Confession: my favorite part of being a teacher is decorating my classroom. It is too fun! You take this lifeless, white-walled, empty space and make it vibrant, inviting, and covered in knowledge. You might say this is a metaphor with what teachers do to students’ brains: teachers fill and transform the minds of their students. But, if you are like me, the ...
Tips for Implementing Math Small Group Instruction
What do you do with the kids that “don’t get it”? I think this is a constant battle that we face as teachers. Sometimes it even keeps us up at night. Today I wanted to share tips for implementing math small group instruction. If your classroom functions like mine, a typical class period might consist of a warm up, guided notes, a class activity that is simultaneously accessible ...
5 Professional Development Books for Math Teachers
I always envision summer as this super relaxing time where I lay by the pool and read books. Reality is not quite as dreamy, as there is still laundry to do and kiddos to corral. However, I do love sharpening my skills and picking up a few professional development books. Based on your responses and the questions I get via email, I am going to focus my professional development reading on ...
Teacher Appreciation
For seven years, I was a teacher with no kids. My only perspective of teacher appreciation was that of a teacher. At one school, the PTA went all out, catered lunches, gift bags, etc. At another, we didn’t have a PTA, and so it was a quiet week where we got to wear jeans. Now as a parent, teacher appreciation has a new meaning. With the explosion of Pinterest and all things cute, ...
Ratios in the Classroom
I always loved teaching ratios. Students often did well with the concept, I was able to incorporate fun activities, and we quickly moved on to proportions. With the changes in the Common Core Standards, students are expected to have a much deeper understanding of ratios. 6.RP.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two ...
5 Teacher Organization Tips for Middle School
Over spring break, I was able to visit my sister, Mrs. Brack, and see her classroom. I love seeing other people’s classrooms and how they are organized. She is not only a fabulous math teacher but crafty and organized. I thought I would share 5 Teacher Organization Tips for Middle School. Some of these totally apply to any middle school classroom, but a few are ...
How to use MailChimp for Teachers
Have you ever gotten an email from a parent who was upset about a grade or a missing assignment? Maybe they said that they weren’t aware of a project. It’s not pleasant, and it is a struggle in middle school where students are asserting their independence and taking ownership of their learning. Today, I am sharing how to use MailChimp for teachers, a service for improving and ...
5 Evernote Tips for Teachers
I love composition notebooks, I used them in my classroom all of the time. My own personal composition notebook traveled to parent conferences, team meetings, professional developments, and home. Everything changed when I started using my phone for reminders and appointments. I found that I always had my phone and somehow that composition book was MIA. A colleague of mine always ...
My Math Intervention Schedule
Math Intervention is a class or a period of time devoted to helping students who have been unsuccessful (typically on standardized tests) by providing additional time and resources. Oftentimes, a math intervention class is smaller in size or might include a co-teacher. In my experience, there is not a lot of structure, direction, or resources to support math intervention. Today, I am ...
4 Classroom Procedures for Middle School
When I hear the phrase classroom management, I often think about how a teacher might handle an off-task student or a school wide behavior pyramid. However, more often than not, classroom management boils down to the systems in place that encourage students to be on-task and engaged in their learning. Today, I am sharing 4 Helpful Classroom Procedures for Middle School. Easy tips and ...