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
This is a MUST read. My cousin is a foster parent with five children. She and her husband recently adopted four out of the five siblings! It has been a joy to watch her in this journey—just like it was a joy watching her grow up. I love how she "keeps it real" when it comes to living the life of fostering and adoption. She shared this on her personal page and I reached out to her to share it here because it is just that good and so very relevant.
Edited for privacy:
"Tonight, after 2.5 years of living here, my oldest son sat down at the table with this. He was about to chow down when I stopped him and asked what in the world he was doing.
He said, “I made myself dinner.”
“But it isn’t cooked. I can cook that you know.” (she said)
“Well, I wanted to eat something I used to eat a lot with my old family.”
So we sat down, and I asked him to tell me about it. He said that they wouldn’t feed him due to being passed out (you can guess why) and he would have to make dinner for himself and his brothers (two years old and four months old when they came to us). He said that all the money they had would be spent on cigarettes and other fun things (😬) and so he would find change in their van and would buy Ramen packets at the store down the street (at age six!!!!).
He said he didn’t know how to boil water, so he would eat it like this. And, he actually grew to like it. So, he would break it up for his sibling, and would try to make bottles for the baby (at age six!!!!!!).
Guys. I asked him to make me some. And, I sat there beside him and crunched it down with lots of water because it’s not great—and he just started talking about how the first time I made them Ramen, he wouldn’t eat it, and I told him I remembered. He said it’s because it reminded him of his Ramen packets and he didn’t trust me (big thoughts for nine!).
He said he isn’t sad he’s not with his “old family” (his words) anymore, but that sometimes HE LIKES TO REMEMBER HOW STRONG HE HAD TO BE.
I write this so everyone knows, trauma isn’t healed quickly (sometimes never), an adoption doesn’t erase the past or the memories, kids can change, they will change with love, and to never give up on a kid because “they are hard”.
And then, I walked away in shock, in sadness, and so, so, so proud of how strong my baby is. He’s so wonderful. And, we love him so much."
Friends, THIS is the life experience of kids who come from hard places. THIS is living a trauma-informed life. We can't imagine what kids from hard places have lived through. It is not just about one act of abuse or neglect, it is about living in survival mode and doing it day in and day out. It is about making sure younger siblings are also surviving, even at the expense of childhood.
Trauma infuses itself into every pore. Kids just don't forget it. Their brains and bodies won't let them. Those of us privileged enough (yes, I said privileged) to enter into the lives of children with hard life experiences must be willing to sit down, eat uncooked Ramen noodles and listen. We must not give up.
Our kids didn't.
*via Barren to Blessed
So true... and a great reminder heading into a Friday. Some kids are NOT looking forward to their weekends. Home doesn’t provide relief or safety for them the way it does for so many of us.
👀Keep your eye out for the students tomorrow, who might need a little extra love because it’s Friday. They might push back, they might typically get attention by acting out. Perhaps tomorrow you can give it to them first. Save them the trouble of acting out. Maybe the “I’m glad you’re here today” you greet them with in the morning will help them keep it together through lunch.
What ways do you do for these kids? How do you give them love and support, when their behavior can be so challenging in a classroom?
#Writesolutions #tptfs #igconnect4edu #iteachtoo #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #tpt #ntchat #socialemotionallearning #traumainformedteaching #middleschoolteacher #middleschool #schoolcounselorsofinstagram #mathteacherlife #mathteacherproblems #mathteachersrock #mathteachertribe #mathteachersofinstagram #teachingmath #teachmath #mathteachers #fourthgraderocks #iteachsixth #grade7 #grade6 #grade5 #grade4 #mathteacher #iteachfifth #sixthgrade
DEEP discussions.
.
My sixth graders are beginning a “review” unit on fractions. I gave them a quick little 8 question pre-assessment last week that I’d NEVER share with their fifth grade teachers- it’d be too heartbreaking💔💔💔.
.
I know how hard they (& their teachers👨🏻🏫) worked last year- I was even in some of their classrooms. But something happens over the summer. Some of them skated through never really GRASPING what was going on conceptually. And that’s ok.
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😍Maybe they are more ready now than they were then! That’s why this review unit exists.
.
⚠️We’re going to move on cautiously though. I KNOW better than to let anyone touch paper and pencil just yet. We are going to compare, order and discuss the relationships between fractions for a bit. And nothing more!
🃏This group played ‘Top It’ today and had some aha moments about when numerators are the same. They were able to explain that they were comparing 5 little pieces to 5 bigger pieces, and that the denominator tells you the size of the slice, like on pizza. I like that thinking and I hope it sticks! 💭
Find these ‘Differentiated Flashcard Games’ in my Write Solutions TPT store in blue and in green. Each file includes a deck of cards with visuals and a deck without. I’ve been printing some as is, and a few more sets two/page. The possibilities are endless. Let me know how you would use them in your classroom!
#Mathteacherlife #mathteacherproblems #mathteachersrock #mathteaching #teachingmaths #mathteachertribe #mathteachersofinstagram #teachingmath #teachmath #mathteachers #fourthgraderocks #mathgames #learninggames #iteachsixth #grade6 #grade5 #grade4 #mathteacher #iteachfifth #sixthgrade #fourthgrade #teachersoftpt #tpt #interventionist #mathintervention #teachingfractions #fractionsarefun
Take some time to take care of YOU today.
We Need to Take Care of Our Teachers Before They All Burn Out
www.boredteachers.com
Our teacher friends are burnt out. They deal with chronic stress and exhaustion. Let’s join together to help them rest and recharge over winter break.
