Make Love not War – How to Control an Unruly Class Classroom Management by Heather Johnson - July 25, 2008June 16, 20162 This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on California teacher certification. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com. Teaching children is arguably the most taxing job in the world -- it demands a great deal of patience and tolerance all through the day, every day of school. A good teacher takes the extra effort needed to ensure that the children understand what's taught, not just in the way of lessons but in the way of life too. Sometimes a teacher's patience is put to the test in the form of difficult students, those who will just not fall in line with the rest of the class. And at
Gone Wild: Classroom Jobs Classroom Management by Miss A - July 23, 2008July 25, 201613 Hello, Readers. I decided to take Joel up on his offer of EduBloggers Gone Wild. My name is Miss A and you can find me at Confessions From the Couch. I am beginning my 4th year of teaching in an urban school district and no longer under new teacher status. I feel like I’m at a place where I must CONTRIBUTE to the edublogging community. As I enter into the this new phase of my career, I am using blogging as a reflective and personal growth tool-with limited complaining and griping-because I love my job and the impact it has on my life. My goal is to share my ideas as well as solicit the ideas of other teachers out
Loving My Job; Hating My Work Personal by Joel Wagner - January 18, 2008July 2, 20108 Even if you ignore the majority of this article, check out the last sentence. I am absolutely loving school since coming back from Christmas Break. Even so, I am beginning to get burned out. If you want to know why, go read this. He's still not back yet and it's all but certain that he will not be coming back next week either. Still no clue when I can expect him.I wrote an email to my principal today, some edited excerpts follow: I love teaching and I love rehearsing the bands, but I am very tired. The students suffer as a result. More than anything else, that is what breaks my heart about the whole situation. It’s not that I
10 Tips To Stay Motivated And Love Teaching Inspiration by Jane Little - December 3, 2007June 30, 20105 This is a guest post by Jane Little of My Many Colored Crayons. Jane teaches third grade in Los Angeles, CA. I teach in a school that has more than it’s share of challenges. Low morale is just one of them. About a year ago I started blogging with this post. It was a raw and honest account of a low point in my teaching career. The problems some of my students faced were heartbreaking to say the least.I had to chuckle when Joel said, "As I read your stuff, I just imagine you being someone who wakes up each morning with a smile on your face. I'd like to see how that plays out in reality a little bit
Reader Appreciation: Pamela Reader Appreciation by Pamela - November 23, 2007May 29, 20160 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Pamela. Name: Pamela Location: Michigan Occupation: Elementary Teacher, Reading Specialist Blog: Blog may be coming soon, but none yet ;-) Tell me some of your favorite things about your job Some of my favorite things about teaching: I enjoy sharing my love of learning and my passion for certain topics. It goes beyond just teaching the material...it's about making a personal connection with the students. Along those same lines, I love sharing the excitement of a good book. When I introduce it and starting talking about it with excitement, the students can't wait for me to start reading. When it's time to stop reading and begin our next lesson, they beg
Reader Appreciation: Clix Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 20, 2007July 5, 20100 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Clix. Name: Clix Location: Georgia Occupation: Freshman English; Journalism Blog: Epic Adventures Are Often Uncomfortable Tell me some of your favorite things about your job I seem to be good at it. I get to explore stories and try new ideas and encourage others to do the same. It's never dull. I love messing with their heads. I love how wee the freshmen are and watching them grow into young ladies and gentlemen (in theory). I love the power of CONTROLLING LIVES - well, at least for an hour or so a day! I love listening to their ideas and seeing the way their minds
Reader Appreciation: Pat Hensley Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 19, 2007July 5, 20100 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Pat Hensley. Name: Pat Hensley Location: South Carolina Occupation: I was a high school special ed teacher, now I am a college instructor and educational consultant. Blog: Successful Teaching Tell me some of your favorite things about your job Sharing my experiences and helping unexperienced teachers solve problems Tell me some things you loved about your favorite teacher(s) Making me feel that I was important, listening to my ideas, and learning new things from them List some of your most effective classroom management strategies Improving students’ self concept Have a consistent behavior plan Name (up to) three other blogs that you frequently visit/subscribe
Overcoming Adversity Inspiration by Joel Wagner - November 18, 2007July 5, 20102 As teachers, how often do we stop to think about how much of an impact we could potentially make in the life of one of our students. Even if that student doesn't ever thank us or even show marked improvement in their academic skills or behavior or whatever, we still may be helping him. Our job is often thankless. Our job is often life-changing. We will not know this side of heaven the number of lives we have changed. I was recently contacted by a reader who shared an amazing story with me. This deaf man, Stephen J. Hopson, was changed by three simple words from his fifth grade teacher. The story, and the accompanying video, truly made me smile.
