I am a product of praise. It took me years to reverse the affects that praise had on me. But I do not speak of praise as though it’s a bad thing. It can be used, in moderation. So what am I talking about exactly? Why am I speaking as… Continue Reading »
Meeting with a Parent of a Behavior Child
At some point in every teacher’s career, you will need to meet with a parent to discuss their child’s behavior. It can be a bit nerve-wracking if it is your first time and you aren’t always sure just how to approach it. I remember my first time meeting with parents… Continue Reading »
3 Ways to Stop Bullying in your Classroom
October is bully prevention month and so I thought I’d share some classroom management tips and ideas to help prevent bullying in your classroom. Let’s face it. Bullying has always existed. I grew up with it. I remember being told I had “cooties” and being made fun of for everything… Continue Reading »
Chain of Consequences: Writing to Prevent Bullying
This week in class we worked together to discuss the consequences of bullying behavior on a person being bullied. First I started off by grouping students into groups of 4 or 5 and provided each group with a set of feelings cards. The words on these cards ranged from… Continue Reading »
MTM: Just Kidding
Mentor Text Monday is back! I was actually surprised to receive a few emails and comments regarding coming back with my Mentor Text Mondays! Since the month of October is bullying prevention month, I thought I’d start right away with that theme. In fact, all my posts this week are… Continue Reading »
Motivating the Unmotivated: How to Motivate Students
Our first reaction with students who are unmotivated is frustration and annoyance. It’s easy to think about just throwing that student out of our room so we don’t have to deal with him or her. We have brilliant lesson plans and creative presentations ready and a student who threatens that… Continue Reading »
Reporting Behavior in the Classroom
Let’s face it! Every teacher has at least one student in their class that is a bit, shall we say, challenging. That challenging little guy or gal doesn’t mean to be. It’s all about your approach. Start by determining what the underlying reason is. Is it organization? Does the child… Continue Reading »
HOT Button Kids: Managing Difficult Students
There he goes again. Tap! Tap! Tap! He’s tapping his pencil, now he’s slowly meandering around the room (much like Billy from Family Circus), and let’s definitely not forget the chewed up eraser pieces he’s throwing around the room thinking you aren’t noticing. Or perhaps it’s the child who just… Continue Reading »