I have been a classroom teacher or instructional coach in upper elementary grades for over 30 years.

I get asked for advice or “words of wisdom” all the time. (This happens when you become one of the “elders” at your school!)

So, I’ve been collecting some thoughts that are tried and true. Pick and choose what works for you and what you want to try. Let me know what works for you and what you would add to this list! Even if you’re in your first year of teaching, you will likely learn some valuable strategies. Please share with the rest of us! We’re all better together.

With your students

1 – Greet your students at the door. This gives you a chance to say hello to every student, smile and welcome them, and get a quick “temperature check” on their feelings as they begin their day or class with you.

2 – Teach the importance of productive struggle. Talk about things you might have struggled to learn or master and what you did to get past it.

3 – If students have a minor conflict, tell them you’ll be happy to help them work it out during recess. If it’s genuinely minor, they’ll let it go. If they still want to talk with you, it’s worth helping them resolve it.

4 – When you’re wondering what to do about a situation, put yourself in your students’ place. What would you want your teacher to say or do?

5 – Emphasize that every day is a fresh start – for you and your students.

6 – Keep a pack of thank-you notes in your desk drawer. A quick note to a student for even the smallest gift makes a big impression on them.

7 – Randomly distribute post-it notes of pep talks or praise to individual students. Keep a list to know who has received a note and who still needs to.

8 – Take your students outside whenever possible. Fresh air and a bit of movement helps everyone get a fresh perspective.

9 – Occasionally, build in catch-up work time. This will allow you and your students to catch your breath and finish unfinished assignments. Some teachers call this “K & R” for ketchup and relish. Students can “ketchup” on any missing assignments, or they can “relish” their free time.

10 – Use attendance questions for students to respond to instead of saying “here” or “present.” This is a fun way to start the day.

Here’s a great list!

11 – Consider attending your students’ extracurricular events.

12 – Remember that every student is someone’s child.

13 – Maslow before Bloom. Here are my tips for doing that.

14 – Be firm, clear, consistent, and kind. And remember that being clear is being kind.

15 – Don’t grade everything! Your students should be doing much more work (practice) than you do.

16 – Make every class think they are your favorite class.

17 – Kindness over curriculum. Relationships first, learning second.

18 – Admit when you have made a mistake and apologize. This is a powerful model for your students.

19 – When you want students to lower their voices, try lowering yours. This works most of the time!

20 – Instead of clapping to get students’ attention, try incorporating mindful breathing by saying, “If you can hear me, take a deep breath.” Repeat that until everyone is quiet and breathing deeply. Instant calm.

21 – Never be afraid to say “from now on.” You can reset your classroom environment or expectations at any time.

22 – Pick your battles. Not everything is worth it.

23 – Always have a plan, but be flexible.

24 – Form your own opinion of each student. Get to know them yourself at the beginning of the year before seeking past teachers’ opinions.

25 – If you notice sudden changes in a student’s appearance, academic performance, or behavior, alert your school guidance counselor or school nurse to check in on the student. Reach out to the family or caregivers as well.

26 – When kids tell you something that does not need your assistance (just sharing a story, for instance), say, “Thank you for telling me.” Sometimes, kids just want someone to listen to them.

27 – Find what is unique and special about every student and talk to them about it.

28 – Never miss an opportunity to laugh with your students.

29 – When you want students to get quiet and listen to directions, try typing the directions (to appear on your screen) or writing the directions on the board. Kids get curious and start paying attention to what you are writing.

30 – A sense of humor helps break tension in a classroom and is a great motivator.

31 – Wet paper towels and Band-aids can cure almost anything.

32 – Plan your classroom management. Some behaviors are predictable, so plan how you will respond.

33 – Teach your classroom rules, routines, and expectations explicitly from the first day of school and review frequently. You will never regret the time you invest in that.

34 – Brain breaks are needed for all ages – dance breaks, music, outside time, deep breathing, reading aloud, jokes, funny stories, funny or inspiring videos. This helps everyone relax and bond.

35 – Calm is contagious. When the stress level is rising in your classroom, bring the calm.

