A Teacher's Daze

I Salute the American Soldier Update (16 YEARS AFTER ORIGINAL POST):   Today, I reflected back to a day over 16 years ago when my three boys and I were at the dentist in Brandon, MS.  I filmed them walking through a field of flapping flags that snapped to attention as the wind whipped through the rows and rows of American Flags.  The city of Brandon allocated a large stretch of land within the town and displayed THOUSANDS of flags, in honor and memory of the soldiers who were fighting in the first Gulf War, as well as a memorial to those who had died and paid the ultimate price.    In this video, my youngest child Avery was three. This year he graduated from high school and plans to enter college in the Fall and major in Software Engineering.  My middle child, Alex, is married with a B.S. Degree in Nursing, specializing in dialysis, and my oldest son, Andrew, is also married with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering.  It is humbling to think that without the sacrifice of so many yo

A great book can ignite a love of reading for a lifetime.   However, it has been my experience that getting some students to read is the equivalent of dragging an ornery horse to water, and although dying of thirst, the horse refuses to drink.   As all good language arts’ teachers do, I have taken my class to the library and with pride, watched students eagerly walk straight to the book or series they cannot wait to read.   Equally often, I have seen students, who have no real intent to check out a particular book, but do an excellent job looking absorbed, scanning shelves, eyes squinted, looking at book spines, while stealthily whispering to the friend next to them who is doing the same scan, squint routine about the latest drama fluttering around the halls of a typical middle school.  Of course, as a teacher, I know this is normal behavior, any time students are outside the structure of the classroom and their regular routine, so often I have watched with a mixture of despair and amu

Teachers: I Challenge You!  Try this the first week of school! S ome students come to class the first day, with a list of past behavioral issues trailing behind them, like wet toilet paper stuck to their shoe.  Before the first day of school has ended, it is almost a given that some well-meaning, but frazzled teacher will make a subtle reference to a student's behavioral issues, in an attempt to derail a student's negative behavior.  Often, however, this approach may begin a cycle that has been repeated year after year, which is that everyone expects the student to be a discipline problem, so the student will perform, accordingly.  In defense of teachers everywhere, it is a given that no student will thrive in an environment where behavioral issues take up more time than  teaching the lesson.  It is a perfectly normal reflex for a  teacher to immediately discourage further "incidences" and react to a student's behavior by immediately proclaiming that  this

What Makes the Best Anchor Charts?        If I see students referring back, again and again, to an anchor chart in my classroom, I know the space on my classroom wall is being used well. On the other hand, if an anchor chart rarely gets a second glance, the space is wasted.  As difficult as it is to take down a chart you spent time and energy making, and all teachers know we do not have much of either, the space is best used for a more effective chart or resource.   Tips for making anchor charts  Focus on one objective The chart should be easy to read Keep it simple  Use MNEMONICs when possible The anchor chart should be pleasing to the eye The anchor charts, below, are among the top charts that are tried and true resources for students year after year!!  <iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&

P icking up where I left off in my last blog, I am excited to share a method I used this past year to help prepare my 6th grade ELA students to write a “timed” essay on our state’s standardized test.   “H.O.T .   T.E.E.  x’s 2” I u sed this method with my students to help them prepare for the TIMED essay portion of the state writing test. I am working on a slide show that will soon be available on TPT.  I will post when it is available.  The slide show gives a basic over-view to help students understand how learning this acronym can save valuable time, as well as increase their test performance.  Which grades benefit from using   “H.O.T .   T.E.E.  x’s 2.” ? Elementary, middle or high school students who are required to write a TIMED essay can use some parts, if not all of this method.  I know this is true because I have taught English from 6th to the 12th grade, for the past 28 years.  20 years of my teaching has been in secondary education.  With the new Common Core or CCRS Curricu

The pic above is my first sketched version to guide students through their first paragraph.  Obviously, this is the H.O.T. part of the acronym. T.E.E. x’s 2 will follow in my next blog, that I will post within the next day or two.  “A cuppa’ tea, please?”  As teachers of English, one of the most difficult standards to teach to any student is how to write a TIMED Essay for a standardized test.  The idea I am about to share made my job teaching timed writing for the state test less of a hassle than any year, in the past!!  With 28 years of teaching behind me, as a secondary teacher, I can say I have been there and done that, and I still do not have a monopoly on the way a teacher should prepare students for writing a a timed essay on the standardized writing test.   One obvious problem is the fact that nothing remains constant in education and the focus for this particular test, often changes when an upgraded model comes along- or in some cases, a totally new model.  However, teachers

        Use Audiobooks in the classroom to engage reluctant readers The power of using audiobooks in the classroom cannot be stressed enough.  As a classroom teacher, for 27 years, I can say, without a doubt, that an audio device, such as affordable iPods, shown in the picture, above, is one of the most affordable ways to purchase iPods for groups in your classroom.  I found refurbished iPods on amazon.com and found great deals, especially when purchasing the earlier generation iPods.  Next, choose exciting books that will capture your students attention, within the first few pages.  Soon, you will find that students will be asking when they can read in their “reading group.”  Students who have never read a “real” chapter book have found how much they enjoy reading.   Reading fluently reflects a student’s success, throughout school, as well as throughout their entire life!  I hope this post encourages you to use audiobooks in your classroom.  It will be one of the best investments made

From the moment a teacher steps into the classroom and interacts with students, a choice is made.  Whether it is good or bad, a difference in a child’s life is made, with even the most mundane of actions. “Like a Superman” is the last thing most teachers feel.  However, that is exactly what you can be to a child who sits in your classroom, each day.  On the other hand, you can contribute to a child’s misery and low self-esteem and become more of “the Joker,” a nemesis of encouragement . Every teacher knows which role they play to each child.  Whether positive or negative, every thing a teacher does or says makes a long-lasting impression on the students they teach.