I’ve been thinking about effective feedback lately. In my opinion, effective feedback should be specific, positive yet balanced, and timely. We have some major changes happening at our school. As part of the leadership team, I’ve stepped up to be the point person on a major project. One of the benefits of working with teachers […]
Teaching Respect
Fifth graders are definitely different from second graders. I love the independence. I love that their personalities are more developed and that I can have interesting conversations with them. Sometimes, though, there is an attitude that gets in the way. Sometimes the attitude is intentional. Sometimes they are unaware that they are displaying “an attitude”. […]
Encouraging Positive Behavior
My team was discussing the challenge of helping all students try their best as they know that the Winter Break is approaching. With fun activities coming up, it seems easy to use them as motivation. I find that rewards are motivating when it feels fair. The best way to make sure everything feels fair is […]
Teaching Tip
When I saw this linky I knew I had to check it out and join. Sometimes the simplest tip can make your teaching life so much easier. I recently had a sub for just an hour so I could observe a new teacher. I went over the plan with her and started to leave when […]
Strategies for Dealing With Bullying
I used this video to start a conversation with my students about bullying. We had a fantastic discussion about this video. I loved listening in and hearing the students reaction. They were laughing and wincing. One of the students asked, “So, if someone bullies us, we should beat them up?!?” Isn’t that what a lot […]