36 – Try out new technology with kids. YOU don’t have to be an expert- the kids will help you figure it out! Plus, it models your willingness to learn and be a beginner.

37 – Always buy a yearbook! Kids will come back to visit during your career, and sometimes it is hard to recognize them when they’re not ten years old anymore. Looking at their picture in the yearbook will bring back lots of memories.

38 – Relationships with your students are the most essential part of the work. If you have positive relationships, it will keep you going when things get hard and you want to quit. If you have positive relationships with your kids, they will learn! So, spend as much time as possible at the beginning and throughout the year getting to know everything about them and their families.

39 – Always ask why. Whether it’s to find the reason behind misbehavior or a missing assignment, it’s important to ask why. You will learn much from listening to your students instead of immediately rushing to judgment.

40 – If a student is asleep, gently wake them. Don’t try to embarrass them. You have no idea what they are going through at home. (It’s a good idea to alert their grownups and your school guidance counselor or social worker if it is a persistent problem.)

41 – Things in education change constantly and cycle back and forth. What remains the same: kids need us! And they need to feel welcome, confident, connected, and that it’s okay to make mistakes.

42 – Enjoy your students as people. Go to their activities outside of school and show interest in their lives. Take time in class to get to know them – don’t just focus on content.

43 – Default to compassion – for students, colleagues, and yourself.

For yourself

44 – Keep nail clippers, a nail file, hair care products, and deodorant in your teacher bag or desk.

45 – Stock up on your favorite pens.

46 – Invest in whatever makes your work environment more pleasant for you. Do you need a kettle to make tea? An individual Keurig coffeemaker? A supply of snacks? Pictures of loved ones on your desk? A cute planner? Whatever makes you happy, invest in that!

47 – The bottom line on bloodborne pathogens training: if it’s wet and it doesn’t belong to you, don’t touch it! Latex gloves for the win.

48 – Consider using a cleaning service for your house.

49 – Plan a low-key take-out dinner for Friday nights.

50 – Focus on what you can control.

51 – Take care of yourself first. Eat right, sleep well, and get some exercise and fresh air daily.

52 – Stay home when you’re sick. Yes, sub plans are a pain, but taking care of yourself is more important.

53 – Speaking of sub plans, prepare a substitute folder filled with basic activities that can be done at any time of the year. Include your schedule, class lists (with pics if possible), pull-out schedules, and emergency procedures.

54 – When you need a mental health day – take it!

55 – Don’t compare yourself to others. We’re all just doing our best.

56 – Set your working times after school and get as much done as possible. Try to avoid taking work home.

57 – Get out of your classroom occasionally. Eat lunch with other teachers and discuss different things besides students and school.

58 – Find virtual teacher groups for your grade level and share ideas.

59 – Make time for your health appointments and take time off for those appointments if needed.

60 – Start saving or investing for retirement as soon as you can.

61 – Plan for your future career. Will you need a master’s degree or another certification? You may want to leave the classroom at some point. Consider what you want to do and what qualifications you need for other positions.

62 – Keep a “happy file” (electronic and hard copy). There will be tough days, and being able to go back and see messages, cards, etc., from students and families who appreciate you will go a long way toward reminding you that you are making a positive difference every day.

63 – Set boundaries for yourself and your time. Say no when you can’t take on one more thing. The world will not end if you don’t get to the end of your to-do list.

64 – Laugh. Have fun. Enjoy the funny little moments in your classroom.

65 – Make a self-care plan. Whatever works for you – massages, taking a walk at lunch, meditation, a mani-pedi, Netflix. No one wins an award for staying at school late.

66 – Create a back-to-school list at the end of each school year. This allows you to start the school year with your ideas organized.

67 – Make sure you’re ready for the next day (or at least for your first block of teaching time) before you leave school every day. This allows you to relax and enjoy your time at home.

68 – Along with that advice – set an alarm for the end of the day and go home! You will never be completely “caught up” until the last workday of the school year (if then). You need to leave and take care of yourself and any significant others.

69 – Build a support system, surround yourself with people who want to grow, ask for help, and teach in a way that works for YOU.

