The Years Are Building Blocks: Part Two New Teachers by Drew - June 8, 2010June 30, 20100 This is a guest post by Drew, who currently teaches 7th Grade Texas History in the San Antonio area, where he has taught since 2004. Here I discovered the proper use of multimedia and how proper procedures can help ensure mental well-being. 3. Movies – I have used movies in the past, but mostly to kill time. This year, I wrote some great questions for the movies I used. I suppose I set my expectations higher as far as how I used movies like ‘The Alamo’ or ‘National Treasure 2’. My students compared the information from our textbook to how Hollywood presents historical facts. Kudos to Nicolas Cage for the ‘hysterical’ side of the facts. 4. Procedures – I have
20 Classic SYWTT Articles And Series General by Joel Wagner - July 2, 2009May 29, 20161 If this is your first time visiting this site, or even if you’ve been reading for a while, there are undoubtedly some articles that you’ve missed along the journey. As I have been working a lot on organizing the site lately, it has come to my attention that there are over 400 posts on the site. This can be kind of daunting for a new reader to say the least. These are some of my favorite articles and series that I’ve written on the site. If you’ve read these, maybe you could check in and respond to a comment or two! Questions That Will Save Your Career Where Have All The Good Teachers Gone? The Best Time To Be A Teacher?
Heartbreaking Story Inspiration by Joel Wagner - January 31, 2009June 30, 201011 A reader wrote in with the following story. I don't even know how to begin to respond to it, but I'll add some thoughts at the end. Hopefully this reader's experience will serve some of you somehow in the future. When I interviewed at my school, it appeared to be everything I wanted in a job. I interviewed for one prep. I addressed my classroom procedures, consequences I employed, rewards I employed, my teaching style, asked about administrative involvement... and basically heard everything I wanted to hear. I fortunately came to that school with very kind references and evaluations. What I found on my first day were five preps across three grade levels. When I questioned it, I was told
Reader Appreciation 2008: Emily Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 6, 2008July 1, 20104 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? This year’s focus is First Year Teaching Tips. There’s still room if you want to participate! Contact me and let me know your answer to this question: What are some things you wish you had known before you started your first year of teaching? Today’s response is from Emily, a regular reader of this blog. NEVER assume your kids know the basics, you might be surprised. It's not you personally, but it might have been something you overlooked. Sometimes, patience isn't enough, though it will get you through the tough times. First and foremost: love your students first, then share your knowledge. Classroom Procedures should be set up
If You Really Must Have Classroom Rules…Simplicity Is Key Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - September 26, 2008July 28, 201612 I am a huge fan of simplicity. For that matter, I love the idea of having no classroom rules. However, I know some people don't operate that way. Great teachers can be found in both camps. But whether or not we feel it necessary to tie our students down with rules, the greatest commonality between all great teachers is that they have clear, concise, and comprehensive expectations for their students and they communicate them in such a way that every student is aware of what is right and wrong. My school has a list of something like 12 school-wide classroom rules. That is way overboard for me, but I dutifully posted them on the wall in the classroom as I've been told
The Single Most Important Advice Anyone Can Give To A First Year Teacher Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - September 21, 2008July 1, 20109 When I first started out teaching, I desperately wanted the kids to like me. To this end, I ended up letting my classes get out of control. A handful of things contributed to this: Concerning myself with every matter that was brought to my attention Allowing kids to mesbehave Trying to get the kids to like me Yelling at kids Arguing with them So I learned how to get control. If this sounds like something you might have trouble with, I encourage you to check out these articles in this order: You Better Smile Before Christmas! How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? Arguing Is Normal, isn't It? 5 Surefire Tips For Handling Misbehavior Make Love
It’s The End Of The Year…Let’s Act Like Fools! General by Joel Wagner - April 26, 2008July 2, 20103 Is it just me, or do students seem to get to the end of the year and begin ignoring rules and classroom procedures that have been established all year long? This is my first time at my current middle school and it's worse than anywhere else I've taught before. Already. And TAKS is next week, followed by six weeks of school. I hear they'll get way worse. What are some strategies you use to keep the students on task as they seem to shut down at this point in the year?
The State of the Blog: 09/01/07 Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - September 1, 2007July 5, 20100 The most popular post I made to the blog in the entire month of August was The State of the Blog: 08/01/07. I glanced through it again today and was impressed by the changes that have happened in a month. Specifically, in the readership and authority arenas. it's funny how a little change each day is much less noticeable when viewed daily than it is when viewed from a greater distance. While numbers fluctuate from day to day, FeedBurner tells me that I have averaged 52 subscribers throughout the last 30 days. That number is up to 60 as of this morning. A month ago, we were hanging at 35. My Technorati Authority number has gone from 13 to 24
Habit 2: Classroom Habits Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - July 10, 2007July 5, 20103 This is the second in a series of articles entitled 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers. Classroom Procedures The procedures that you lay out in the classroom are the most outwardly evident procedures that you have in place. For this reason, they are key elements of your overall classroom management plan. Much of the procedures really depend on the age-group you teach. Since I teach middle school, my procedures are very middle-school oriented. These procedures can be broken up into three categories: Beginning of class Middle of class End of class Beginning of class The tone of the entire class is established before the students walk in the door. We've all heard the old adage, You never get
5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers General by Joel Wagner - July 9, 2007July 25, 20162 I recently read an article written by a newly-hired teacher. She was concerned about the fall and how to establish procedures. My response was for her simply to be patient, ask lots of questions, and hang in there. When I was in her position, that kind of advice would have sounded trite and condescending to me. So I wanted to write a bit more details about some of the procedures I set up in my own life that have allowed me to be more effective. These 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers may help newer teachers who are struggling to maintain their sanity. The 5 procedures in the series include: Communication Habits Classroom Habits Relationship Habits Personal Habits Community Habits
How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - June 7, 2007August 4, 201614 This article is part 1 of the series Questions That Will Save Your Career. Before you can focus on engaging your students, or making sure they learn or whatever, you must learn how to keep your students quiet. The rest of the articles in the series are: How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? How Do I Keep My Students Engaged? How Do I Keep My Students Interested? How Do I Keep My Students Learning? How Do I Keep My Students Away From Me? How Do I Keep My School Administration Happy? How Do I Keep My Sanity? 10 Years of Teaching: How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? 10 Years of Teaching: How Do I Keep My Students Engaged? 10 Years
06-07: What Worked Well General by Joel Wagner - June 2, 2007July 5, 20100 As we begin the summer vacation, I am looking back on what went really well this year, what didn't work so well, and what needs to change for next year. Below are some of the positives about this year: Having a plan before the year beganEven before the school year began, I had a pretty decent idea of what music I wanted the kids to perform throughout the year. What this ended up doing is that it allowed me to gear the daily teaching to make sure that those goals could be accomplished. I had an idea of what Christmas music we wanted to do. That helped us to determine what skills were absolutely necessary, and which ones could wait
Finishing Strong Music Education by Joel Wagner - May 28, 2007July 5, 20100 A band director I used to work with said this. The concept is that success comes from finishing something well. It's easy to start something great. Greatness comes from finishing something great. That is why greatness is so elusive. One And A Half Is Not The Same As Two I find myself saying the very thing to my students. Why? Because so many of them start notes well but give up before the end. One and a half is not the same as two. A half note does not get most of two beats, it gets two beats. Simple. But How Does This Apply To Me? Simple. Most of us teachers are at or near the end of the