Browse by Tags
So, I have an awesome class. It's really a wonderful change, but there is a little problem. I have three extremely bright students who are working way above their second grade peers in both reading and math. I want to make it a great year for them, but
Read More...
I have just completed my third full day with my new students, and I am so excited to say that I have an awesome class! There is always the apprehension about what hand will be dealt the next time around, and I am coming off an extremely tough year. The
Read More...
I have just received my class list, and one of my students was a huge challenge in his first grade class. I've been told that he has oppositional defiance and that he can be very disrespectful, mean, and disruptive in class. This may sound naive, but
Read More...
There has been somewhat of a debate among a group of teachers that I know. Is it a good idea to give timed addition and subtraction facts tests to second graders? I did it for a while when my team first wanted to do it, but I found that some kids got
Read More...
I was over at the school today doing some more work getting my classroom set up for the new batch of second graders who will be here in two weeks. My principal stopped me to talk about some changes that will occur in my grade this year. She wanted to
Read More...
At the beginning of the school year, my students receive an agenda book in which they write their daily assignments. I write a letter to parents that explains why their chilren have the agenda and I tell parents that they need to initial the book each
Read More...
Since I'm on the subject of class pets, I'm reminded of a group of kids I had 7 years ago. Although all of the kids were sweet, there were some definite behavior issues, primarily with the boys. They were a group of extremely immature boys who spent a
Read More...
A few years ago, I bought my class two hermit crabs as our class pets. The kids named them Grandpa, because he was big, and Ketchup, because he had claws the color of ketchup. The kids really loved those crabs, and took turns caring for them. One day
Read More...
I got antsy today and went over to my school to take a look at my classroom. Yep, it was still there! I set my goal for the day: untangle all of the computer wires and cords that were not supposed to be unplugged. Well, they did get unplugged and were
Read More...
In the past several years I've had the opportunity to work with many student teachers. It's always a lot of fun watching them grow during their short time with me, and I get a lot of personal satisfaction in knowing that I may have helped them achieve
Read More...
Sunday, July 22, 2007 9:08:11 PM Is it just me, or do other teachers start having dreams about school around this time of the summer? I love teaching, and I love working with kids, so it's not as if I dread going back. Every year I have dreams (nightmares)
Read More...
Some of the younger kids (second graders)that I teach have the strangest reactions when they see me outside of the school setting. You 'd never think that I spend 7 1/2 hours a day with them by their behavior when we accidentally bump into one another!
Read More...
Well, it's a little more than a month and the first day of school will be here. Even after 21 years of teaching, I still want to give my kids the best "first day" I can. I am on the lookout for some cool activities that would make that day fun. It seems
Read More...
One thing I don't look forward to when school starts is our weekly staff meeting. It is always the same, with all of the emphasis being devoted to one initiative that our principal favors. Maybe once in a while it's okay to stick with the one topic, but
Read More...
This has absolutely nothing to do with teaching, but I just got turned on to a great music website called www.slacker.com . It's a free site where you can go to handpick your favorite music and create your own playlist. It's easy to do and the choices
Read More...