Stupid Teacher Talk

Tips for Lesson Plan Sharing

2011-10-27T17:47:18Z

I teach students who have multiple disabilities in grades 3-5. I have a unique class since some are from the district we are housed in and other students are from surrounding districts. It is a countywide program housed in a particular building. We have...(read more)

Pandemonium With Purpose: Teaching Vocabulary and My Secret Weapon

2011-09-27T15:46:59Z

Inevitably, as you get to know your students at the beginning of a new school year, you also begin to think of new activities and variations on existing lessons that honor their personalities and learning styles. I know I did. I was full of ideas. What...(read more)

Reading Aloud in Middle Grade Classrooms

2011-09-06T20:36:56Z

After lunch my kids used to come barreling into the classroom. They had wolfed down lunches and then run off to play basketball or gossip among themselves. They came into class sweaty and chatty. They would throw their backpacks down, grab their books,...(read more)

What’s on Your Walls? How My Classroom Helped My Students Learn

2011-08-12T17:35:20Z

I decided I was going to be a teacher when I was in the second grade. At the time I believed that meant I would wear turtleneck sweaters and have blonde hair that was flipped up at the bottom like my teacher. Of course, I knew I had a lot to learn before...(read more)

Tips for Starting a Classroom Blog

2011-07-25T19:45:04Z

I correspond on a regular basis with a group of writers who also teach at writers’ conferences. We attend other workshops as well, in which we hear how it is important to have an “online presence.” Is an online presence also important for us as classroom...(read more)

I’m a Dancin’ Machine…

2011-07-08T16:02:10Z

I just returned from a wonderful vacation. My husband and I spent five fun-filled days in Las Vegas—at Dance Camp. I have written before that dancing makes me better at what I do. Being a student for an intense week of lessons improved on that. When was...(read more)

A Lion, a Python, and 33 Second-Graders, Oh My! A Lesson Learned From Storytelling

2011-05-23T15:52:09Z

“Thank you, Mrs. Russsssimah!” You gotta love it when kids shout out your name, even if it is pronounced incorrectly. It’s been days, and I still mentally revisit my Friday afternoon and smile. And who wouldn’t when that Friday includes reading a story...(read more)

Move It!

2011-04-27T15:12:38Z

I am convinced that the main goal of teacher training each summer is to remind those of us who do not have to sit in a student desk each day just how hard it is to sit in a student desk all day. One of the things which has always fascinated me about professional...(read more)

5 Reasons Why I Don’t Write My Book

2011-03-10T16:09:14Z

Do you have the world’s next best lesson plan? You know who you are. You’re the teacher who has led staff development using your own materials. You’re the teacher whose students have soared because you have a unique way of presenting lessons. You’re the...(read more)

You’ve Been Plutoed

2011-02-08T23:11:18Z

As a publishing company with frequent reprints, we have to update the information in many of our books to stay current. Our Elections book needs updating with each election, our geography books need to change the names of countries like Burma to Myanmar,...(read more)

Finding Time

2011-01-25T16:33:44Z

Finding extra time is one of the biggest problems I face in my classroom. I have found a way to add about thirty minutes to my weekly teaching time, and I really didn’t have to do anything hard at all; all I had to do was get rid of my clock. We all know...(read more)

Young Engineers: 21st Century Skills in Early Childhood Classrooms

2011-01-11T22:55:57Z

The idea of implementing STEM curricula seems daunting. It makes sense to keep us competitive globally, but really, how and when are teachers supposed to fit it in! We are hearing that we need to focus on STEM curricula, and on incorporating 21st century...(read more)

A Paperless Project

2010-12-20T21:40:35Z

I have been immersed in paper for most of my adult life. First, reading and grading thousands of papers every year while teaching middle school English, and then as an editor here at TCR. After all, isn’t that what a publishing house is all about? The...(read more)

Renovations: Expect the Unexpected (and Then Expect More)

2010-11-23T22:01:43Z

About two months ago, my husband and I bought a fixer-upper. When we signed away, we knew we had our work ahead of us. No one had lived on the property for over a year, and the lack of love and attention showed. The appliances didn’t work, there was brown...(read more)

Highlights from NAEYC 2010

2010-11-10T15:25:34Z

I recently attended the NAEYC conference in Anaheim with some of my colleagues. I have been an editor for almost as long as I was a preschool teacher (15 years) but anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a preschool teacher at heart. I am in my element...(read more)