Four Teaching Lessons I learned from Russell

Jeremy RinkelBlog, Classroom Management, Innovation, Lesson Planning, Student Engagement

In This Post: A random conversation with a stranger taught me some very important teaching (and life) lessons. Learn to be mindful in every conversation, or risk missing important lessons. Never estimate your students. Love what you do. Become a lifelong learner. Meet Russell. I met him as I strolled along the boardwalk one morning on my family vacation in … Read More

5 Out of the Box Ways to Engage TEACHERS in Professional Development

Teach Better TeamBlog, Innovation, Leadership, Professional Development, Student Engagement

In This Post: As a Student Learning Coach, providing meaningful professional development for my teachers is so important. There are 5 out of the box ways to engage teachers in PD. What better way to guide discussions than by leading with the students? Inviting students in and having teachers watch drives engagement. Google Classroom isn’t limited to your class, it … Read More

Flexible Seating Stories From a Non-Flexible Teacher

Teach Better TeamBlog, Classroom Management, Innovation

Image of chairs with text on top of image.

In This Post: The flexible seating movement has been going strong for a while now. There is a big misconception that the optimal learning environment requires kids to sit in desks with hard chairs. Flexible Seating Does Not Equal No Structure Not all teachers are the same Get out of your comfort zone. Even if flexible seating is too much, … Read More

Behavior is a Coded Message

Zachary KorthBlog, Classroom Management, Student Engagement

In This Post: Behavior is  a coded message, often asking us for help. Students ask for things in the most unloving ways. We need to dig into the real reasons for behavior issues. Authenticity is key. Be vulnerable. Check out the free resources below. When I first started teaching about 9 years ago (I had already been in the Navy … Read More

Visiting Other Teachers’ Classrooms: Seeing Life on the Other Side

Teach Better TeamBlog, Innovation, Leadership, Lesson Planning

In this post: Often, teachers become experts at their respective age levels, with little to no experience at others. This leads to an unintended consequence of our profession. Stepping out of their daily work environments and seeing what teaching and learning looks like at another grade level can help change perceptions. Some teachers think of themselves as elementary, while others … Read More