In your classroom

70 – Use lamps in your classroom instead of the harsh fluorescent lights, if possible.

71 – Get a good pencil sharpener!

72 – Keep a low-maintenance plant in your classroom.

73 – Be considerate of the custodians, the cafeteria staff, and the front office staff.

74 – Make your teaching space work for you. Add whatever personal touches you need to make the space more pleasant.

To make your teaching life easier:

75 – Develop a procedure for everything.

76 – Less is more. There will always be more than you can absorb with standards and curriculum.

77 – Look at the assessments in advance. Look at the standards your students are expected to master. Intentionally plan for mastery of the standard, learning any necessary vocabulary, and completing the assessment.

78 – Develop a way to organize your resources. You will come across many awesome ideas from books, blogs (like this one!), and social media. Start a Google document or Padlet to collect resources. Label with the subject and skill. You will thank yourself later.

79 – Pee every chance you get.

80 – Go slow to go fast. Take the time to teach your routines and procedures, review directions, explain academic vocabulary, build background knowledge, and check for understanding.

81 – Model kindness. Especially to yourself. A rested and happy teacher is the best gift you can give your students. Reserve time every week to do what you love. Choose at least one day a week to leave earlier and leave some tasks undone. You deserve a break!

82 – The best PD is the teachers down the hall. Visit other classrooms during your planning time. Observe experienced teachers. Take notes about what you want to incorporate into your classroom. Ask questions. Then, be that guide for less experienced teachers in future years.

83 – Reflect on what is working and what is not working. Learn from what is going well and what is not going well.

84 – It’s okay not to know the answer to every question asked. That’s human. Now, be the teacher and turn it back to them with a response like, “That is a great question, and I don’t know the answer. Why don’t we research it together?”

85 – When your to-do list gets too long, your lesson flops, or you just had a bad day: stop. Take a deep breath. Remember that as long as your students felt safe and cared for in your classroom that day, you did enough. You can fix that lesson tomorrow! Focus on your connections with kids, and everything else will fall into place.

86 – Never ask a question at the end of a faculty meeting. (Email it instead!)

87 – Always have a backup plan

88 – Set boundaries and time limits for what you will complete and how long you will work on tasks.

89 – Remember that you can do anything but can’t do everything. Do what is most important for you and your students.

90 – Tomorrow is a new day.

Need more guidance with your upper elementary classroom? Take a look at my course on Thrive Cart!

All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!

The good thing about a very chatty class is that they are social and love to talk to each other! The bad thing about a very chatty class is that they can be a bit too social.

The trick is to channel that chatter in positive, engaging ways. Here are 15 tips.

1 – Teach and practice your attention-getting signal. Whether you use a bell, a chime, a doorbell, or a raised hand – whatever your signal is, teach your students that when you use the signal, their job is to stop talking, stop moving, and look at you for further directions. Model this. Then practice, practice, practice by having them talk and be noisy until they see or hear your signal. Watch to make sure that everyone is quiet and attentive. Expect 100% compliance. Praise them when they get it “right.”

Make this a very clear expectation. This video is a great model.

2 – Another tried-and-true strategy: count down from five. (Or any other number you want to use.) A good signal is to say, “Everyone will be quiet and ready to listen when I get to one.”

3 – A great way to ask for silence and incorporate mindful breathing is to say, “If you can hear me, take a deep breath.” Do this a couple of times if needed.

4 – Simon Says works too! “If you can hear me, touch your ear. If you can hear me, touch your nose.” Make your voice progressively softer each time.

5 – Make your expectations clear about noise level expectations, such as when it is appropriate to talk and when it is not. You will also want to explain appropriate voice levels for different work times. This anchor chart is a great example.

6 – If you choose to use a warning system (such as one warning about talking before you will have to change seats), teach that explicitly as well.

It’s important to follow through and be consistent every single time. Be calm and fair. Over time, your students will see that you say what you mean and mean what you say. When they see that you will always do what you said you will do, they will (eventually) hop on board.

7 – Use a timer for “practicing” being quiet or silent at certain times. This helps build stamina for quiet work time.

