I was right in the middle of grading papers during my planning when I overheard the fifth grade math teacher across the hall. Keep in mind this is a regular occurrence. I love her dearly, but she does have a tendency to get excited and…a bit…loud while teaching. She asked a student (one of mine […]
Teaching So Students Remember Read More »
Do you have any topics that you teach and you teach, but you never feel like your students really “get it”? Or, do you have any standards that you never feel like you have time to teach? I’ll be the first person to acknowledge that I do. It’s just one of those things that comes
Daily Instructional Routines Read More »
As a teacher, brain research absolutely fascinates me so much that I went back to school for a graduate degree in brain research. There have been so many new developments over the past several years and the implications for teachers are so powerful. However, it’s incredibly easy to get lost in the technical details, so
6 Myths About The Brain Read More »
I absolutely cannot believe that it’s time to start thinking about the end of the year. While I am beyond excited about summer vacation, it always makes me so sad to think about the “summer slide” that many of my students will experience. Research shows that students are likely to lose two to three months
Avoid the Summer Slide Read More »
I’ve always enjoyed the time of year after testing and before summer vacation, which for me is about six weeks. It’s nice to teach without the stress of the big test hanging over my head. It’s also the time of year when I feel like I have a little more flexibility than usual, because ideally
5 Ideas for Teaching After Testing Read More »
There are so many new resources that allow teachers incorporate technology into the classroom that it can be overwhelming at times. I’ve found that it’s best for me to slow down and pick a few things that I want to focus on and learn well. Otherwise, I do a lot of things poorly. I also
Flipgrid in the Classroom Read More »
We’ve all taught the student who appear to refuse to make any effort at all in the classroom or the student who constantly gives the shoulder shrug and the dreaded, “I don’t know”. This can all be attributed to learned helplessness, which is the belief that behavior does not control outcomes or results. A student
Stop Learned Helplessness Read More »
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. Wondering how many more days we can take it, much less years. Teaching is hard work. It can be a physically, emotionally, and mentally draining career, and it’s often a thankless job where teachers are typically portrayed as the reason for all of educational shortcomings. We’re expected to
5 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout Read More »
Recently growth mindset has become a major buzzword in education. When I began hearing the term, I started reading about growth mindset and quickly realized that the idea of growth mindset was something most great educators already believed long before the term was coined. However, there was now data and research to prove and justify
Grading With a Growth Mindset Read More »
Over the years I’ve read countless blog posts, social media posts, and comments over the debate of balancing cute and content. I think we can all agree that there is value to both, and it’s certainly possible to teach with both style and substance. The purpose of this post is not to criticize one or
Balancing Cute and Content Read More »
