In April of 2015, Colorado teacher Kyle Schwartz facilitated a writing activity in her third-grade classroom she called “I Wish My Teacher Knew.” Schwartz prompted students to complete the sentence “I wish my teacher knew…” with their own truths, hoping to understand her students on a deeper level. The activity yielded heart-wrenching responses from “I […]
end of the school year
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Time To Clean The Filter…Surviving the End of the Year
Years ago as part of my pastor’s doctoral thesis I had the opportunity to take part in a ‘Spiritual Gifts’ inventory. This was an in depth group about what spiritual gifts were, which was the primary spiritual gift and how to use the gifts. It was no surprise to me that my primary gift was […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Opinion
School is Almost Out!
“Four more days!” “Yea!” Teachers are counting down, too. Some teachers have had grades done a while ago; especially the benchmark grades when a student’s passing or failing “the test” determines if she goes to the next grade. The rest of us are scrambling to get everything into the computer. The rooms have to be […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured
4 Steps to a Happy Ending to the School Year
Spring break is behind you. One morning, some wisenheimer shouts “Only 25 days of school left!” Even though you have been secretly counting down, you know this is it: the beginning of the crazy year end behavior. The students’ attention begins to diminish, and noise and classroom chaos climb frantically. Here are four steps to […]