8 – Some teachers enjoy using a noise monitor to help students see when their sound has reached an unacceptable limit. Here’s a free version. And here’s another favorite.

9 – Sometimes, students end up talking because their friends start talking to them, and they don’t want to be rude. Talk about this and how it happens to everyone! But then talk about ways to use hand gestures to signal to your friend that you can’t talk right now.

10 – Schedule “talking time” (preferably with movement opportunities) into your lesson plans. I think of it the same way I introduce a math manipulative and allow students to “play” with it for a while before we use it for the math lesson.

11 – Incorporate engagement strategies into your lessons. These opportunities allow students to talk and give some purpose to their conversations. If you want some suggestions, download my list of engagement strategies HERE!

12 – Along with engagement strategies, keep your direct instruction lessons short and to the point. Writing down bullet points of what I need to communicate in a lesson works best for me. Aaron Burr’s advice to Alexander Hamilton – “Talk less, smile more” – from the musical “Hamilton” is worth keeping in mind.

13 – Use calming and mindfulness strategies before starting lessons, especially if a lesson comes after a transition (such as returning from specials, lunch, or recess).

14 – When you are ready to transition or give directions, stand still, smile, and state the direction.

15 – Refuse to talk over your students.

You’ll feel like you’re waiting all day, but if you continue to talk over them, they will continue to talk and ignore you.

This is tough because if you have a class that is talking non-stop, you might feel like you are wasting a lot of time waiting for them to quiet down before you speak. But, the more you continue to talk over them, the more they will continue to talk over you.

I have learned that the best way to handle this is to make it into a competition. Record the time it took for them to get quiet. Then, challenge them to beat their time the next time you ask for their attention. Give them back the time they “saved” by giving them free time to talk at the end of the lesson or the end of the day. Another option is to offer that time in the form of extra recess.

A chatty class can be channeled in a positive direction! Be calm, be consistent, talk less, and smile more. Let me know how these strategies work for you!

All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!

Once upon a time, when I was student teaching, we used Madeline Hunter’s seven-step lesson plan. It has held up over time and remains a great model for direct instruction. (I found a PDF online, the same document we used at UNC-Chapel Hill back then.)

While she is known for her lesson plan format, another valuable thing I learned from Madeline Hunter was the idea of “sponge activities.” These are “learning activities that soak up precious time that would otherwise be lost.”
These activities should be quick, fun, and engaging, with a slight focus on academics but that doesn’t feel too intense. These are perfect for using bits of time for more learning!

What’s the difference between sponge activities and brain breaks? Brain breaks are short mental breaks designed to help students stay focused and attentive. They might help energize or relax students (depending on the need). Sponge activities are learning activities. They both serve a purpose.

Every teacher can come up with their own versions of great sponge activities, depending on the needs of their class and their curriculum. Here are 20 ideas to get you started!

ELA

1 – Read aloud – this will always be my first choice. Keep a stack of picture books and a chapter book read-aloud handy at all times (even if you only teach math or science or social studies).

2 – Stellar Literacy is a favorite resource of mine, and I especially love their sentence writing routine. Here’s a link to a free resource. Try it out and see what you think! This is a great way to use a few extra minutes and students love it.

3 – Make up stories with Story Cubes. These are fun to use with small groups or the whole class together. Roll a cube to get started. One student starts a story using that cube and writes for one minute (or whatever amount of time you want to use). When the timer goes off, they pass the paper to the next student, you roll another cube and the next student continues the story. Continue for as much time as you have and then read the fun results!

4 – Mad Libs. These are always fun and a great reinforcement for parts of speech.

5 – An oldie, but goodie: read a 5 Minute Mini Mystery and try to solve it.

6 – Play fun games to review spelling or vocabulary words that have been previously taught.

Here’s an example game I like to use: – “Be a Mind Reader” from Patricia Cunningham’s Month-by-Month Phonics for Upper Grades .

The teacher gives clues one at a time providing appropriate wait time in between for students to think (or write down their word guesses).

