“Tough” Love: The Risks, Rewards, and Resilience of Teaching At-Risk Kids

Andrea BitnerBlog, Classroom Management, Student Engagement

TL;DR: Working with at-risk students takes a desire to understand who they are. A revelation of working with at-risk students: They don’t mean it. They don’t see it and don’t realize what they are doing. Developmentally, they may not be able to see you. Ruby Payne’s book “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” helps us see “hidden rules” and how they … Read More

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Dana GoodierBlog, Lesson Planning

TL;DR: Bring kindness into your classroom on Random Acts of Kindness Day. Setting up your classroom to show kindness all year long can have many positive benefits. There are various resources available for activities and lessons. Random Acts of Kindness Day is on February 17th this year. The phrase “Random Acts of Kindness” (RAKS) was originated by a California woman … Read More

Teaching Kindness & Communication in Challenging Times

Teach Better TeamBlog, Lesson Planning, Self-Care

TL;DR: Kindness is a big focus in our classrooms this year. Make sure to teach children to be kind to themselves too. This post shares picture books you can use with your students to teach social-emotional skills. The Year of Kindness Kindness has been a big focus in my class this year. We focus on kindness every year, but this … Read More

Let Them Know You: Substitute Teachers

Alex T. ValencicBlog, Classroom Management

TL;DR: Introductions are important when subbing. Clearly introduce yourself to students right away and start to show your investment. Form relationships with others in the building by introducing yourself to them, as well. Substitute Teacher: Let Them Know You I walked into a classroom and began to get prepared for the day. Students began to enter and then one student … Read More

Using Tech & Social Media to Teach Business Skills

Teach Better TeamBlog, Differentiation, Edtech, Student Engagement

TL;DR: How do educators include technology in their lessons in a natural way? Brainstorm the various ways you can use technology within the classroom. Technology For young people, technology has become more entrenched in their everyday lives. How do educators adapt and transform their teaching style in 2022? Years ago, a traditional classroom consisted of textbooks, library books, and maybe … Read More