Three weeks ago I made the difficult decision to leave my school and accept a 4th grade co-teaching position at another public school just blocks away. When I came back to teaching after a year in grad school, one thing that had changed for me was a deeper commitment to build community within and outside my […]
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Posted inFormative Assessments
Formative Assessment: A New Lesson Plan
Formative assessment is using purposeful observations and information about students to move their learning forward. It enables teachers and students to understand their learning and have meaningful dialogue. Â This has been applied in classrooms through Kahoot! quizzes, exit tickets and quick thumbs up thumbs down activities. Â Formative assessment, however, has more power when it is […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Easing Those First Day Jitters
It is so important to make our students feel comfortable upon the first day of school. We need to remember the backgrounds that our students come from. And we can’t assume that just because we have kids in the middle class that they are coming from homes that have everything together. We also need to […]
Posted inFeatured
Why You Should Feel PUMPED About a New School Year
While parents are clamoring away, eager to get their children back into the whole school routine, many educators don’t feel ready. On the other hand, this teacher feels super pumped about starting a new school year. Is she mad? Has she lost her mind? What’s wrong with this woman? Well, my friends, I am crazy. Crazy excited […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Every (New) Principal Needs to Know
For some principals, the 2019-2020 school year will be their first time taking the helm of a school. Yesterday, we asked a question from a new principal to  our 100,000+ subscribers about what a new principal should NEVER do and here are the answers they gave: New principals should NEVER… talk data on the first […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
40+ Tips for New Teachers – From Veteran Teachers (Uncensored)
As a new teacher, you try your hardest to learn all of the new procedures and cultural norms of your school, but many times it can be hard but what if all of the veteran teachers poured their knowledge into you? Well, we’ve compiled the best advice from veteran teachers and here you go. Don’t […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New School Year Advice from a Ten Year Teacher
Next week, I will celebrate the beginning of my tenth year in education. Teaching is a career that is always changing. One can never get too comfortable because before you know it there is something new. New standards, new strategies, or a new curriculum. One thing that never changes are the kids. The students are […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Can Teachers Really Be Excellent At Everything?
Imagine this: You’re a beginning teacher, fresh out of college. You’ve done a few weeks (maybe a semester) of teaching on your own. You’re thrilled to be hired to teach in your own classroom. You can disregard the low starting pay and the multiple subjects you need to prepare to teach every day. This is […]