WARNING: This article could have been twice or five or ten times as long. The fact that I listed only five items reflects not my naivety, but my desire to keep this article under 1500 words and my editor happy. Enjoy! #1: Back to School Night. Nobody wants to say it so I will. No […]
Back to School
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Why Teachers Need A Summer Break
We hear it all the time. “Teaching is easy. You get the whole summer off! What are you complaining about?” Did you roll your eyes too? At this point, it should be obvious as to why teachers need a summer break. This summer, I began to see my summer vacation in a whole new light. […]
Posted inFeatured
Close Encounters of the Parent-Teacher Kind
“Hello, my name is Mr/s. _______________, and I’ll be your son/daughter’s teacher this year.” Those are usually the initial seeds of the parent-teacher relationship. It’s a blank slate, an empty canvas, an opportunity to start the school year on a positive note. The teacher gets to erase the memories of the “mean parents” of yesteryear […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
“This is NOT a Drill: Back To School is REAL!”
About a week or so before your summer comes to an end, feelings of sadness, anxiety, and uneasiness start to set in. Summer is coming to an end and all of the memes about how great it is to have summers off are fading into the distance. If your summer was good, you’ll smile at […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Calling IN: A Strategy for White Teachers Who Want to Disrupt Racism
Last year I revisited James Baldwin’s “A Talk to Teachers” before starting the school year. I encouraged myself and other teachers committed to social justice to “go for broke.” I did lots of work I felt proud of in our classroom last year, working with our 5th graders to understand, analyze, and combat racism. They culminated […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
A Very Teacher Summer
Summer is here! Everyone breathes a sigh of relief because now the weather is going to be nice at least most of the time, and there are fun things to do like camping, swimming, and hiking. As a teacher, I am excited about summer for a different reason. It’s time to revise my lesson plans […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies
The New Teacher Chronicles: The Benefits of Cross-Curricular Education
With the school year beginning to wind down, I’ve been thinking of new ways to improve and update my curriculum for next year. What are some things that worked really well, and what are some things that I want to update? This got me thinking of ways to make my lessons even more hands-on and […]
Posted inBack to School
Why I Create a Class Motto
Why do I spend several lessons during my first weeks of school creating a class motto? There’s so much to do. Students need to learn rules, routines, and procedures. There’s the beginning of the year assessments. And the curriculum isn’t waiting. Still, despite these many pressures, I find it worthwhile to take two or three […]