Disciplining students doesn’t have to be tiresome and stressful. It can be fun! Here are 5 fun classroom management tactics to use in your elementary classroom. Erase the Animal (2nd-5th grade)-Before each class I let my students decide what animal they want me to draw on the board. If they are showing positive behavior, I […]
Instructional Strategies
Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies
Commitment Is Key: Love and Logic In The Classroom
The concepts behind Love & Logic (L&L) have been around since the early 1990s and were initially developed as a parenting strategy. With the goal of creating independent, thoughtful, caring, young people, L&L is is designed to help encourage students to be active participants in their existence while providing clear consequences and rationale for them […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Teaching Gender Equality In Taiwan
On January 30, 2016, I had the pleasure of attending a social justice workshop with my co-teacher. While I was initially upset that this workshop would take place on a Saturday for 8 hours, in the end, I was delighted to have attended such a substantive professional development opportunity. The purpose of the workshop was […]
Posted inUncategorized
High Expectations Are Not New For Students
High expectations have become “the raised bar” There is nothing wrong with high expectations, or with “raising the bar”. Good teaching includes working towards students having a depth in skills, and the ability to maintain rigor in their studies. It has always been that way. What has been happening through current corporate-driven reforms, though, is […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, Featured, Instructional Strategies, The Traveling Teacher
They’re Just Not That into Learning English
As educators, we all know that teaching has its ups and downs. Some days you love it, some days you feel defeated. Although the teaching profession here in Taiwan is widely revered and respected, and being an English teacher is a highly coveted role, the truth is that sometimes my students just aren’t that into […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Talking About Brussels (and Ankara, Lahore…) With 3rd Graders
Wednesday morning as our daily morning meeting came to an end, one of my students raised her hand. A quiet, thoughtful girl, she wanted to know if our class would be doing something in response to the terrorist attacks in Brussels. In the winter after the Paris attacks, we had put together a “peace party” […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Child Development, Classroom Management, Confessions of a Teacher, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Middle School, Opinion, Parents, Professional Development, School Improvement, Special Education
The Mental State of Teaching
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James Is anyone else climbing into this boat and dropping anchor? I know I am. My life has been turned upside down since January with personal struggles, professional struggles and just day-to-day struggles that seem to be heavier than […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Uncategorized
Don't Doubt Homework, Bend it to Your Will
Homework can be a waste of time, if you let it be. Homework has become the mistreated and misunderstood stepchild of the teaching profession. Once a staple, a cornerstone, one of the pillars of combined effective teaching and responsible studentry (a made up word that I will trademark, eventually), “homework” has become almost a curse-word. […]