Teaching can be such a rewarding profession, but it’s also HARD. We are responsible for so much—from lesson plans, to carpool duty, to student growth, to keeping up with our professional development, to making sure that Johnny goes home on the right bus—it’s a lot! Taking care of yourself is SO essential to surviving and…… Continue Reading
The Internet is an amazing resource for us teachers! Millions of ideas are at our fingertips. It allows us to connect with other teachers around the world. The Internet helps us improve our practice. BUT! (You knew there was a “but” coming, right?!) If we’re not careful, what we consume online can make us doubt…… Continue Reading
Have you ever felt frustrated by your students’ behavior? Maybe you have a difficult class this year. Or maybe your otherwise well-behaved students are getting a little squirrelly as the holidays approach. Whatever the case may be, if you get frustrated with your students’ behavior sometimes, you’re not alone. It happens to me more often…… Continue Reading
Back when I did my student teaching, I could never remember to check my mailbox. You know, the one in the staff room—where you get all the little fliers and notes. At that point in time, email wasn’t used for communication quite as much as it is now, so I REALLY needed to check that…… Continue Reading
Kids need to know what they are expected to do in the classroom, and they need to know why they are doing it. When I first began teaching, I didn’t really understand this. I would just do stuff with my kids, and not really talk to them about it beforehand. And I didn’t always explain why something was important. However,…… Continue Reading
If you’re a teacher like me, you probably have mixed feelings about the weeks between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. It’s such a beautiful time of the year – but the kids also get a little bit rowdy, you’re scrambling to put together student gifts or holiday projects…..and then there’s your OWN holiday baking and shopping.…… Continue Reading
Teacher collaboration is key to students’ success, especially when a child works with multiple teachers throughout the day. Honestly, though, it’s hard to find the time to collaborate with our colleagues. Even when we are lucky enough to have common plan periods or a regular meeting schedule, talking about how to help individual kids doesn’t always…… Continue Reading
I am fascinated by how education works in different countries around the world. But learning about foreign schools is more than just interesting. We can learn a lot from studying the successes of other education systems. A couple of years ago, I read a book called The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way,…… Continue Reading
My first year teaching Kindergarten also happened to be the first year that I had ever assigned homework to students. You see, before I began teaching Kindergarten, I taught Pre-K. In Pre-K, we did not give homework. When I moved up to Kindergarten, I had big dreams about the homework I would assign. I’d give out exciting…… Continue Reading
When I moved up from Kindergarten to a 1st/2nd grade class, I was pleasantly surprised by how the first day of school went. There was no crying. No bathroom accidents. No wandering around the classroom. It was calm! Enjoyable, even! I could actually do activities with the kids! That year, my students’ favorite back to…… Continue Reading
