Our principal read to the staff an impressive, anonymous letter from a student that had been in one of our teacher’s psychology classes. It spouted the general liking for what the student could finally understand, not as class rules, but as what they called “Boundary Markers”. To create a classroom of trust with clear boundaries […]
classroom management
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured
Hold That Pen! 5 Things to Try Before a Write-Up
Classroom management is a huge part of being an effective teacher. In many schools, administrators judge effectiveness with classroom management by the number of times you write-up a student. Aside from this fact, there are several good reasons not to write students up and send them to the office. First of all, if you write-up a student […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Current Events in Education, Elementary School
But What if They Reflect?
I have never been a traditional teacher. This year I removed most of the desks from my classroom and have added a standing table, coffee tables and areas for students to work away from a desk. This has been an amazing transformation with many benefits. Last week the custodian was in my room and she […]
Posted inGoing Paperless, Instructional Strategies, Social Studies, Technology, Uncategorized
Pioneering Nearpod
The 1:1 digital classroom is no different from any classroom in terms of management challenges. The excitement of technological change and student attention span tends to wane at the same speed and undivided attentions seek distractions if a system of motivation and inquiry is not put in place. This is true for all teaching because I remember […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Opinion
No One Wants to be ‘Managed’
Years ago I stopped presenting, coaching and even talking about ‘classroom management’. Who wants to be managed? To be ‘handled’? As an adult, I want to be led. Students want to learn and they want (yearn for) boundaries; AND they want to be led. Creating and adhering to a list of concrete rules and automatic […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
6 Solutions for Challenging Classes
We have all had that one class. You know the one. You pray before they arrive and you pray after they leave. You have cried and cried over them and even imagined throwing things at the expensive Promethean board that cannot capture their attention. These challenging classes are the ones that we learned the most […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum
New Year's Goals as an Educator
Remember the excitement you felt at the beginning of the school year? Round two starts this month and you have an amazing opportunity as an educator. You get to make a difference in a child’s life. Just as you set goals and made plans in August, pause and help your students start the year right […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, From the Front Lines, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Middle School
Maybe It's The Time Of Year: Taking Another Look At Confrontation In The Classroom
It was just a lesson on folktales, really. We’ve been reading a variety of stories from around the world in my 8th grade English classroom – sometimes with partners or small groups, but yesterday I asked my students to tackle reading “Davy Crockett” alone. Their essential question was familiar at this point: “What do folktales […]