January through April is the best teaching time of the year. But sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. After the excitement of the beginning of the year, then the fall and winter holiday breaks, we’re now in a long stretch until spring break. If you or your students are feeling a little blah, it’s time… Read More
So your winter break is almost over (or summer break, spring break, whatever break). How are you feeling? If you’re feeling a sense of dread or anxiety or a feeling of “OMG, what will we do on that first day back?”, I’ve got some tips. (And if you’re feeling a sense of excitement and eagerness,… Read More
Teachers are going back to school (or soon will be), hoping and praying for a better year after three years of COVID impacting schools and teaching. Besides setting up the classroom and attending endless meetings, the most important activities to plan are routines and procedures that build classroom community. Here are the most important routines… Read More
If you’re a teacher, I don’t have to tell you how busy and overwhelming the back-to-school season gets. It ranks right up there with the hectic holiday season. Let’s focus on what we can do to help ease the anxiety and feel optimistic about the new year ahead! Four steps to calm the overwhelm: 1… Read More
It’s the end of another school year and your to-do list is probably a mile long. Besides all the final grades, finalizing student records, and end-of-year activities and celebrations, you have to close down your classroom for the summer. Who cares about next year? You’re just trying to get through the rest of this year!… Read More
Keeping students engaged during content area reading or a literature study is a challenge. Everyone is at different reading levels, yet we all need to understand the content. How do we get every student to stay engaged? Try one of these five strategies and see how it works for your class! 1 – Teach your… Read More