School and the City

Choice boards are a staple in my classroom. I've explained why and how to use choice boards and even how to easily create your own choice boards , but what if you're just getting started, and you aren't sure how to begin? Trying something new in your classroom can be daunting, but I'm here to help you answer this question: How do I get started with choice boards? When your students see a choice board for the first time, they will likely be overwhelmed by the unfamiliar layout and amount of print. Combat this by explaining how much you love choice boards - remember that your excitement is contagious! Explain that choice boards allow the students to choose how they learn and how to show what they learn. It's intended for students to choose tasks that interest them in order to deepen their understandings. In order for students to be successful, you'll need to set expectations. The higher your expectations are, the more your students will achieve! At...

I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up. I'm loving the classroom right now, but I think I'd eventually like to move towards teaching teachers. Over the summer, I was looking for some books to read to help myself grow into a teacher leader, so I asked my community on Instagram to share suggestions. Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. By purchasing an item from Amazon using these links,  I will receive a small commission on your purchase, although your price stays the same! I use that commission to keep my blog up and running. Thank you! You guys gave some awesome suggestions, and I promised I'd share: 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler Dare to Lead by Brené Brown How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader by John Gabriel Lead Like a Pirate by Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance by Valorie Kondos Field Shaping School Culture by Terrenc...

I used Class Dojo to manage student behavior this year. It was AMAZING. If you've never heard of Class Dojo, you're in for a treat.  If you are a Class Dojo veteran, can I get an AMEN?! ABOUT CLASS DOJO Class Dojo is an online program that I can access from a computer, my iPad, or even my iPhone. Students can earn or lose points all day long, no matter where we are in the building. Students can earn points by setting a good example, staying on task, and following directions. Students may lose points if they demonstrate behavior that is disruptive to the learning environment. Class Dojo also has the ability to create reports, which are great to use for report cards and parent conferences. You can check reports for today, yesterday, this week, last week, this month, last month, all time, OR a custom date range. It's incredible! The best part about Class Dojo is that parents can create their own Class Dojo parent account and log in at a...