I am part of a Facebook group called Middle School Math Teachers. The group has 6,000 members and is VERY active. The most common post is teachers going into their first year asking for classroom management advice, so I thought it would be pertinent to dive deeper into not just routines and procedures in general but also which ones should be taught the first day. There is nothing ...
Classroom Ideas from an Experienced Teacher
Can it already be time for another middle school classroom tour? Welcome to Ms. Henry's 5th grade math classroom! She has basically been my other half when it comes to math talk at school, and I am so glad that we are featuring her room today. Many of her classroom ideas are not only brilliant but also practical! A few things to note: Ms. Henry has been teaching math for 15 ...
Returning from Maternity Leave as a Teacher
Returning from maternity leave as a teacher can feel daunting. Add a classroom and it can feel impossible. When I returned from my maternity leave, I was only the second teaching staff member to have a baby and return in the 4 years I had been at the school, so I felt especially anxious about the transition. I learned so much from both my experience and my mistakes. Since my daughter ...
Teaching Kindness to Middle Schoolers
This last school year, I had my first grade level of students who had been together since kindergarten with no merging of kids from different elementary schools to shake things up. You might think that these students would all be friends since they had many years together, but the exact opposite was true. This group had a very complex history that would not be characterized as kind. ...
4 Ideas for Going Paperless
We spent last week at the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematical Teaching, or C.A.M.T. We met so many fabulous educators, we heard about the wonderful work happening in classrooms all over Texas, and Noelle and Kim led a professional development on Small Group Instruction. All in all, it was an amazing few days! There were two things that continued to surprise me as I ...
4 Components of Digital Citizenship
As educators, it is crucial that we teach our students how about positive digital citizenship. But what does that mean exactly? Just like learning how to be a good citizen, students need to be taught how to be good digital leaders! This summer, I had some great takeaways after attending the Region 10 Digital Conference. I heard from some wonderful speakers, including Jennifer ...
Google Forms in the Classroom
We have all taken those surveys after a professional development workshop asking us to provide feedback. Most likely, you completed that survey in Google Forms™. Google Forms™ does not just have to be surveys. Google Forms™ exists for any form of data collection, which makes it a perfect tool for teachers! Many features allow you to use it for your math classroom. Maneuvering the ...
5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers
We all remember our most effective teachers. Personally, I remember Ms. Eckles; she was the first math teacher that made all my years of math all come together and CLICK. As an 8th grader at the time, I was oblivious to her skill, but now that I have been a teacher, I know that SHE WAS DOING SO MANY THINGS REALLY WELL! Today, I am sharing five things that every effective teacher does or ...
4 Ways to Use Nearpod in the Classroom
As teachers, we want to meet all of our students’ needs. But in a classroom of 30 or more students, it can feel overwhelming. EdTech tools like Nearpod make meeting your students’ needs a little bit easier. Not only is the website easy to use, but creating lessons is simple, and there are many built-in tools available within Nearpod to use to differentiate instruction in your classroom. ...
Health Insurance Alternatives for Teachers
One of the most highly discussed items that is currently impacting educators across the country is the rising cost of health care. Insurance plans that school districts are able to provide include extremely high deductibles and very high premiums (especially if you are carrying your children or entire family). Today, I want to share my personal experience with health insurance ...
