There are so many days that I love during the school year. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but hanging out in the top five is definitely the 100th day of school. You know what I love about it? It’s a “fun” day where I can teach academics without the kids going completely crazy. I mean, let’s reflect for a moment and think about holidays. Do you get any academic
Ok, let’s talk about new teachers. We’ve all been there once. Or maybe twice. Or maybe every single year when there are a bazillion new changes. New teachers are so special. Fresh out of school and ready to grab their flair pens and make a difference in students’ lives. The thing that most new teachers don’t usually realize is the workload that they are about to walk into. Sometimes, the
Ahhhh, subtraction with regrouping. I can feel the confusion in the air just talking about it. I may have a little PTSD from my first year of teaching it actually. Ok, that may be a touch dramatic but if ya know, ya know. It seems that no matter what strategy you use, there are confusing parts to each one. Typically, it’s the concept of “borrowing.” Subtraction with regrouping is one
Division. Need I say more? What about upper elementary division? I know what you’re thinking. It’s hard. It can be hard to teach division and most definitely sometimes hard for students to learn. There are many reasons why the concept of division is difficult for students. It can trace all the way back to a lack of number sense in the primary grades or a lack of multiplication fluency in
Ahhh, math. I love to teach math. The strategies, the accountable talk, the real-world connections, the tools, the food. Yes… the food. We eat A LOT in math class. Tasty little treats do make the best manipulatives. Math class is fun. I mean, who doesn’t love to eat, right? But out of all of the food-related skills you can teach in math, the hardest skill to teach isn’t even a
Have you ever been standing in a store or restaurant trying to determine the amount of money that you owe or should receive back in change? I told you I show my age a lot 😉. Whether you have or whether you haven’t, it’s potentially a direct result of your number sense ability. Yes, even as an adult, number sense continues to play a role in our lives. As students
I can feel it now. Sweaty palms, a racing heart, an anxious stomach. Is it the first time taking an airplane ride? Getting some life-changing news? Public speaking? No … just math class. We’ve all been there. A sheet full of math problems laid on your desk, the teacher sets a timer, and pencils aren’t allowed to touch the paper yet. The teacher says “go!” and here comes the sweaty
As the start of a new school year quickly approaches, you may feel a little unenthusiastic about giving up your slow and steady mornings, Or, maybe you’re bustling with excitement to get back into the school routine and begin all of the “new.” The start of a new school year is always my favorite. A new year, new students, new supplies, and sometimes even new co-workers. There is something about
Building relationships with your students is the most important thing to increase student success, happiness, and make classroom management seamless. However, building relationships with your students does not mean you should be friends with them. Children need structure and high expectations, but to succeed, they need to know you care about them and have their best interests at heart. Here are five ways to build relationships with your students. Here
The beginning of the year sets an important tone for the entire school year. Things like establishing rules and procedures, and building readers, writers, and mathematicians are vital from the start. One of the most important things to start nurturing and growing from day one is classroom community. Classroom community is the root of how well your students work together, speak to each other, and get to know one another.
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