Examples:
Clue 1: I’m thinking of a word on our spelling patterns list.
Clue 2: It has one syllable.
Clue 3: It is a homophone.
Clue 4: It rhymes with could.

Clue 1: I’m thinking of a word on the vocabulary list.
Clue 2: It has 5 letters.
Clue 3: It is a verb.
Clue 4: It belongs in this sentence: Mary will _______ her essay today.

Math

7 – Try some choral counting. As a class, count by twos, fives, tens, or other multiplication facts you want to review.

8 – Another choral counting option is to start with a number such as 225 and count by tens or hundreds forward or backward.

9 – Yet another choral counting option: count by fractions (fourths, for example) or decimal numbers.

10 – Play “I am the Greatest” to have fun with place value. Here’s how to do it:

The teacher needs a deck of cards or a ten-sided die.

Have students draw lines on paper or whiteboards for whatever size number you want to use. (6 lines for numbers up to hundred thousands place, for example, or 4 lines, a decimal point, and then 2 lines for numbers up to the thousands place and decimals to the hundredths place).

The teacher rolls a die or pulls card and calls out the number. Students place that number anywhere on their lines.

Continue until all blanks are filled. (The teacher plays along to ensure that the greatest possible number is being built.)

Students call out “I am the greatest!” if they have the greatest number.

There is an element of strategy to this as students try to place larger digits in the largest place value spaces. But there is the element of luck as well since they can’t predict what numbers will be drawn or rolled!

11 – Play the 24 Game. This one is a lot of fun.

12 – Try some activities from Steve Wyborney’s math site.

Not content-specific

13 – Would You Rather? questions get kids up and moving. They have to choose one or the other – no fair sticking to the middle! Then randomly call on one or two students to justify their answer by explaining why they would choose that. Minds in Bloom has great suggestions for different times of the year.

14 – Use The Kids’ Book of Questions or Table Topics for Kids for some lively discussions!

15 – Play Brain Quest!
Third grade set
Fourth grade set
Fifth grade set

16 – Try some classroom podcasts! Here are some popular ones.
Six Minutes
But Why
Brains On
Who Smarted

17 – Play a favorite song or video from YouTube. Some possibilities include anything by Kid President, any song that teaches something in your curriculum (“Tour the States” is a favorite of my fifth graders), inspiring performances from America’s Got Talent, or Kindness 101 with Steve Hartman videos.

18 – Write a ten-word summary. Have kids work in groups to create a ten-word summary of some concept you are studying or a summary of a book or article you are reading. They can omit words like “the”, “a”, etc.

19 – If you have a few extra minutes, try going on a virtual field trip! Here’s my list.

20 – If you have enough time for students to use computers, it’s fun to play Quizlet Live with any Quizlets you have already created. Quizlet Live randomly assigns students to small group teams and they play as a team to review vocabulary terms.

I hope these sponge activities help you get started with collecting your own! Using every minute well (while having fun along the way) is the goal.

Want a printable list of these activities! You can download it here!

You’ve planned your first day and first week of school activities. You have made copies and collected supplies. You’re observing your students work on the activities, talking to each other, and enjoying every moment in your classroom.

Then you hear the dreaded words: “I’m finished! What do I do now?”

Welcome to the world of “fast finishers” in upper elementary grades.

The trick is to be prepared for these students by having expectations for their work quality and appropriate “go-to” activities for them to do when they are truly finished.

Here are three ways to do that.

1 – Establish the expectation of “must do – may do” activities. You might even need to be ready for this in upper elementary grades on the first day of school.

This involves making a list (on the board or on the screen or a slide) that includes what all students MUST do. This is generally the independent work assignment. Then, beside that list, you also include a list of what students MAY do when they are finished.

You will need to explain this procedure, including how to evaluate their work for being “finished” before they move on to the “may do” activities.

2 – Establish your expectations for what “finished” looks like in your class.

Here are some expectations you might set (and post on a chart):

*did you write your name?
*did you answer all of the questions (or solve all of the problems)?
*is your work and handwriting neat and easy to read?
*did you do your best?
*did you turn it in the correct place?
*did you clean up your work space and put away materials?

