Teachers can be traumatized, too. And, I’m not talking about dealing with students who “misbehave” or give them a hard time, although those times can be tough. I’m talking about the teachers who are in the trenches, educating the kids who carry heavy (and sometimes invisible) trauma on their shoulders on a daily basis. Our […]
Child Development
Transforming the Classroom with Morning Meeting
An inopportune time to learn something new does not exist. You are not too deep (or new!) into your teaching career to implement a fresh technique or strategy. Each wake-up boasts an untouched beginning that you can transform with one small change in your classroom. Let me suggest starting with this: Morning Meeting. I have […]
From STEM, Let’s Pivot to the BRANCHES of the Humanities
There is no doubt that the neglect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – better known as STEM in educational circles – has come at our own peril. Our students’ achievement in mathematics is surely not where other Americans expect it to be, and the comfort of anyone saying “I hate math” is embarrassing. As […]
Why Teaching Students to Say “Sorry” Is Not Enough
You’re eight years old, and another student pushes you because they wanted to be first in line. Exasperated, your teacher tells the other child to say “sorry.” “Soooooory,” the child exclaims, rolling their eyes. “Say it like you mean it,” your teacher chides. “Sorry!” the other student yells a little more enthusiastically but still with […]
Hang Up the Tattle Phone
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! We never thought we’d be Instagram teachers. But here we are, watching our ideas spread on online forums. Social media has given educators an accessible and user-friendly platform to share thoughts about all things education. Without proper funding, professional […]
Struggling to Learn: How Decreasing SNAP Benefits Will Hurt Students
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In the state that I teach in, one in three students depend on SNAP benefits for food. More than half of my state’s students come from low-income households. On a single teacher’s salary, my two children qualify for free […]
Create Sensory Spaces to Support Student Mental Health
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! A Journey to Support Student Social-Emotional Well-Being Recently, our elementary school went on an amazing journey to help find innovative ways to support the daily mental health of our students. The process was an exciting adventure! As a school […]
Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here’s How to Set It Up.
Diverse Classroom Library: Our classroom libraries are in trouble. Just as more teachers are learning that their libraries need books that reflect their student populations, they also have to fight policies at the district and state levels that ban many of these same books from their libraries. Florida, for example, is banning certain materials in classroom libraries […]