Surviving Sex Ed: I have to tell you - it’s pretty hard at times to keep a straight face. This was never something I really considered as a student preparing to be in the classroom. Here are some of the things that have happened to me while teaching “sex ed” that I find ironic, hilarious, nausea inducing, and just bizarre. If you’re needing a laugh, I bet something here will make you chuckle.
Saying Goodbye to Good Things
Often the advice to new teachers is to just survive your first year, learn more your second year, hone your craft your third year, then just get golden. Absorb all that knowledge. Keep learning, growing, expanding your resources. Build your toolbox! You’ll do great! Now, I love sorting through resources. I can flip through a... Continue Reading →
4 Steps to Deal with “Rebel” Students
Have you wondered why some kids just seem to follow the rules and some kids just...don’t? You know those kids that really avoid doing something, that even seem to spitefully disobey you. Don’t take it personally. It’s just their tendency, but you can work with it. Instead of getting frustrated with those kids that seem to do everything except please you, you can learn to harness their strengths.
The 4 Basic Functions of Behavior
The other day, I was talking on the phone to my roommate. "This kid just will not stop doing _______," I whine. I sigh, frustrated, that it should just stop. "They won't listen," I appeal to her empathy, hoping that she'll just hear me out and commiserate with me. Instead, without fail, she asks, "What... Continue Reading →
5 Ways to Embrace Positivity Project for Character Education
We as educators and parents have to make kids believe that we care about character. We care about WHO they become more than just WHAT they become.
6 Mind Games for Middle Schoolers
I love Morning Meetings with my sixth graders. Our typical Morning Meetings follow the structure from Responsive Classroom, but there are some days that we spend a lot longer on activities than others. Sprinkled throughout the year, I love to teach my students mind games. These mind games are ones that can only be done... Continue Reading →