Connecting with our students is one of our most important jobs as teachers. When students have a bond with us, they are more engaged in everything we say, and therefore everything we try to teach. A few years ago I wrote this post about using your own life as the script when teaching writing. By […]
Mindfulness, meditation, and “enjoying the moment” seem to be catch phrases at the moment. Colouring books are wildly popular, all the celebrities meditate daily, and mindfulness is part of everyday conversations. And in this instance, I think the hype is right. You see, I realized not long ago how fast and busy my classroom was. […]
Well my family has made our move, and I will certainly be sharing all about my new teaching experiences in Australia! However, since there are still a couple of weeks before that time, I have a post I want to share from Michigan. I had a personal goal this year of building perseverance in my […]
If you live in the United States, you have probably heard of Elf on the Shelf. It is a HUGE craze right now, and I would say that 90% of my students have an elf at home. I love the magic of this. It is right up my ally. As someone that does leprechaun hunts […]
I think this is one of the most important issues in education today, and one that needs to be talked about. As the new school year is beginning, it is critical to have good classroom management. Classroom Dojo is not that. Before I begin, I admit that I have never used Classroom Dojo. I understand […]
I have had this post swimming around in my head for a long time. For me, it was just a matter of how to present it. I hope this works… Why We Need A Change I think we owe our children better “behavior management systems.” I will be sharing a plan with you in this […]
As teachers we spend a lot of time assessing students’ behavior for them. We do it in lots of ways. It may come in the form of praise (and unspoken criticism). It may be an actual points or reward system, or behavior clips. It may be in the looks we give, the discussions we have, […]
Monday, January 21, 2013 is Martin Luther King Jr day. This is such a meaningful day for so many reasons in our country, and I think that introducing Dr. King to our young students is an important responsibility for all teachers in early elementary. I also think it is something that should be done mindfully. […]
A while back I wrote a post about my frustrations with sticker systems – or, really, reward and punishment systems. After learning so much about how these reward systems stimulate the addiction center in the brain, and how they encourage children to work only for the prizes, I have eliminated any of these systems from […]
For a few years now my district has conducted “whiteboards” when we have a child demonstrating some significant behavioral issues. I honestly have no idea if our “whiteboards” are based on any specific education theories, or if they have just become a part of what we do. What I can say is that they are […]
