School and the City

I'm no expert, but I've learned a lot throughout my teaching journey. Classroom management is a big deal, and it's NOT easy!  Here's some of the best advice I've been given along the way: Would you rather watch in video form? You can do that  here .  We often expect students to know how to behave when they enter our classroom in August, especially older grades. We say things like   "Third graders don't do that." or "You should know better than that." ...but, have you taught them?  Have you explicitly modeled and practiced expected behavior? Have you redirected until students have shown masterty? We have to be explicit, and that's something that we often forget.  If you have low expectations for your students, they'll meet them.  If you have high expectations, they'll rise to the challenge and meet those, too.  It's okay to have high expectations for students...

Halloween falls on a Thursday this year - AKA a full school day... YIKES! Don't be too frightened; I've got some ideas to help keep you sane on one of the spo0o0okiest teaching days of the year. Need a class pumpkin? It's not complicated or fancy, but I actually loveee this basic class pumpkin - simple and sweet! I'm totally doing this again this year. #easiestideaever Need a read aloud? I love reading Junie B books during the holidays. They are hilarious and timeless - even my third graders love Junie B! The short chapter books are easy to read to your class in a week - or even just a few days - in order to cover those holiday bases and then move on. Junie B's Halloween book is called Boo, and I Mean It . It's less than five bucks on Amazon! It's perfect for discussing character traits because, well, she's one of my favorite characters ever! Need lesson plans to keep you - and your students - sane? No problem, friend! I'...