The life of nine-and ten-year-olds can be a complicated one in their child development. Let’s look at development in our five key areas. You can read other age groups here. Cognitive development: These are your ‘fact’ kids and your ‘I’ll-try-anything-to-prove-you-wrong’ kids. They are always up for a challenge and are on the lookout for adults […]
Classroom Management
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured
Consistency is Part of the Recipe
“What are you supposed to be doing right now?” I crossed my arms and cocked my head to look at a group of girls gathered on the rug. I was working with a small group. The girls froze. Then with a flurry, they went back to desks to work independently on their reading contracts. That […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, High School
Trick or Treat! Tolerance in Public Schools
Halloween. That holiday that some teacher simultaneously dread and look forward to. Some schools make a big deal of Halloween with parades and costumes of any kind. Some schools make restrictions on costumes and allow only positive and happy costumes like princesses and baseball players. Other schools try to keep it academic by only allowing […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Teaching and Modeling Persistence: Setting Goals
Goal: noun; the object of a person’s ambition or effort. Aim: verb; having the intention of achieving. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] If we don’t aim for goals, we may end up where we don’t want […]
Posted inClassroom Management
Parent Teacher Conferences in an Elementary Classroom
Each new school year I start with lists. I have lists of school supplies I buy and hunt down at sales. I have a list of things to do to prepare and organize my classroom for a new set of students and families. Then there is the class list. When I receive my class list […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Child Development: Seven- and Eight-Year-Olds
This article is part of a continuing series on Child Development. To see Paula’s other articles, click here. You gotta love the life of seven- and eight-year-olds. Let’s take a look into the child developmental areas of these kiddos. Cognitive development: For the most part, in this child development stage, these kids are fairly well-established […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, From the Front Lines
A Fresh Recipe for Managing Difficult Students
I call them my Whack-A-Mole class. In a group of 26 children, I had eight with an ADHD diagnoses. One of them was on medication for it. I had two more who were undiagnosed with wiggles extraordinaire. Some of these ten children were part of the three students with IEPs or one of the twelve […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, From the Front Lines, New Teacher Bootcamp, Opinion, Parents
'Grown-Up' Problems in Our Kids' Worlds
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I absolutely love this beautiful, fall weather! In Oklahoma, it seems like true fall usually lasts about a week, but we are being blessed this year with an actual season of […]