TL;DR: Education has evolved so much over the years, including busing, school meals, accommodations, and more. Imagine what education could be if we stopped placing limits on it. This post shares a hypothetical ideal world for education. How We Got Here The 14th Amendment required states to set up a public school system. That was in 1868, 153 years ago … Read More
Making Celebrations a Part of Your Classroom Culture
TL;DR: Bring celebrations into the classroom to show students you care. Celebrations don’t have to just be about the holidays. Find ways to recognize and celebrate your students’ successes. Chelsea recently joined Rae on the Daily Drop-In to discuss bringing celebrations into the classroom. Click here to watch! This time of year is usually my favorite. Mainly because there are … Read More
Caring About Apathy
TL;DR: Apathy is not a personal attack on a teacher. Apathy is a sign that there are some roadblocks that need to be removed. Often, the “why” for a student’s apathy makes sense. We have to stop labeling students as apathetic before they have the chance to prove us wrong. We need to care about why they don’t care. Let’s … Read More
The Mindset Roller Coaster
TL;DR: Education this year is like a roller coaster; keep your mindset grounded. Take charge of your mindset. Level your emotions. Change the narrative. At the end of each day, take time to write down three things that went well, two things that you want to improve on the next day, and one thing you will celebrate with students. The … Read More
Creating Norms with My Students Changed My Classroom
TL;DR: Students really do want ownership in how their classroom runs. When they understand the why behind expectations, they can value those even when they don’t agree with them. Mutual trust is a necessary component before students can reliably set and follow their own norms. Creating Norms with My Students Changed My Classroom For 16 years, most of the students … Read More