Here’s a little known truth about classroom libraries—teachers who have well-stocked libraries often have fewer discipline problems. Whhhat? Yessiree, it’s true! Kids get into mischief when they have time on their hands, but not so much when they’re captivated by interesting reading material. So how might a teacher get a gold mine of reading material without spending…
It’s a brand-new school year—a fresh beginning. This makes it the perfect time to update, replace, and give things you no longer use the ol’ heave-ho. My good buddy, a fourth-grade teacher, gave her desk the ol’ heave-ho. As she explained to me, she rarely uses the desk, which takes up valuable classroom space. And…
So I decided that I wanted to do a blog about helping students remember directions. I know you repeat yourself a lot when you’re teaching, and it can drive even the most patient teacher bananas. In the process of learning some memory techniques to share with you, it occurred to me that we, as adults,…
For some time now, brain breaks have been all the rage. Giving our brains a break every now and again certainly makes sense to me! When my brain feels like it’s ready to pop, I know I’m in trouble. Research indicates that brain breaks are a quick and effective way to activate, energize, and stimulate…
What do roses, belly breaths, and candles have in common? They all play a role in a great calming technique I learned during an early childhood conference a few years back. And trust me; this technique isn’t just for the little ones. I’ve put it to use plenty of times myself. But I’ll explain that…
Do you remember a time when you were in school and you had to answer “I don’t know” to a question? I’m sure I said it many times, but one particular instance stands out. I was in French class my sophomore year of high school, and a guest speaker asked me a question—in French. I…
Please raise your hand if you use yellow notepads, legal pads, or highlighters. My hand is raised! I recently read an interesting tidbit about the color yellow that basically blew me away. It suggests that yellow enhances concentration. Did you ever hear of that? I’ve always thought of yellow as a bright and cheery color…
My get-a-cow-to-come-say-hi skills are rusty. I learned this a few weeks ago when a friend’s car decided to conk out on a country road. While we waited for assistance, I decided to befriend a cow in a nearby pasture. I conversed. I cooed. I mooed. I even flapped my arms. Nothing but a stare—or maybe…
The last time I wrote a blog about my favorite current teacher tips, I received tons of positive feedback. And what better day to give fun teacher tips is there than a Monday? (I always need a little something to get me revved up for the week (other than caffeine), and I suspect some of…
One of the most difficult things my students seem to struggle with at the beginning of every new school year is walking in the hallways. Entering 3rd grade, most have been at the same school for four years. However, from the looks of it, you’d think they’d never walked in a line before. From the…