45 Tasks for Parent Volunteers in the Classroom General by Michelle Fabio - May 27, 2009August 9, 20164 Parent volunteers in the classroom can be great resources for both students and teachers, but it's important to make sure your volunteers have plenty of do so they feel like they're helping and want to come back. If you'll be accepting parents as classroom volunteers, be sure to ask them what they'd like to do and what they'd rather not do -- not every parent is crafty or feels comfortable reading with children. Also be sure to ask what times are convenient for them, making it more likely they'll become regular helpers in your classroom. And don't forget to show your appreciation at the end of the year! Many teachers hold volunteer teas or breakfasts or give small gifts like gift cards or framed
30 Twitter Tips for Teachers Blogging & Technology by Karen Schweitzer - May 26, 2009August 4, 20163 There's no question that Twitter is a wonderful resource for building your personal learning network. If you've never used Twitter before, have no fear. Karen Schweitzer is here to get you up and running in no time with 30 Twitter Tips for Teachers 30 Twitter Tips for Teachers Twitter can be a great resource–if you know how to use it. Here are 30 tips for teachers who want to learn how to use Twitter to network, teach, and share information: Determine your purpose Before spending any amount of time on Twitter, you should decide what you want to get out of it. Do you want to meet people who share your interests? Do you want to promote something? Do you want to update
27 Classroom Management Secret Weapons Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 20, 2009May 29, 20160 The results to my most recent Twitter poll (what is your classroom management secret weapon?) can be seen over at Miss Cal.Q.L8's blog. Be sure to go check out 27 Classroom Management Secret Weapons. While you're at it, subscribe to her blog and leave some comments.
Be Respectable (Total Teacher Transformation Day 12) Inspiration by Joel Wagner - May 15, 2009June 30, 20103 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. As discussed last time, part of gaining respect from students comes from being respectful. The second element of earning the respect of your students (and their parents), comes from being respectable. No amount of courtesy to your students can overcome a disrespectable personality! So what are some character traits we should be modeling? Competence - Knowing your content area is vital. If you are a band director, you need to have some sort of clue how to play an instrument. If you are an English teacher, you ought to be reading regularly. If you are a history teacher, you should have some sort of historical
Be Respectful (Total Teacher Transformation Day 11) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 14, 2009June 30, 20100 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. As we're going through the transformation, one of the key things to remember is that you must remain respectful to your students. As I've written before, classroom control is essential. Some of us have a naturally abrasive personality, and so when we begin to re-assume control, politeness tends to go out the window. Don't take things personally The thing to remember is that even our worst behaved students actually have a genuine reason for doing the things that they are doing. Most misbehaviors are not personal attacks. They are simply misbehaviors for the sake of themselves. One of my mentors once told me a
Be Fair (Total Teacher Transformation Day 10) General by Joel Wagner - May 13, 2009June 30, 20101 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. One of the biggest difficulties that many teachers face is grasping the reality that treating students equally is often not even remotely fair. In fact, fairness in most circumstances necessitates inequality. One hallmark of a great teacher is that she is fair in her dealings with her students. He has different expectations for every student, but they are all equally achievable. Students with disabilities are one example that immediately comes to mind. We have to provide accommodations for their education. That doesn't mean we are treating them unfairly, simply that we are adjusting their education to make it more conducive to learning and appropriate
Be Consistent (Total Teacher Transformation Day 9) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 12, 2009June 30, 20104 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. When I was a new teacher, I had some really good classroom rules and expectations and consequences all lined up. It was good on paper. Unfortunately, I didn't follow through consistently at all. If one of the "bad kids" did something out of line, WHAM, I was all over his misbehavior in an instant. If on the other hand, one of the "good kids" did the exact same thing, the one consequence was a smile and warning not to do it again. Human nature seems to lead us to pick favorites in our classes. These are the kids whose misbehavior we call "cute". We
