Have the teacher dreams started? Does your heart pound when you see the school supply section at Target? While you’re relaxing on the beach, have you defaulted to lesson planning over novels? To help calm your nerves, I’ve compiled notes about five top things every teacher should do before school starts – and guarantee you’ll […]
classroom strategies
Posted inHigh School, Literacy, Special Education
Dewey in 2016: Still Relevant?
When I was pursuing my master’s in education, I spent a great deal of time examining the philosophies of various critical theorists. Vygotsky, Piaget, Freire, Montessori, Gardner, Pestalozzi and a whole host of other big educational names became part of my courses of study. Knowing these philosophers and their perspectives even helped me pass Florida’s […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
The Benefits of an Individualized Approach
I’ll never forget the first year I started teaching. I was slightly skeptical of the whole process, although I believed in it (because I am the product of the Montessori school I now direct) millions of thoughts swarmed my head. “Teachers are ‘guides’ in the classroom and educational process,” “How am I going to keep 40 […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Special Education
Making it Interesting: 5 Easy Ways to Differentiate Processes
All students have different interests, and the fact remains that most students are not interested in worksheets about math, language arts, science, and social studies. Think back to when you were in school and the best lesson you’ve ever been taught by a teacher. What made that lesson stand out to you? Was it the […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Teaching With Fibromyalgia: When You’re Too Tired to Move
The teaching profession, as all us teachers know, is exhausting most days. You do things like greet students happily, come up with engaging lessons, put students in collaborative groups, deal with sassy students without losing composure, prevent students from getting into fights, go to meetings that last an hour or more, handle student behaviors during […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Teaching With Fibromyalgia: When You're Too Tired to Move
Sometimes I wake up exhausted and so sore that I feel as if I lifted a thousand weights the day before. The exhaustion alone makes it difficult to get out of bed, but the pain really makes it difficult to move. After hitting the snooze button three times, I get up and get myself and […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured
How to Stop Girl Bullying in the Classroom
“Stop putting your hot breath on me,” one girl yells from the back of the classroom. It’s the same boy targeted every single time, and it seems that no matter where you move him, there’s a problem. At first you think he’s doing something to upset people because you never catch anyone else doing anything. […]
Posted inCommon Core, Educational Apps, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Literacy, Middle School
Four Reasons Why I'm In Love With Chromebooks In The Classroom
I cannot deny it any longer – I’m in love with Chromebooks. Chromebooks have transformed my teaching. All those times in the last 25 years when I used to say, “Well, that would be easy if I had a class set of computers” has turned into my reality. Chromebooks have become a wonderful tool for […]