3 – Now for some activities. In general, I expect students to work on literacy activities during the literacy block, math activities during the math block, etc. But you can switch this up in whatever way works for you.

You can post these options on chart paper or add them to a slide for display on your board. Some of the activities require some prep to get them organized, but then you’re set to go for the year. Others require zero prep (and are best to start out with on the first days of school).

On to the fast finisher activities!

Literacy activities

1 – Free (independent) reading (always a first option). (Prep: none, other than having a classroom library)

2 – Free writing (always a first option) or writing in your journal. (Prep: provide journals for students; post writing prompts on your online platform or on a slide or chart).

Some possible writing prompts from We Are Teachers website:

Third grade prompts

Fourth grade prompts

Fifth grade prompts

Here is how I used dialogue journals in my classroom. This is always a good writing option as well.

3 – Select new books from class library (or school library, depending on your school policies). (Prep: none.)

4 – Write a letter. (Prep: provide writing paper – anything is fine – and possibly a list of suggested folks to write letters to. This could be family members and/or school personnel.)

5 – Write a thank-you note to someone (same prep as letter writing: provide writing paper and possibly a list of suggested folks to write letters to. This could be family members, school personnel, or classmates.)

6 – Write a book recommendation for the class. There are more elaborate ways to do this. But a simple way is to have a wall display of blank paper – on a bulletin board or just blank paper with a border – and keep a stash of post-it notes like these handy. Students can write the title and author of the book on the note along with anything they want to say about why they are recommending the book (why it was good, why they liked it, etc.) and include their name if a classmate wants to ask them about it. (Prep: wall display, directions, and post-it notes)

7 – Read poetry books or write your own poems! (Prep: poetry books from your school library in a crate for students to access and read; examples of different poems to write. This website is a good resource.)

8 – Read a magazine. (Prep: purchase or borrow copies of magazines your students might enjoy. Another option is to ask for donations of gently used magazines. Some popular magazines for upper elementary students include: National Geographic Kids, Ranger Rick, Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated Kids, Zoo Books, Cricket, Scholastic News, Owl Magazine).

9 – Create a Quizlet of vocabulary terms from any subject and post the links on your online platform. (Prep: creating the Quizlets and posting the links)

Math activities

10 – Practice math facts – online games or practice with flash cards (watch for my upcoming post about practicing facts with flash cards.) One of my favorite sites is Mathigon’s Multiplication by Heart, which is now part of Amplify. Here’s the link. (Prep: establishing fact practice as a routine; posting links on your online platform; creating flash cards, if you choose to use those.)

11 – Math puzzles! Here’s a good site for those. (Prep: posting links in your online platform and/or making copies of puzzles and storing them in folders for students to access.)

12 – Math games! Our North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction has some great options.

Third grade games
Fourth grade games
Fifth grade games
(Prep: printing and laminating the game boards; storing the games in folders; providing manipulatives to use for the games)

13 – Math challenge problems. Math Superstars are an oldie but goody. You can find links to each grade level’s problem sets HERE. (Prep: printing the problem sets and storing in folders for student access.)

14 – Math choice boards from Jennifer Findley. (Prep: printing and storing in folders or posting links on your online platform.)

Third grade choice boards
Fourth grade choice boards
Fifth grade choice boards

Content area activities

15 – Explore Social Studies/Science websites. Here’s a link to some resources I’ve collected.
(Prep: finding the particular resources you want to use for your content subjects; posting links on your online platform.)

16 – Create a Quizlet of vocabulary terms from your subject areas and post the links on your online platform. (Prep: creating the Quizlets and posting the links.)

Other activities

17 – Finish any unfinished work! (Prep: none)

18 – Study for any upcoming tests. (Prep: teaching students what you mean by “study.” Should they read their notes? Quiz themselves on terms or topics? Review vocabulary words?)

19 – Use approved websites to read or play games. Two of my favorites are Wonderopolis and Free Rice. And don’t forget any sites your district offers. (Prep: posting links on your online platform)

20 – Work on an independent project. Some teachers call these “passion projects,” or they implement Genius Hour. Basically, this involves students working on their own research or creative project that interests them. (Prep: teaching the routines and procedures you expect.)

