Student learning is no accident!
“The ones that are doing the talking are doing the learning.” I know that. But, no matter how many times I say it, the impact on student learning in front of me is profound and somehow surprising. There is no example stronger than that of talking about fractions in math class. I’ve spent most of my career spending part of… Read More
If teaching fifth and sixth graders has taught me anything, it’s that fractions and decimals can be ABSTRACT and TRICKY… and that kids have to be developmentally ready to perform operations on them. The good news is- the standards aren’t encouraging us to get kids to add, subtract, multiply and divide 5/32 and 16/71! We make equivalent fractions as a… Read More
You know that buzz of collaboration and learning that you hope for everyday? It happens when we play this game. Every. Single. Time. If you like Boggle, you’ll love this game. Word Wrangle is a fun classroom word game inspired by my love of Boggle and also my love of quiet. Once upon a time, I bought SIX Boggle games… Read More
Class Discussion Norms (In my class, these become our Community Norms and replace any “rules”) Equity of Voice: Monitor your airtime. As a group member you are responsible to be a speaker AND a listener. You are also responsible to invite others to speak. Equal(ish) airtime is the goal. Our community values all voices. Active Listening : Eye contact, nodding, being… Read More
Current Events. It’s been done to death. And I get that. What I’m going to share with you is not really about current events. The context just happens to be Current Events- but it could be anything… (so insert your own context!) It’s about academic discussions- conversation. Do kids really know what that is these days? Chances are they do… Read More
Using Sentence Stems and Explicit Instruction for Classroom Discussions Teaching discussion skills can be daunting! You know you want productive, positive discussions… but how do you get there? Here’s some of what works for me! Body Language & Politeness Matter Eye Contact: looking directly at the speaker lets them know they have your attention Inviting Posture: Facing your body toward… Read More
You HAVE to watch this video. Right. Now.
February vacation 2020
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🌈My kids’ requests🌈
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🌼We can make all of this happen.
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🌸I love this time of life when their wildest dreams are this big 😍.
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🧸I love that before bed they ask, “is tomorrow another Mama Day??” And their favorite answer is yes. 💓
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#thedaysarelongbuttheyearsareshort #teachermom #teachermomlife #toddlerlife #toddlermomlife #schoolvacationweek #schoolvacation #writesolutions #tptfs #igconnect4edu #iteachtoo #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #tpt #ntchat #teachersonbreak
🤞🏼Trying to stay healthy heading into February vacation😳
#teacherlife #teachermom #teachermomlife #valentines #poetrycommunity #germs #flugermseverywhere #lysolthat ##writesolutions #tptfs #igconnect4edu #iteachtoo #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #tpt #ntchat
It’s not teachers.
I think🤞🏼 people in the rest of the world might actually be starting to get that these days. I hope I’m right!!
Teachers fight hard. They push the limits. They say too much and push too hard... to get kids what they KNOW they need. There are so many (shhhhh!!!) off limits topics. So many things teachers shouldn’t say out loud, because well... money usually.
Teachers KNOW when a student needs a different service or placement or intervention... even if it isn’t available.
Teachers know when things aren’t running smoothly, when the environment has been compromised, and teaching and learning are in danger.
They know a lot, but can only say so much. Teachers love their schools, and their kids too- and sometimes those things are at odds. And that’s a TOUGH position to be in.
Thanks for all you do. For the weight on your heart, for the tough decisions that keep you up at night. For all the times you’ve asked yourself, “what if it were my kid...”
#teachertruth #teachertruths #integrity #schoolclimate #schoolreform #pbis #educationreform #educationreformnow #middleschool #schoolcounselor #schoolcounselorsofinstagram #teachercoach #teacherconfession #specialeducationlaw
