Do You Know the Advantages of Literacy Centers in Instruction?

If you haven’t tried them before, literacy centers offer a variety of benefits for learners. This type of instruction gives the teacher multiple opportunities to truly see what their students know and where they require additional support. While typically done in a preschool or primary setting, literacy centers can also be used with older elementary …

Student Behavior Doesn’t Need to Make You Crazy

I don’t know about you, but it is taking me longer to get my students’ behavior under control. Five years ago my class would be a well-oiled machine with minimal distractions by Thanksgiving. Now, it seems like we’re constantly moving at a turtle pace to reach the goal of appropriate classroom behavior. Thankfully there are …

The Importance of Rest: Not an Exclusive Secret

According to Oxford Languages, the definition of rest is to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.  Rest is a concept that is not commonly spoken about in the American culture.  Our society is often go, go, go.  However, rest is essential for our physical and emotional well-being.  When I think …

Start a Computer Science Club at Your School: As Easy as 1, 2, 3

In December 2017 I participated in Code.org’s Hour of Code.  After seeing the enthusiasm and joy on my students’ faces I decided it was important to continue teaching computer science and programing for the remainder of the year.  While I had already planned to do this with my own 5th grade class, I wanted to include …

Thankful and Excited for (Almost) Experiencing Burnout

In my family, Thanksgiving is generally a time of reflecting on what we’re thankful for and a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.  As we are quickly approaching that season I can easily think of a huge list of things I’m thankful for, however, as an educator who is employed during COVID, I’m …