We have a lot to share with parents each and every day about each child in our class. But making 20+ phone calls each day is time consuming.
There are better ways.
Why You Need a Newsletter
As we all know, kids are not the best at accurately communicating, well, anything that is told to them by adults. Heck, even adults frequently miscommunicate. This can lead to misunderstandings and problems arising over what parents THINK you are doing in class vs. what you are REALLY doing in class.
So, do yourself a favor and create a newsletter.
How to Khan: A Guide
Now you know WHY you should use Khan Academy to teach, but how exactly do you set it up for success? Sure, there are guides on the website, but I’m a real teacher who really used this platform to teach my very real fourth grade students.
Why You Should Be On Khan
Khan Academy has been a lifeline in my classroom, and personally.
If you don’t know Khan, you need to get to know this awesome educational service ASAP.
Celebrate All the Holidays!
Holidays are super fun. For almost every person and religion that I have encountered, these special times revolve around food, family, traditions, and community. Yet, we don’t take the time to honor or teach these very important aspects of life, or we focus on only one particular culture’s traditions. As teachers, and families, we can turn holidays into learning experiences.
Teaching Peace
We need to start teaching peace. And we need to start now.
The First Thanksgiving, Live and in Person
You can visit colonial Plymouth, or Plimoth Plantation, circa 1627. How? Through the magic of virtual field trips.
How Sports Can Teach
We watched the Boston Marathon live in my classroom as a math lesson. We also used the marathon for geography, history, reading, writing, art, and science. And you can, too! You can use your hometown team(s) to teach your kids, too. Bonus, this works for all ages and all school settings.
How to Celebrate Veteran's Day at School
Celebrating Veteran’s Day is easy with these fast tips!
How to Celebrate Halloween at School
But there are ways to mark this special day, arguably one of the the most important dates of the year for the elementary school crowd. You have opportunities here to make Halloween an academic experience. So use it!
Four Things We Get Wrong About Columbus
I know that when I was small, we learned that Christopher Columbus was the man who discovered America! That he did this against all odds, and with very little support, and that he was a great man.
Keeping a Classroom Allergy Safe
Teachers and schools ban specific foods for a specific reason: to keep a highly allergic child safe. It is not to take away a lunch choice for your picky child. It is not be weird about food, or run up your grocery bill, or make your life harder.
How Teachers Manage
There are as many classroom management techniques out there as there are teachers.
Ok, so this might be a bit of an overstatement, but it is pretty close. Every teacher has her own particular style of classroom management. Sure, there are a few major types, but each teacher makes it his or her own.
To the Teachers: An appeal for paper sanity
Teachers, dear teachers, we send home papers. We send them home daily. Homework, tests, classwork, permission slips, sports sign-ups, and the other reams of notifications that “must” go home. They overwhelm parents with lists, and bullets, and due dates. May I make an appeal?
Outdoor Classroom
Outdoor Classroom: What else do you do to mix it up for your kids?