Category: Uncategorized
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40. Angry Parents
I wish this was not an aspect of our job but it totally is. When I was a young teacher and a parent showed up at school angry about something, I used to wonder what in the world I did to cause her to be angry. The first thing you need to know is that…
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39. The Pencil Sharpener
The pencil sharpener is a necessary beast in a classroom that requires as much management as five new students. If you don’t have a plan for your pencil sharpener, that one little machine will drive you over the edge of sanity. It doesn’t matter if your sharpener is a manual one that could be found…
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38. Acts of Service, Gifts of Giving.
When I taught in schools affected by poverty, I became very sensitive to the situation, especially around the holidays. I would frequently provide Christmas gifts for students or families mostly because I could not enjoy my holiday knowing some of my students would have nothing. I was about halfway through my career when I had…
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37. Teach Vocabulary
You are fully aware that building vocabulary is a critical aspect of developing literacy but the way many teachers go about teaching it is terribly outdated and ineffective. Flash cards are ineffective. Memorization is useless. Matching tests and fill-in-the-blanks are weak assessments of vocabulary. The best measure of whether or not students have integrated…
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36. Timed Tests
Remember how much fun timed tests were when you were in school? Do you remember how much you loved hearing a timer tick-tick-tick while you attempted to write the answers to your math facts as quickly as possible? Of course not. Nobody loved it. Everybody remembers them but not for any good reason. Timed tests…
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35. Reprimand in Private
In the event a behavior is so egregious that you need to reprimand the child, do it privately. Begin by apologizing to the twenty two others whose lesson was just interrupted and ask the child to step outside the classroom. The other students will remain quiet while you are in the hall because they want…
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34. “Tell Your Mama I said…..”
Be very aware that children are going to tell their mamas everything you say, but I have a circumstance when I lead with “Tell your mama I said….” When a child shows me respect or especially good manners, I say, “Tell your mama I said you’ve got really good manners. Mamas like to know that…
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32. Recess is Necessary
No matter how hot or cold or windy it is, you will take those children outside, not just for them but for you! Little kids have an enviable amount of energy that needs to be burned off outside. You can bundle up when it is cold, sit in the shade when it is hot but…
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33. Beware of Full Moons and Holidays
There is a substantial amount of teacher lore that suggests that there is a correlation between classroom behavior and full moons. While there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the lunar schedule impacts the behavior of school children, the researchers are not likely classroom teachers. Almost all teachers can offer anecdotal evidence that the…
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31. Sub Plans
Regardless of how healthy you ordinarily are, children are germy and they transfer those germs to you every time they love on you. Your first couple of years you will probably catch a few more colds than is customary. You have got to be prepared to be absent with little notice. Yes, it is absolutely…
Fire Drills 