21 – Organize desk or binder or cubby (Prep: none! Although you might want to demonstrate how to organize these areas.)

22 – Keep a list of helping tasks for students to do for you or for the classroom. (Prep: keeping the list; training students to do the tasks themselves)

23 – Build with Knex, Legos, etc. (Prep: Purchase or borrow materials and provide a space for building and storing the supplies; teaching the routines and procedures you expect.)

I hope these ideas will help you engage your fast finishers and keep them learning!

All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!

I have over 30 years experience teaching and instructional coaching in upper elementary grades. Clearly, I love it or I would not have lasted this long!

Here are 40 of my best tips for teaching upper elementary grades.

Student Relationships

1 – Building relationships with every single student is job #1. Every day. Even the students you don’t think are very likable. (Especially those students.)

If you try, you will find something to love in every student. Spending just a few minutes talking with students (rotate different students to focus on every day), asking them about their interests, genuinely smiling at them, and seeking to find something good will pay off every single time.

Read some of my true confessions about students HERE.

Here are some more tips for developing relationships with students who are difficult for you.

It’s a great idea to begin learning about your students from day one of school. Here are some questions that I like to use.

2 – Greet students at the door (or near the door) as they enter your classroom. That helps you make a quick connection first thing and “take the temperature” of how the student is doing.

3 – Contact every family within the first month of school to tell them something good about their child.

(I have a no-fail script for this in “Plan Your First Day and Week” module of my Get Started Teaching in Upper Elementary Grades course.)

4 – Ask families to tell you about their child. I have never met a family who did not welcome this opportunity. (Some prefer to verbally tell you rather than do that in writing, but here is a writing option to send home to families.

5 – The old saying “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is 100% true.

6 – Never embarrass students in front of their peers. You will lose respect and trust from all of your students.

7 – Be consistent! If you make a deal with one student, ensure it’s a deal you’re willing to make with every student.

8 – Be willing to laugh with your students. (Obviously – not laugh AT them). But enjoying the funny things they say or the funny moments that happen in your class is part of the joy of the job.

9 – The quieter you speak, the better they listen.

10 – Share the good stuff with your students’ families. It makes such an incredible difference.

11 – Give yourself time to cool down before responding to student misbehavior. It is okay to tell a student that you are upset and will talk with them later. (That often makes them worry more than if you addressed it immediately!) Then, reflect on how you want to handle the situation, get help from a colleague if needed, and follow up with the student.

12 – The above advice works for angry parent emails too. 🙂

13 – Speaking of parent emails – communicate with parents/caregivers frequently. Tell them what students are learning, make suggestions for how they can help at home, remind them of important dates.

If you notice a change in student academic work or behavior, get in touch with the parents. Let them know that you care about their child and solicit their help and input. Keep a copy of the email or document the date and time you left a voice mail. If anyone questions why you didn’t let them know, you’ll have the necessary proof.

14 – A student’s behavior is always telling you something. Be willing to look deeper and ask qeustions to learn about what is really going on.

15 – Give every student a clean slate. Every day. Every new year.

16 – I got this advice from a veteran teacher when I was new, and it has served me well. Find a picture of yourself at the same age of your students. Ask yourself the following questions: what kind of teacher did I need in this grade? What did my teacher do that helped me? What fears did I have at this age?

17 – Try very hard to be the teacher you would want your own children to have.

18 – Continuously teach your students to be the class that you want. If you don’t want them to make unkind comments to each other, work on improving that behavior. If you want them to feel some urgency around getting their assignments done well, work on teaching them what that looks like. Saying something like, “That is not acceptable/that is not okay/we are not going to do that in OUR classroom” in a kind but firm way really helps.

Starting the Year Off Right

19 – Think about your classroom routines and procedures and plan for those before worrying about having the world’s cutest classroom. You can always start with a minimalist style and add on later. But starting the year by teaching your students what you want them to do and how you want them to do it is very important.

