Creating a Safe Space to Talk About Race & Racism in the Classroom
Race and racism are popular topics of discussion right now, and as an educator, it’s important to help students to navigate the difficult conversations that may occur around these subjects. Here are some tips to make your classroom a safe space to talk about race and racism. CONFRONT YOUR OWN FEARS ABOUT THE TOPIC Many […]
Tips & Tricks for Teaching Effectively With Zoom
Zoom can be a powerful tool for connecting with many students at once and addressing them as though you were in a classroom. This is great for maintaining a familiar structure to schoolwork, but it also presents its own unique challenges and possibilities. To make the most effective use of Zoom as a teacher, […]
How to Transition to Online Learning
In a matter of days, many of our lives were turned upside down, especially for teachers. Suddenly being told that you couldn’t see your precious students indefinitely and your job was going to be completely different likely came as a huge shock. Before you begin panicking, though, consider that there are many ways that students […]
Allowing Student Choice in the Learning Process
Between planning and instruction, teachers make an insane amount of decisions each day. The sheer number of minute-by-minute choices we must make cannot be appreciated by anyone who hasn’t done it. It’s no wonder that by the end of the day, you are so worn out from making decisions that you really don’t care what’s […]
Why Classroom Procedures Matter
Every teacher realizes the importance of classroom discipline. Even experienced teachers are frequently frustrated by problematic behaviors that seem obvious. (If you’ve had to tell someone not to eat plastic or not to tape flies to the floor, you know what I mean.) It may seem that the problem is discipline, when often the underlying issue […]
Mindfulness Practices in the Classroom
The kids of this generation are facing record-high stress levels. As teachers, we have a responsibility to help the children in our classrooms be as healthy and happy as possible. One way to help them is through incorporating mindfulness practices in our classrooms. Mindfulness is the practice of taking a moment to calm your thoughts […]
Teacher’s Best Friend: Google Drive and Google Classroom
Whether you love it or hate it, technology is here to stay in the classroom. As teachers in the 21st century, we must provide our students with the chance to develop their 21st-century skills, including how to research, use, and create in digital environments. One upside to technology is that it can drastically reduce the […]
The Magic of Student-Led Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences can fill even the most seasoned teacher with anxiety. You want to get the parents on your side but without alienating the student, who you will continue to see every day. Instead of you, the teacher, being the bearer of news both good and bad, student-led conferences are an innovative way to help […]
How We Can Create Trauma-Sensitive Classrooms
You never know what all your students are going to be bringing into your classroom. Each one has a metaphorical backpack stuffed full of different items brought from home — from divorce to abuse to food insecurity to mental illness — and these weigh heavy on students even while they are at school. Although we […]
7 Ways To Drastically Reduce Your Time Grading
No matter how hard you try, staring down the piles of ungraded assignments on your desk will not make them go away any faster. There’s no possible way for any human to grade everything — the bell-ringers, homework assignments, journal responses, exit tickets, essays, projects, and presentations — so you shouldn’t feel too guilty if […]