Be Prepared (Total Teacher Transformation Day 8) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 11, 2009June 30, 20103 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. I took the day off from blogging yesterday because it was Mother's Day and I play in a mariachi. If you don't know what that means, I started playing serenatas (Mother's Day Serenades) at 6pm Saturday afternoon, wrapped up a little after 8am Sunday morning, then played for another 4 hours Sunday afternoon. We played three songs 40 different times, and also had a one-hour gig in somewhere along the way. With a church service thrown in on Sunday morning for good measure, it probably goes without saying that I was exhausted yesterday when we finished up. But now I'm back and ready to go! Be
Week 1 Summary (Total Teacher Transformation Day 7) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 9, 2009June 30, 20102 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. What a wild week this has been! I'm surprised by how much even going over these classroom management basics on here has impacted my teaching. When I preach this stuff, I sort of have to force myself to follow through. I've been discussing this stuff with a couple of friends this week, and just in case one of them walks into my classroom, I want to make sure they see the same stuff! So if you've been following along, you are coming to a realization of just how important classroom management is to your overall effectiveness as a teacher. I know that the week
Video: Texting While Driving A School Bus? Are You Serious? Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - May 9, 2009June 30, 20102 Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy I gotta come clean. I've texted while driving. Quite a bit. I saw this video this morning thanks to DetentionSlip.org. I've Facebooked while driving. I've looked up maps while driving. I've Twittered while driving. I've just flat out used my iPhone for almost everything it can possibly do while driving. I don't think I'm gonna do that any more. Next time I do, I'll watch this video and remind myself of how dumb of an idea it is.
Really Cool Personal Finance ebook Personal by Joel Wagner - May 9, 2009June 30, 20100 Do you teach economics? I challenge you to use this in your class. Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance On Just One Page Okay, it's actually a 49-page ebook that explains the one page, but it is well worth a review. It is tragic how many of us got out of high school without truly understanding simple financial concepts. You know, Spend less than you earn, live frugal, earn money, live with the future in mind (avoid credit cards), and follow your dreams.
Find A Mentor – Again (Total Teacher Transformation Day 6) Inspiration by Joel Wagner - May 8, 2009June 30, 20102 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. I hope that this series so far has been useful for some of you. I'm not getting an overwhelming amount of feedback specifically on the series, but I guess I really can't complain about over 40 (non-spam) comments in the last week, even if they were not entirely devoted to the Total Teacher Transformation series. I find that it's always nice to get feedback when you are trying to do something important. In thinking about this, I am actually reminded of the early days of my Total Teacher Transformation back 5 years ago. I didn't have anyone there saying, "You're doing a great job"
Find A Motivator (Total Teacher Transformation Day 5) Inspiration by Joel Wagner - May 7, 2009June 30, 20102 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. Yesterday we looked at making phone calls and using parent pressure as a motivator for classroom management. Today, we're going to go with a slightly more high-brow alternative, and one that tends to be more effective over the long run. Hopefully by now, you have begun to exercise a little more control in your classroom. I was telling a friend the other day that when I teach, it's sort of like I'm acting. I assume the roll of Benevolent Dictator of the classroom. I mentally tell myself that I am in control of the classroom, and I make sure that the students know that
Find A Mother (Total Teacher Transformation Day 4) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 6, 2009June 30, 201010 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. Face it, misbehavior has been around only slightly longer than behavior has been. As teachers, we are often expected to fill every possible role in the lives of the students. Unfortunately, that can't always happen. Sometimes our control and influence over the actions of the students is limited. Every teacher has students who misbehave from time to time. One of the things that revolutionized my teaching was to realize that most of the parents really wanted to help me help their child be successful. Most parents also have no real idea of how their children really act. To really get through to the students,
Joel’s Simple Homemade Salsa Recipe Personal by Joel Wagner - May 5, 2009June 30, 20103 All right. This is completely off topic, but since today is Cinco de Mayo and since I have lived on the Texas-Mexico border for about five years now, I felt like it was an appropriate time to share with you this incredible salsa recipe that I learned after I moved here. The coolest thing about it is that it is all fresh and natural ingredients. At least they are simple to find for me living here on the border. You may have to shop around for a few of them, but it's so worth it! Ingredients Tomatoes (about 4 small) I usually use one can of stewed whole tomatoes, but you can go with fresh ones as