty wallpaper and a lick of paint!

Still awaiting flooring and the new sink to be fitter, but a darn sight better than it was!

The study, complete with messy desks!

The "lobby" area...

Our front room

Our little kitchen... Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake!

The Lobby - with Danny!

Audrey

One of several musical instruments littering the flat... Couldn't quite manage to get the double bass mounted on the wall however ;)

Polka dot cupcake planter

Some of my many books... I'm no longer allowed to buy any more as we're rapidly running out of bookshelf space!

Aerial photo of Leeds

My anqtique book collection

Pretty boxes :)

Tatty Devine - Geek Chic Jewellery

2012-01-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Envelope necklace - £24

After my recent visit to my opticians, and upon discovering that my prescription, and eyesight, has gotten worse... again! I decided to fully embrace my geekiness (which is usually embraced quite a lot anyway!) and buy myself some black plastic specs. They team quite nicely with my "geek" scrabble necklace - which has been almost permanently attached to my neck recently! For the geekiness factor, I really love Tatty Devine jewellery and here are my favourites!

Glasses Necklace - £24

Jarv Specs Necklace - £42

Full Stop and Comma Earrings - £27

Quote Earrings - £27

Bookworm Necklace - £27