Years ago—I was a fourth grade teacher at the time—the principal mandated every grade level to choose one way to build community in their classrooms. We had to agree on something as a team, and then follow through with the idea for an entire … Read more
I wasn’t sure I could do this. One week into my first teaching assignment and I was having second thoughts about my career choice. Although I had been working with kids since my junior year of high school, I had never encountered a child … Read more
At Thanksgiving dinner, my grandfather used to blurt out whatever was on his mind, interrupt others while they were talking, and dominate the conversation. I was a grade schooler at the time, but if I could, I would have put him in time-out so … Read more
Several years after beginning my teaching career, I went back to school to earn a second master’s degree. I wanted to reach the end of the pay scale and was hoping to learn something new in the process. After researching colleges near my home, … Read more
It happens occasionally. You wake up late, eat something on the run, get stuck in traffic, and arrive at school feeling harried. When the students begin filing into your classroom, you’re still not quite yourself. Your brain is working overdrive. You talk faster, move … Read more
Before every shot, professional golfers follow a very specific procedure, unique to them, called a pre-shot routine. From the moment they pull a club out of their bag to the moment they take their swing, they follow the exact same set of movements. Like … Read more
A reader posted a question this week asking what to do if a student, in this case a kindergartner, crawled on the floor and under tables after being sent to time-out. Playing, straying, and not sitting quietly in time-out can happen regardless of grade … Read more
When confronted with a difficult class—whether a new class in the beginning of a school year, a class you’ve had for a while and lost control of, or one you see once a day in your subject area—the best thing you can do is … Read more