Check-In: How Was Your First Week? General by Joel Wagner - August 28, 20104 So this week that just passed was my first week of the new school year. It was pretty much amazing. I have a new completely positive approach. I am a brand new Joel this year. There are two things that are paramount in my mind as I stand in front of the class every day. I want the band to have:A culture of encouragementAn expectation of excellenceIf I can model those two things, I am convinced that I can ensure the rest of the students follow suit. We don't criticize other students, we encourage them. We don't laugh at mistakes, we learn from them. We don't point out problems, we provide possible solutions. As I've said before, when things settle
Super Powers General by Joel Wagner - August 18, 2010August 18, 20107 This totally has nothing to do with teaching, but it's an interesting question. If you had one super power, what would it be? How would you use it? If you're wondering where this question comes from, I was listening to the latest podcast of This American Life about Superpowers and it struck me as something interesting. I thought I'd see what my readers thought. Plus it's a nice change of pace from the beginning of school and inservices and all of that stuff. Go check out more about the podcast here. So again I ask; if you had one super power, what would it be? How would you use it? Discuss in the comments...
Planting Seeds of Belief New Teachers by Shelly Sanchez Terrell - August 16, 2010August 15, 20102 Shelly Sanchez Terrell is an English teacher living in Germany. She is also the co-organizer and co-creator of the educational projects, Edchat and The Reform Symposium Conference. Find more of her challenges on her education blog, Teacher Reboot Camp or in her free e-book, The 30 Goals Challenge. Find her on Twitter, @ShellTerrell. I remember having a lesson observed for my teacher certification. The lesson didn't go well and my observer made it a point to let me know how miserably I failed. I have gotten critiques before, but this one was different. I felt like a failure. My observer had not liked one thing I did in my lesson. I felt as if I wasn't a good teacher. No teacher likes that feeling.
Words Inspiration by Joel Wagner - August 15, 2010August 15, 20100 I just listened to a recent podcast of Radiolab entitled Words. They included a bonus video along with the podcast. Powerful images and sounds here. The video is below. If you haven't listened to Radiolab, now is a great time to start. As I approach my ninth year of teaching, I have begun to wonder about the effectiveness of my classroom management plan. A brief summaryWhen I first started out, I allowed way too much stuff to go on. In the middle of my second year, I cracked down like nobody's business and began what I might term my "dictator days". Basically, I was a bully and made sure I was in charge of my classroom. I still wholeheartedly believe
How To Make This Year The Best of Your Career New Teachers by Atticus Parker - August 4, 2010August 31, 20104 This guest post was written by Atticus from www.atticusparker.com/education I was chuffed earlier this month when Joel asked me to write guest post for his edublog SYWTT. I was however also nervous. Joel has created an enviable web presence with SYWTT through an obvious passion for teaching, hard work and obvious dedication. I didn’t want to let him down. The topic he suggested was 'How To Make This Year The Best of Your Career'. Wow, I thought. A topic like that calls for an action plan. A list. So I have resorted to an old favourite of blog readers - the list article. Many blog articles today feature a list. Do Lists.
This Year Will Be The Best School Year Ever New Teachers by Pat Hensley - August 3, 2010August 3, 20102 This is a guest post by Pat Hensley from the blog Successful Teaching. As we gear up for the upcoming school year, So You Want To Teach? is featuring articles about making this school year the best year ever. I have been teaching about 30 years now and I still love teaching! I have taught all grade levels including the university level and I still feel the same way. After teaching special education classes for 28 years in public schools, I now teach teachers getting their master’s degree in special education and write a blog called Successful Teaching. I really appreciate Joel for giving me the opportunity to be a guest writer on his blog. Of course, at the beginning of the year,
Fun Back to School Activities General by Carol Brooke - August 2, 2010September 3, 20120 Carol Brooke, M.S., M.Ed. -- has worked as a K-2nd grade teacher and middle school counselor. She is currently an editor with Teaching Resource Center, an on-line teacher store. Visit Teaching Resource Center for back-to-school teacher supplies, free classroom crafts, and teachers' lesson plans.School is starting in just a few days. I've stocked up on teacher supplies at the teacher store, organized my classroom and planned my curriculum. Well, as much as I possibly can. As I look at my lesson plan book, I stop on the first day. What should I do on the first day of school?Good news! The fun back-to-school activities below require little preparation.Teachers, get ready to hit print on your browser. You'll want to make
Five Ways To Survive the First Day of School General by Kelly Wilson - August 1, 2010June 14, 20103 This is a guest post by Kelly Wilson, an editor for Teaching Resource Center. Teaching Resource Center has quality teaching materials at discount prices. The first day of school for me traditionally starts with decaffeinated coffee. Not my first choice, but I don’t need any extra stimulation. I usually haven’t slept the night before due to anticipation and excitement, but because of the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I feel pretty jazzed up. Over the years, I’ve learned to control my stress level by being prepared. Fuel Up My school starts around 7:45, and I find that I’m starving by 9:00 on the first day. All of the excitement takes a toll on our appetites. Pack a variety of high-protein,