Have you ever felt as though no one is listening? That expressing your serious concerns is just an act of futility? This is how it feels to be a teacher in the 20-21 school year. The following is just some of what you may hear us trying to shout. (This is not an exhaustive list,…
Political Science
I am not sure when I developed such a love for learning science. It could have been when I was younger and had dreams of being an astronaut. It could have been that AP Physics class that I took in high school, (but probably not, our “independent study group” spent more time playing card games…
Weathering the Storm
I have to admit, after writing my last post toting about the “positives” of our current global situation, it has been pretty difficult to stay positive. There are good and bad days. The bar for the “good” days has been set pretty low. I talked to a loved one on the phone, video chatted with…
Piecing Together the Positives
We have started week two of "social distancing" and "staying and working at home" because of Coronavirus. The only time we have left the house is to go to the grocery store to get what is left on the shelves while sharing anxious glances with everyone else there. We come home to be surrounded by…
It’s not Brain Surgery, it’s Tougher!
I recently shared the following quote with one of my classes, "A teacher has to make more decisions in a day than a brain surgeon." I had seen this quote numerous times on social media. I was jokingly sharing the quote with them because I had to completely change my lesson at the last minute…
Corona Cynicism
In the last 48 hours, my school district has cancelled school for two weeks (oh wait... now three weeks, tomorrow it will probably be five) my governor has closed all restaurants, bars, gyms and any other place where more than 25 people would gather. And the rehab where my father is staying locally for PT…
Cheapo Inspo for 9-13 Y/Os
Teaching 9-13 year-olds is not for the faint of heart, and when you haven't been 9-13 in a while yourself, coming up with ideas to inspire and motivate can be a challenge. So here are a few gimmicks I've discovered over my past twenty years in the classroom that help in this arena (most of the time- with a lot of students 😏).
You only get this moment once, so make it a teachable one
Today I had a sobering talk with my fifth grade students. Because sometimes there are teachable moments that have nothing to do with "the curriculum" or what the lesson plan was supposed to be. Sometimes these teachable moments involve a heart to heart about things they may not expect to hear from their teacher. A…
Taking risks in teaching
Something that I have realized about myself as a teacher is that when I take risks and "think outside the box" I benefit just as much as my students
From the Vocab Lab…
Okay, so I don't have anything as fancy as a lab. But I do have twenty years of experience trying different methods of vocabulary instruction and reinforcement in my classroom, and therefore some idea of what practices tend to work well with middle schoolers at all levels as well as your English Learners. Consider incorporating…
thMUGlife 