From the moment students enter your classroom on the first day, have an assignment for them to do, give them an assigned seat, and be kind but firm about “what we do in our classroom” and “what is not okay in our classroom.” They want you to be in charge!

20 – Gradually introduce classroom routines, rules, and procedures in the first week of school (but not all on the first day). Then spend time reviewing and practicing throughout the first six weeks of school and after every school break as needed.

21 – Speaking of rules – limit them to three or four.

22 – Any time you question yourself about what you should do, ask yourself, “What is best for the kids? What do the kids need?” Those questions will always steer you in the right direction.

Upper Elementary Teaching Tips

23 – Observe teachers you admire. Ask them first, of course, and arrange whatever coverage you’ll need. When you go to their classroom, take notes on what you see them do. Incorporate it into your style.

24 – Overplan. Always have some “sponge” activities (that sponge up the extra time) available. Reading aloud always works if you can’t think of anything else.

25 – Some lessons or activities will either go wrong or not be as effective as you wanted. That’s okay. Everyone will survive. Go back and do better tomorrow.

26 – Focus on improving only ONE thing at a time. If you’re working on a new math instructional strategy, just stick to that until you’ve got it down. Then you can switch to something else.

27 – Read to your students! Both of you will love it.

28 – TBWA – teach by walking around. Circulate, monitor, be aware of what is happening in your classroom.

29 – It’s never too late to reset your classroom. Here are some ways to do that.

30 – Get students moving and out of their seats as much as possible during lessons. Everyone needs brain breaks occasionally! I have tips for that HERE and HERE.

Taking Care of Yourself and Remaining Positive

31 – The best thing you can do for your students is to take care of yourself. Seriously. Get some exercise. Spend time with your family and friends, and spend time by yourself. Read something for you. Journal. Pray and meditate. Go to therapy. Do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself.

32 – Avoid whiners and complainers. Find your marigold. Jennifer Gonzalez talked about this on a post on her Cult of Pedagogy blog. You can read the full post HERE.

If you plant a marigold beside most any garden vegetable, that vegetable will grow big and strong and healthy, protected and encouraged by its marigold.

Marigolds exist in our schools as well – encouraging, supporting and nurturing growing teachers on their way to maturity. If you can find at least one marigold in your school and stay close to them, you will grow. Find more than one and you will positively thrive.

33 – Keep a “happy file” of notes from students and families that make you happy. On bad days, look through your file. (I also keep a digital folder for nice emails.)

34 – Be open to change and innovation. Every year, there is a new initiative. You can hate that and complain about it or seek to learn something new from everything that comes along. You’ll be much happier if you can seek to learn.

35 – Wear comfortable shoes.

36 – Celebrate and set goals each week. Keep a journal and do some reflecting each week. Here are three reflections prompts:

Celebrate: What did I do well this week?
Analyze: What do I want to improve?
Target: What is one specific goal for next week?

Time strategies

37 – Develop routines for your before school and after school time. Here are some tips for doing that.

I have a short course on developing these routines. Take a look at it here!

38 – You don’t have to do everything. Seriously. Teachers have so much on their plates, and sometimes we hurt ourselves by adding unnecessary things.

Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed, take a step back (and a deep breath), and ask yourself what you can let go for now. Maybe you can return to that task later, but look for what you can eliminate or simplify for now.

39 – Ask your students to do as many classroom organization and clean-up tasks as possible. One of my mottos is: Never do what a student could do for you.

Try “find it and fix it.” I learned this tip from Jodi at Clutter-Free Classroom. You gamify the classroom clean-up process. Whenever you’re cleaning up (but especially at the end of the day), tell students that you’ve picked one thing that is out of place in the classroom. It could be a pencil on the floor, some paper that is out of place, a book that needs to be put away, or a chair that’s not straight. Students need to “find it and fix it.” The game ends when the room is spotless (not when the mystery item is found).

40 – Clean out your classroom every winter break and every summer break. I got this advice from my mentor teacher my first year of teaching and I have (mostly) followed that advice every year.

What is your best piece of teaching advice? I’d love to hear your ideas!

All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!