The first weeks of school are long past, and your class has likely settled into a rhythm. This is a great time of year to reflect on how things are going. Are routines running as smoothly as you’d like? Are
You have 24 great parent-teacher conferences and one rough one.
Many students had “A-ha!” moments in math around a tough concept, but one just couldn’t get it and was near tears by the end of class.
At the end
This article appeared in the Responsive Classroom Newsletter: November 2015 (https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/our-classroom-walls)
During the school day we spend most of our time in our classroom and so do twenty to thirty students (give or take a few!). Many of us feel
This post originally appeared in Education Week Teacher (blog) on October 7, 2015.
By Larry Ferlazzo on October 7, 2015 4:45 PM
(This is the second post in a three-part series on “grit.” You
You’re on your way home from school thinking through the day and trying to figure out how it happened. You replay events….
It was 11:15 and students were in the midst of a chaotic transition—it was noisy, three students were
This article was published in the October 2015 edition of Educational Leadership (Emotionally Healthy Kids) as an online-only article. It explores how social and emotional skills are woven throughout the Common Core State Standards and what that means for good
For a long time, when I wanted to give students positive feedback about their work or behavior, I began with some version of, “I like the way you…”
“Jeremy, I like the way you’re working so hard on that
One student can change the feel of a whole classroom. John throws a tantrum whenever things don’t go his way. Alicia enters the room each morning with a deep scowl exuding negative energy. Allen has way too much sexual knowledge
This article appeared on the NEA Member Benefits site: http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/healthy-educator-habits.htm?utm_source=TWCD0915&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wall-post
With each school year comes the chance to be proactive about your health. You can fight off chronic low energy, constant sniffles and stress headaches before they pull
Originally posted on The Teacher Learning Sessions site: http://teacherlearningsessions.com/podcast/reteaching/mike-anderson/
Mike Anderson is an author, an award-winning educator, and an independent educational consultant. In addition to other books, Mike wrote The Well Balanced Teacher, The First Six Weeks of School (2nd Edition), and
I joined two other panelists, Dawn Casey-Rowe and Dan Brown, on this episode of BAM! Radio to discuss ways to create trust and build connections with students early in the year. Hosted by Rae Pica, this was a lively and
Original Article: http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/how-to-achieve-classroom-family-balance-guilt-free.htm
You don’t have to choose between being a good parent and being a good teacher with these helpful productivity tips.
For Mike Anderson, fatherhood felt like a second full-time job. He
Every now and then, I come across a letter from Uncle Curmudgeon, an old retired teacher, to his niece, Kennari, an aspiring new one. I’m happy to pass another along!
Dear Kennari-
Ah! The beginning of a new year!
Emily lay curled up under her covers long after the alarm clock had woken her up. Her mother came into her room. “Emily! You need to get up! It’s the first day of school and it’s time to get going!”
One of our primary goals at the beginning of the school year is to get to know our students. This is important for several reasons. First, the better we know our students, and the more they know we know them,
As I work with teachers on helping students craft effective and supportive rules at the beginning of the school year, a question almost always comes up: “What do you think about using the Golden Rule as a classroom rule?” It’s
In my first two years as a classroom teacher, I used an incentive system to try and motivate and manage students. At each cluster of four student desks, there was a plastic dish. When groups were working well, paying attention,
“I went to a workshop on active learning, and we just sat and listened all day!”
“I attended a ‘differentiated instruction’ seminar, and we all did the same thing at the same time!”
“Why can’t we ever get professional development
Independent student research is making a comeback! After years of moving away from student-centered learning, due primarily to the over-emphasis of standardized testing, the movement toward differentiated instruction and personalized learning has reignited teachers’ interest in helping students conduct research
(This post was originally published on edCircuit.com.)
“Have you ever noticed that a third year teacher and a 30-year teacher have the same job description?”
This question, posed to me a while back by a colleague, seems particularly important in
Mikey was a challenging fourth grader. He broke down in tears often in the beginning of the year. Reading was hard. Math was hard. Recess was hard. Everything was hard. He crumpled work papers, fought on the playground, and teased
Every now and then, I come across a letter from Uncle Curmudgeon, an old retired teacher, to his niece, Kennari, an aspiring new teacher. I’m happy to pass them along from time to time!
Dear Kennari,
Greetings. It’s another slow
Few would argue with the importance of educating the whole child. Even in today’s age of standardized testing and emphasis on academic standards, perhaps even because of this recent emphasis, educators are increasingly aware of the need to nurture students’
My 22 year-old self can’t believe I’m writing this post. When I was a brand new teacher, I was firmly convinced that I should dress casually for work. Relaxed pants and a button-down short-sleeved short was my normal outfit. I
Every now and then, I come across a letter from Uncle Curmudgeon, an old retired teacher, to his niece, Kennari, an aspiring new teacher. I’m happy to pass them along from time to time! Enjoy! -Mike
Dear Kennari-