For many years, I have attended professional development focused on classroom management. Some of these PDs were school mandated, while others I sought out on my own. Almost all of the PDs centered around the management of student behavior in the classroom. Over the last few years, I've noticed a rise in teachers and administrators… Continue reading Classroom Management: The Hardest Part of Teaching???
One of my biggest pet peeves is when non-teachers comment on how teachers get their summers "off." I would argue that summers are often some of the busiest times of the school year for teachers. Going into my nineteenth year of teaching, I still spend my summers working on my craft. I always tell myself… Continue reading Teacher Summer: What NOT to Do
Here in the United States, a new school year is beginning. As teachers, many of us approach the new school year with nervousness as well as excitement. We envision what our class will be like and set intentions and goals for ourselves and our class. One intention I'm setting for myself this year is to… Continue reading 3 Reasons to Communicate with Families
I knew that starting a brand new job as a virtual teacher was going to be a challenge. Teaching can be hard enough without all the extra coordinating of online classes and schedules. But, my class and I are surviving; maybe even thriving. My third-graders this year are excited and eager. Most are engaged and… Continue reading How Are Things Going So Far?
On the Monday after the last day of school, I attended an optional professional development offered at my school. I can't say it was the best way to start off my summer break, but I'm glad I joined in. One of the main topics was what we expect our fall schedule to look like. One… Continue reading Scheduling Tasks to Make Life Easier
No more pencils! No more books! No more teachers... Oh, wait. I'm the teacher. Is school out for me, too. Sort of. Although I will be spending my summer student-free this year, that doesn't mean my future students are far from my mind. I don't even know who my next class of students will be,… Continue reading School’s Out…For Teacher’s, Too?
It's been quite some time since I've shared my journey as an educator. There's been a new bend in the road and I've started on a different path. I've become a virtual teacher with an online school in my state. The opportunity came very suddenly, but I accepted it and started back in February. It's… Continue reading A New Journey…
In my previous post, I mentioned that I've gained some new, older students. I've been so surprised to see this development. After a year of online learning, I was expecting to get new students needing some kind of support with reading or math. I was expecting these students to be younger -- first-graders that spent… Continue reading More Strange Side-effects
This past summer, I taught summer session at my school. In person. I hadn't taught students in-person since early March 2020. Although we were all masked and physically distanced, it was a joy to be in the same room with my students. I missed them so much! However, an unexpected side-effect from teaching in person… Continue reading Strange Side-effects
A frequent first day/week of school read-alouds for primary teachers is Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the book, the story follows a mouse who has a great deal of anxiety about her first day of school. The narrative addresses fears and concerns that young students frequently have on the… Continue reading Worry, Worry, Worry
