When you start applying for jobs, I think everyone starts the Google search with “teaching interview questions” or “what questions are asked on a teaching interview?” There is nothing worse than attending an interview and feeling unprepared when asked a question. While it does help to anticipate the specific questions that might be asked, it is also helpful to consider your interview ...
Change is a Verb
Disclaimer: I am not a trained counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. I am an educator, I attended public school for 12 years, I spent four years at a public university, received my graduate degree, and I taught nearly 1,000 students over a seven year span in public schools. Most importantly, I am a mom of a little boy. As I watch the news, I hear the details surrounding the ...
Activities for Engagement: The Scavenger Hunt
It should come to no one’s surprise that students like activities. I’m an adult, and I like activities! In fact, I outlined how you could turn any worksheet into an activity here. My particular favorite is the scavenger hunt. Let’s dive into why it is a favorite for both my students and me. ACTIVITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT: THE SCAVENGER HUNT How It Works Scavenger hunts work like this. ...
Time-Saving Tips for the New Year
What I love about being a teacher is that you get two new years every one year -- August and January. Since the new year has just begun, I thought I would share some of my go-to time-saving tips so you can start your new year in your classroom as efficiently as possible. TIME-saving tips for the new year 1. Plan your Planning Period How many times have you looked at the clock ...
How to Teach Part, Whole, and Percent
When I begin to teach part, whole, and percent problems, I explain to my students that there is nothing that I teach in my class that I use more often in my real life. Students reflect on where they see percents: the grocery store, sales and discounts, and their grades. 6.RP.A.3.C Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 (e.g., 30% of a quantity means 30/100 times the quantity); ...
The Ultimate Teacher Gift Guide
With Thanksgiving Break behind us and a mere 12 days until Winter Break (who's counting?!), it felt like the perfect time to kick off our 2017 Teacher Gift Guide. Last year, we categorized gifts by the type of teacher you might be shopping for, but this year, we are breaking down our gift guide by the amount of money you have to spend. Here we go! THE ULTIMATE TEACHER GIFT ...
Using Calculators in Middle School
Currently, I am teaching operations with decimals, and I have relied on calculators HEAVILY to check my work. Confession: When I was creating my answer key for a lesson on multiplying decimal numbers by decimal numbers with many, many digits, I first did all the math by hand and then went back to check using a calculator. My paper was not error-free! Calculators are such useful tools for ...
Implementing a Classroom Economy
Today’s post is to answer the many questions I have received regarding my classroom economy. Economy is a loose term because it isn’t tied to students completing classroom jobs but tied to their behavior. We call this system the paycheck system. Implementing a classroom economy Disclosure: None of this information is or was my idea. My school had this already in place long before I ...
Scholastic Magazines for Middle School
Anyone who teaches middle schoolers is probably familiar with the question, “When are we going to use this?” It’s something about being 12-years -old that produces this ever-growing need to know. And we all know that good teaching practices include making real-world connections. Even many of the standards add that phrase. The truth of the matter is that sometimes those real-life ...
Middle School Math Skills Students Must Master
Though I currently teach 6th grade math, I am well versed in high school math. I taught both Algebra 1 to freshman and Algebra 2 to sophomores a couple of years ago. Time and time again, I found myself reteaching math concepts students should have been proficient in before entering high school. The middle school transition to high school is going to be hard, but it shouldn’t be because ...