Teaching is one of those jobs where you can’t kick back and “take an easy day.” Regardless of what you have going on outside of school…regardless of if you’re not feeling well…you have a class of little ones who NEED you. They need your attention, your love, your encouragement, your instruction, your support. Teaching’s hard…… Continue Reading
I’m a reading specialist, but I actually have a math-oriented brain. I love logic, organization, and breaking things down. So it probably comes as no surprise that I ADORE lesson planning! The process of planning is fun and exciting to me. (Does that make me a huge dork?) Here’s what I like about planning: I…… Continue Reading
I’ve always loved reading—as a kid and as an adult. I also want my students to develop a love of reading, and if you’re reading this post, you must feel the same way! Unfortunately, not all our students love reading when they enter our classrooms. Maybe they’ve struggled with reading in the past. Maybe reading…… Continue Reading
Do you often feel like you have TOO much going on in your life? That you’re constantly on the go? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed or stressed to the max? Teaching is a crazy, time-consuming job in itself. And many of us have lots of other responsibilities at home—as well as things that we want…… Continue Reading
Do your students get a little noisy or chatty during independent work time? In this post, I share 5 tips to help you keep your classroom noise level under control! Photo Credits: vgstudio, Shutterstock Tip #1: Use a soft, calm voice right before students go off to work independently. When I’m getting my students ready…… Continue Reading
Want to make your reading block more efficient? In this post, I share 5 ideas to help you make the most of the time you have! Photo Credits: Backgroundy, Shutterstock Minimize Unnecessary Transitions Transitions always seem to take foreeevvverrrr in the primary grades. Of course, transitions are necessary (and can be a good movement/brain break…… Continue Reading
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
