There are two types of professional development situations teachers find themselves in. There is the type that excites us and motivates us to be better teachers. The type where you immediately log in to Pinterest to extend the lessons you participated in during the training. Immediately you are on Amazon Prime ordering a book related […]
end of the year
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Declining Mental Health of Educators
Teaching is different from other professions because your mental health affects so many different lives, lives who are truly vulnerable and dependent on you for growth. This places an extreme amount of pressure and stress on teachers, and if they are already predisposed to mental health issues, it can be a recipe for disaster. I […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Teacher Leaders
To Pack or Not to Pack: Ending the School Year Successfully
To pack now or to pack later? To pack fast or to pack better? Packing up your classroom is a highly personal choice. I believe it is a choice that should be made with care. [bctt tweet=”Packing up your classroom is a highly personal choice.” username=”EducatorsRoom”] Here are some things that can influence your choice: […]
Posted inHigh School
Graduations, Endorphins, and Persistence
It happens to me every year about this time the feel-good buzz of a school year’s end inevitably changes my outlook about the prior 35 weeks. Happy memories are expressed in end-of-school projects, field trips create great photo ops and lasting bonds, little gifts come from students, and the emotional high of graduation dominates any […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Surviving the Spring “Thing”
Spring Break has come and gone, and every teacher knows what follows thereafter: the Spring “Thing.” The “thing” involves a stretch of days where there are no more holidays until Memorial Day, or in some schools, the end of the year It’s a time when most states dig deep into standardized testing When the “thing” […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, High School, Instructional Strategies
Innovating at the End of the School Year
With only weeks of school left, it’s easy for students and teachers to check out. The weather is nice. The state exams are behind us and with them a certain sense of urgency. This time of year can drive a teacher crazy. In many schools including my own in New York City, students have been cooped […]
Posted inChild Development, Common Core, Elementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Mathematics, Science
Hands-On Science For Young Learners
My elementary class and I have begun my most favorite science unit of all: plants and life cycles. I look forward to this unit every year. There are five concepts that I want to drive home with this unit. First, that everything has a life cycle and what that means. Next, that not everything looks […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Uncategorized
4 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout
It’s in the air- summer time entertainment, cook-outs, family trips, long days playing in the yard well after the sun has went down and the best part of summer- school being out. During the last 8 weeks of school this is traditionally  the time were teacher burnout is alive and kicking. We not only feel […]