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Using Informal Checklists to Monitor Student Progress
Listen Early Childhood educators are probably most likely to already be employing this strategy. They are responsible for teaching every standard in every subject to every child. They are then responsible for assessing whether that child shows progress, masters the concept, or does not show enough progress to move on...
Self-Care for Worn Out Educators
Listen Have you ever noticed that the only movies that are made about us are either movies where the teacher is a terrible human who takes complete advantage of the “easy paycheck” (which we all know is not realistic) or those who have no personal boundaries and are terrible humans...
Phonics and Phonemic Awareness
Listen Part Two of our Four-Part Series: Helping Students Improve Their Reading at Any Age *A Note on Numbers We say there are “44ish” phonemes. The number varies due to differences in dialect or the way we speak. Some people count the harder, whispered /th/ sound in “thorn” and...
Tips for Transitioning to Social-Emotional-Friendly Behavioral Management for Elementary Classrooms
Listen With the increased focus on socio-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices, many of us are changing some of our strategies in the classroom. The problem some teachers are having, though, is the inability to trade one strategy in for an equally workable strategy when transitioning. This all-or-nothing attitude makes...
3 Tips for Working with an Assistant
Listen In November, we said in this blog post that support staff (which also go by the titles paraprofessionals, para-educators, or teaching assistants, to name a few - and we’ll use them interchangeably) comprise one of the most underutilized resources in education. One of the main reasons we’ve found this...
Resilience for Teachers
Listen Read Resilience became a buzzword in classrooms across the land in regards to students, but it really needs to be common among adults in conversations about our own personal emotional health. Don’t believe that? Well, here’s a little detail that may change your mind: the first ingredient for building...
Helping Parents Navigate the World of Education
Listen Read Finish this statement: “The kids aren’t the problem. It’s the ______.” Did you say either adults or parents? Then you are not alone! Many teachers say the same. After years in the public school setting, one of our writers transitioned from teaching to being a stay-at-home parent, though,...
Teacher Side Gig Profile - Tutoring
Listen Read One of the best seasonal and side gigs for educators is tutoring. Tutors are needed in every subject and at every level. During times when school is not in session, parents especially look for tutors for their children to keep from losing any ground they’ve gained, and occasionally...
7 Tips For Helping Families in Crisis
Listen Read Everyone experiences a crisis at some point. No one is immune. Whether the person involved in crisis is a student, a staff member, or an administrator, the community is affected and may need to respond swiftly to provide meaningful intervention. Here are a few crises that may affect...
6 Ways Teachers Can Save Money
Listen Read While teachers often disagree on topics such as classroom management, whether or not homework is important, or if it’s a good idea to eat in the teacher’s lounge, one thing we can all agree on is that teachers’ budgets are tight (and no, we don’t mean that in...
Handwriting Hacks for Any Age
Listen Read Have you ever tried to grade an assignment and been unable to understand anything on the paper? Does it seem to be getting worse? Handwriting instruction was written out of state standards in many places in 2010. Some held onto teaching it until around 2013. Once something is...
The Introvert's Survival Guide for Working in Education
Listen Read Education is a tough field for introverts, and not necessarily for the reasons people might assume. The “public speaking” aspect, for example, is not that big of a deal for many people in a classroom setting. In fact, public speaking in general may be easier for introverts because...