My name is Bob Brandis and reliefteaching.com is my baby. It is pretty much a labour of love.
ReliefTeaching.com is here to support your role in the classroom.
It is not an advocate of any system, or the current educational nuances. It is about effective classroom practices - particularly for those in the role of providing support for students while their regular teachers are on other duties.
I am sure full time teachers will benefit from the resources in this site, but it is primarily for those in relief teaching roles.
If you like what I have to offer, please join our community and receive special discounts and saving on many resources available from this site.
My history in a nutshell,
- I have been with Education Qld for 38 years;
- a teacher for 35;
- of which 32 were as a principal;
- I retired in 2010;
- I am now a relief teacher because I enjoy it.
My Career
I started with Education Queensland in 1973. I spent a few years teaching year 6 and 7 classes in Brisbane before taking over my first principal position at my one teacher school in 1979.
I progressed through the principal ranks. I served as a principal in small country schools, regional high schools, secondary departments until I earned final principal posting of my city school (830 kids) here in Gladstone where I still live.
Throughout my principal's career I kept close to my classrooms and teachers.
I saw some great relief teachers and some who just struggled through their days, not for the want of trying.
After 38 years with Education Queensland I retired from full time work in 2010. During that time I taught in every classroom from Prep through to Year 12.
As a Family Man.
My wife is currently a principal of her own school (300+ students). We married in 1975 and have three wonderful children. Only one chose to be a teacher (funny that!) and he is now a HOD at a coastal high school. My other children are not in education at all.
I have 7 gorgeous grandchildren and my role as POP is probably the moat important of them all.
As a Relief Teacher
After I retired, I decided to join the ranks of Relief Teaching and walk the talk. I now do relief teaching in small country schools with multi-age students, small city schools with composite classrooms and large city schools.
Not surprisingly relief teaching is not the same as regular classroom teaching.
You don't have the same authority with the children as the regular classroom teacher. You won't have developed the same relationships and you may not even have the chance to do so.
As a relief teacher, you are not accountable for the long term goals of your students but you are accountable for the short term goals.
Relief Teaching is about
You don't have the same authority with the children as the regular classroom teacher. You won't have developed the same relationships and you may not even have the chance to do so.
As a relief teacher, you are not accountable for the long term goals of your students but you are accountable for the short term goals.
Relief Teaching is about
- establishing your authority quickly, succinctly and often (not to be confused with aggression);
- having curriculum assignments/tasks which are purposeful, powerful and meaningful to your students;
- managing students productively for the duration of your visit.
- being fully prepared for your day.
I offer you my experience and will happily share activities, tasks and curriculum assignments that are tried and tested in various classrooms and various age groups.
Make no mistake ...
No teacher has it easy and Relief Teaching is especially not easy.
Like myself, you are not paid to baby sit students and if you try, they will punish you with misbehaviour.
Students respond to teachers who interact with them purposefully.
Your thankless (but relatively well paid task) is to ensure students have valued by your presence.
The lessons, like the ones on this site, are aimed at full student activity but it assumes that you, as a teacher, are also active.
Passive lessons, such as worksheets where you can sit and watch, are rarely effective.
If you plan to be an effective relief teacher, equip yourself with good tools of the trade.
I purchased a small laptop ($300), a data projector ($200 - from Ebay) and a data presentation tool ($5 - also from Ebay). Now all you need is to plug the laptop into the whiteboard, if present or my data projector if not.
Daily plans work well on PowerPoint and lessons could be hyperlinked to this plan.
Use the presentation tool to run the PowerPoint which frees you to move around the classroom and target the miscreants or those who need help.
Your single goal is to ensure that students have academically benefited by the 5 or so hours with them.
I have a vested interest in ensuring you are doing a good job. You could be teaching one of my grandchildren.
Good luck.
Bob Brandis
Make no mistake ...
No teacher has it easy and Relief Teaching is especially not easy.
Like myself, you are not paid to baby sit students and if you try, they will punish you with misbehaviour.
Students respond to teachers who interact with them purposefully.
Your thankless (but relatively well paid task) is to ensure students have valued by your presence.
The lessons, like the ones on this site, are aimed at full student activity but it assumes that you, as a teacher, are also active.
Passive lessons, such as worksheets where you can sit and watch, are rarely effective.
If you plan to be an effective relief teacher, equip yourself with good tools of the trade.
I purchased a small laptop ($300), a data projector ($200 - from Ebay) and a data presentation tool ($5 - also from Ebay). Now all you need is to plug the laptop into the whiteboard, if present or my data projector if not.
Daily plans work well on PowerPoint and lessons could be hyperlinked to this plan.
Use the presentation tool to run the PowerPoint which frees you to move around the classroom and target the miscreants or those who need help.
Your single goal is to ensure that students have academically benefited by the 5 or so hours with them.
I have a vested interest in ensuring you are doing a good job. You could be teaching one of my grandchildren.
Good luck.
Bob Brandis
4 comments:
Hi Bob,
Great site and inspiring to see that you are still teaching after a change in role.
Hi Bob,
Loving what you are doing. Would I be able to email you regarding an online resource I manage. Here is the video: http://youtu.be/KzuV3jdbGNQ
Would love to discuss Skwirk with you further. Let me know the best way to contact you.
David and The Skwirk Team
Thank you Marie for your comments. I have always enjoyed teaching so relief teaching in retirement is a nice balance. It is always nice to have options.
Hi David,
I must say SKWIRK looks very interesting. You can contact me at bob@reliefteaching.com
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