The author of the article, The Tao of American Idol, attempts to decode what the Idol judges really mean. For example: When Simon says … “You didn’t do anything different with the song.” What he really means is “I am incredibly bored right now. Thank goodness they pay me so much money to sit here …
Category: Classroom Mangement
What To Do When Children Cry
This funny recent video about a two year old boy who breaks down crying when his father tells him he’s not a single lady, interrupting up his joyous dance to the Beyonce tune, has me thinking about the serious subject of students crying at school and what to do about it. An Anecdote Samantha, a …
Do Teachers Own Their Lesson Plans?
A New York Times article reports on teachers selling their lesson plans online and raises ethical questions about the practice. Both the article and the letters to the editor in reaction to it are informative. I have several thoughts about this which I’ll break down in three categories, business, ethics, and practice. First I’ll address …
Finding Classroom Balance During the Holidays
I write this post at the risk of being nicknamed Scrooge. Let me preface this by saying that in my classroom, I have always bought the kids presents which they unwrap after lunch on the last day of school before the winter break. Every year there is one student who tells me something like the …
Back to School Week: It’s a Marathon Not a Sprint
As you are getting ready to meet your new students, remember that getting to know them is more than just silly ice breakers and bingo games. I’m not disparaging those activities, I’ve even posted several of them. However, know that the process of getting to know your students doesn’t end when you’ve found out who’s …
Back to School Week: Resources
Here are some resources I’ve compiled to assist you in planning for your return to school: Need something to do? Want to get to know your students? Activities for the First Day of School Want to beef up on classroom management? Here’s everything you need from job charts to management systems: Classroom Management for Teachers …
Open House Parent Engagement Tips
It’s that time of year again for Open House in my district. I’ve always taught at schools where parent engagement is a “problem.” Getting parents to come to school is often difficult and it’s not unusual for some classrooms to have only one or two parents. Here are my tips for the night. Do • …
Losing It (In the Classroom)
Tim “VidSnacks” Holt posts another example of a teacher losing it in the classroom and being caught on video. Students have cameras and audio recorders in their pocket? Should we be surprised? The teacher who was caught on tape has since resigned and the news story has interviews with union officials and administrators pointing fingers …
Classroom Mangement: Your System?
Daniel, who teachers second grade in a rough Sacramento school that’s in year 5 of program improvement under NCLB, asks, “Do you use any certain classroom management system that you could share?” I’ve written about classroom management before but in answer to the question about whether I have a classroom management system, the answer is …
Classroom Management: Who Makes the Rules?
In response to my article on Making Classroom Rules, Cami asks, Should the teachers make the rules, or should it be a collaborative thing between the teachers and the students? I love this question. As always, this is my personal opinion and what works for me. While there are many opportunities throughout the year when …