TL;DR: Introduce yourself to parents and students, considering home visits for a positive start. Prepare temporary seating charts and freezer meals to manage the busy first weeks. Establish routines, build relationships, and plan for self-care to ensure a smooth transition. As the summer winds down and the new school year approaches, teachers everywhere begin to prepare for the busy weeks … Read More
Nurturing Co-Teaching Relationships
TL;DR: Successful co-teaching requires trust and shared expectations, developed over time through relationship building and communication. Regular co-planning sessions are essential for creating cohesive lessons and addressing student needs, ensuring both teachers are aligned and prepared. Implementing various co-teaching techniques, such as station teaching and parallel teaching, allows teachers to leverage their unique strengths and provide targeted support to students. … Read More
Best Practices of Successful Co-Teaching
TL;DR: Establishing consistent and honest communication methods, such as daily debriefs or shared documents, is crucial for co-teachers to ensure student growth and classroom cohesion. Co-teachers should plan together regularly, share responsibilities, be flexible, and present a united front to students and parents to foster a supportive learning environment. Adopting appropriate co-teaching strategies like parallel teaching, station teaching, and team … Read More
Embracing AI in the ELA Classroom
TL;DR: Initial hesitation about AI in ELA classrooms was based on misconceptions. Embracing AI tools like Classroom Companion enhances student learning and provides instant feedback. AI doesn’t replace teachers, but transforms their role into facilitating learning. AI…In the ELA Classroom? I’m not going to lie. When I first thought about using AI in my ELA classroom, all I could think … Read More
WHAT Are You Doing and HOW are You Doing?
TL;DR: Embrace the slower pace of summer to reflect on activities that bring joy and well-being. Catherine Price’s “3 W’s” strategy helps assess and optimize our time and activities for better satisfaction. Understanding what activities make us feel good now can help us prioritize them during busier times. It is July. The Saturday of summer. We finally arrived to the … Read More