For the next few weeks, I’d like to explore some key points of child development from three years of age to eighteen. We must know what we are dealing with in order to deal with it effectively. The same goes for teaching. We would never walk into a room of kindergarten students expecting them to […]
New Teacher Bootcamp
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp
How to Avoid Plagiarism in the Era of Common Core
[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”] While I love my profession and why I am doing it, sometimes being a new teacher can suck. But what’s important is that you learn from your mistakes. Take the unit […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
A First Year Teacher’s Lesson From Student Vomit
It happened, not two weeks into the school year. A student vomited during class. Now, this is something for which my teaching credential program did not prepare me. The cheerleader shrieked, the surrounding students rapidly pushed back their desks, and the room was consumed with student reactions and freak-outs. Meanwhile, Chad sat there, as if […]
Posted inClassroom Management, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles, Uncategorized
No “Over” Needed in Whelmed New Teachers
My school district completed four days of first class professional development that began with a visit from Dave Burgess, the author of Teach Like a Pirate and ended with faculty-led collaborative committees organizing for an accreditation visit from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). In four short days, the veteran teachers adjusted, organized classrooms, and prepared […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp
Tai Chi Beginnings: Building Structure in Second Grade
Tai Chi methodology is my secret to a smooth school year – a year that grants my second grade students growing independence, allowing me the ability to work with small groups. We move slowly, reviewing everything: pencils, crayons, notebook paper, and even, standing in line. This requires me to slow my usual fast and furious […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp, Special Education
What Every Teacher Should Know About Teaching Students with Disabilities
What does it take to effectively teach a student with a learning disability? That’s the million dollar question. But if I could take a stub at it, I would say relationship, relationship, relationship- pure and simply. With all the different theory on best practices, this one seems to be left off the list very frequently. […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp
Activities for Making It through the First Week (and Beyond)
The night before the first day of school I can’t sleep. I have my outfit decided and sitting out. I have my room arranged and decorated. I have read my student list and written names on lock tags, name tags, mailboxes, and the birthday poster. This class is mine. This will be my seventeenth “first […]
Posted inFeatured, New Teacher Bootcamp, Special Education
Starting the New School Year Ready for Children with Disabilities
[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”] The first day of school is just around the corner for many. Excitement is in the air. However, many parents and students tend to become anxious. They really don’t know what […]