As teachers, we are always trying to get our students to read more. Reading is important in helping our students grow as critical thinkers and expanding their view of the world around them. However, at times, it can be difficult for students to choose their own books. Some students struggle to get into any book […]
Middle School
Posted inBack to School
Digging Into Learning: Using Archaeology in the Classroom
There are some subjects that fascinate us. Archaeology is one such subject. Archaeology can take us to Egypt and the tombs of the Pharaohs, or unravel the mysteries in our own backyards. Many people go through an archaeology phase, though few become archaeologists. Plus, everyone likes digging in the dirt. The Society for American Archaeology […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Alternative Seating: Another Support
When most of us think of a classroom, we think of the traditional setup: several rows of desks all facing a blackboard, projector, or whiteboard. If we’re really being daring, those desks might be in pods, or in stadium-style rows. Sometimes, we have…tables! But there is a new trend that has come back around recently, […]
Posted inMiddle School
Four Minutes: Putting the Passing Period in the Past
To me, the number “four” has always carried special significance. I am the oldest of four siblings and was born in the fourth month of the year. In middle school, two different versions of “4 Minutes,” one a pop song by Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake, the other an R&B song by Avant, earned their positions […]
Posted inMiddle School
An Experiment In Gratitude
I had the most positive student teaching experience I could have ever imagined. I was mentored by phenomenal, passionate, effective, caring educators who graciously answered my questions and modeled by their example what it meant to do what’s in the best interest of students as not just learners of academics but learners of life. I […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Preparing Students For Teacher Absences
I was gone two days this week because my fiancé had back surgery. Two. Whole. Days. This may not seem like much to most, but I teach special education with some very routine-oriented students and this was a huge whammy in their little lives. I know we want our classrooms to become autonomous and for […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Respect in the Classroom: Earned, Not Expected
There was a sub for one of my paras a couple of weeks ago and she set up shop in my classroom. We went through the day as usual, with her thoroughly enjoying her role after being out of the classroom for the past few years. At the end of the day, as I was […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why is The Positivity Project Making My Kids So Negative?
Have you heard about the Positivity Project, sometimes referred to as “P2?” Maybe you have seen the hashtag: #OtherPeopleMatter? Or possibly you have seen an adult or child wearing a green shirt or hat with the positivity project logo? The Positivity Project, started by two West Point-trained military veterans, was not initially about schools, but […]