Teachers are quick studies when it comes to learning students’ names. A decade or so ago, the biggest challenge was pairing each child with the appropriate name. Desktags and labeled school supplies were helpful in a pinch. Nowadays, simply seeing a child’s name in print may not supply a teacher with the information she needs….
Relationships and Team Building
Let Students Know You Love to Help!
Sometimes students who need the most help are reluctant to ask for it. I always want to let students know that I care about them and want to help. I created these cards with the Card Maker Tool from Mailbox Gold 101 Tool Kit in less than a minute. I will print on card stock,…
Functional Dysfunction: Teacher Teams
We humans are difficult creatures. As a lifelong human and curmudgeon, there should be little surprise in me saying that. Still, despite my cynicism, I enjoy people. People are my favorite humans, and I have come to face the brutal fact that life requires being around other people. As a teacher, you face the same…
Coworkers and Friends?
Last weekend, I went to a three-day scrapbooking retreat with Lynn, the managing editor of The Mailbox magazine Kindergarten edition. Around six years ago, we discovered that we were both into paper crafts. Ever since, we’ve been piling ridiculous amounts of crafting stuff in either her car or my car and going to various…
First Friday Giveaway
Hello, November! Today is the first day of the month and it’s the first Friday of the month. Are you ready to enter November’s First Friday Giveaway? I sure hope so! The topic of teamwork is ricocheting around in my brain. I have to ask. Have you seen or heard about the jaw-dropping performances of…
A Thought on the PTA
I recently read an opinion piece in a major newspaper in which the author states she is “fed up” with the endless fundraising a modern PTA organization must undertake. The author, an editor in New York City, notes that the PTA at her children’s school (which she had been an active member of) raised $185,000…
Parent-Teacher Groups
A few nights ago, I joined my best pal for a late dinner. When I saw her, my eyeballs popped. She had come directly from her school’s back-to-school night and her attire was, in my mind, a bit surprising. She was sporting a bright purple T-shirt with large letters that spelled “Make My Day!” I…
Back-to-School Night
What does your back-to-school night look like? Is it a meet-and-greet with parents and students before school begins? Or does this special night take place a few weeks after school starts? Either way, there’s sure to be preparation. How do you make this special gathering a success for parents, students, and you? Eager to hear!…
First Friday Giveaway
It’s the first Friday in July, and that spells G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y here at The Mailbox blog! For this month’s giveaway, let’s fast forward to fall. A new school year can mean additions to grade-level teams; changes in support staff; and, perhaps, new administrators. What tips do you have for helping to make these types of transitions…
Parent Communication
Have you ever had a student who repeatedly expresses discomfort or alarm? Lars was one of those kids. He was hungry for attention. And being an exceptionally bright child, Lars quickly learned that the prospect of a broken body part got him the attention he wanted. First, he had a finger that he felt was…