Reader Appreciation: Athena Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 16, 2007July 5, 20100 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Athena. Name: Athena Location: South Texas Occupation: ELA 9th & 10th grade Blog: http://athena81469.blogspot.com/ Tell me some of your favorite things about your job I like the freedom of the job. I used to be in a cube job where I had to punch a timeclock all the time. Every moment of my job was timed. I sat and stared at 4 grey fuzzy walls everyday. Now, I come to work at my own time. Nobody is watching. Plus, I have control over my job. I decide what and when I teach. I decide if I am going to stay late. I can
Reader Appreciation: Miss Profe Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 14, 2007July 5, 20102 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Miss Profe. Name: Miss Profe Location:The Northeast Occupation: Middle/High School Spanish teacher Blog: It's A Hardknock Teacher's Life Tell me some of your favorite things about your job The kids, the challenge of teaching a second language in the 21st century Tell me some things you loved about your favorite teacher(s) They demanded my best; they recognized my potential. List some of your most effective classroom management strategies Walking around the room, tapping on the shoulder, not shouting over students Name (up to) three other blogs that you frequently visit/subscribe Ms. Whatsit So You Want To Teach? RepairKit
Reader Appreciation: Miss A Reader Appreciation by Miss A - November 13, 2007July 5, 20100 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Miss A.Name: Miss A Location: Urban city in the South Occupation: Teacher, World history, African American History 9-12 grade. Mostly 9th grade Blog: Confessions From The Couch Tell me some of your favorite things about your job Facilitating games, watching students "get it," being able to explore diverse issues and situations. Tell me some things you loved about your favorite teacher(s) They were interactive, they were demanding, had high expectations, friendly. List some of your most effective classroom management strategies Interactive classroom seating chart, behavior contracts. Name (up to) three other blogs that you frequently visit/subscribe Secondhand Thoughts Teaching in the Inner
Reader Appreciation: Eric Turner Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 8, 2007July 5, 20100 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is Eric Turner. Name: Eric Turner Location: Tennessee Occupation: History/Secondary Ed Student Blog: Secondhand Thoughts Tell me some of your favorite things about your job I love learning and I love the interaction between professor and students Tell me some things you loved about your favorite teacher(s) Whew, this is a hard one. I think the things I loved about the teachers I loved is the high standards they maintained, yet were also compassionate, fair, and understanding. Oh, and they each had a great sense of humor. They each inspired me in their own way. How they inspired me is hard to define. Some of the ways were the
Reader Appreciation: José Vilson Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 5, 2007July 5, 20102 November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today's featured reader is José Vilson.Name: José Vilson Location: New York, NY Occupation: 6th Grade Math Teacher Blog: The José Vilson Tell me some of your favorite things about your job My favorite things about my job are the ability to help children achieve their best, inspiring them not only academically but personally. I also like getting up on my stage and performing for them, too. The thrill of a good and well thought out lesson is incomparable. I love the kids' energies. Their inquisitiveness makes me want to go and teach them, and push them harder. I love the instant feedback I get from my students about my
Less Stress: Play At Work Stress Reduction by Joel Wagner - November 2, 2007July 5, 20100 We come now to the final chapter of our 25 Tips For Less Stress. This is perhaps my favorite one of all. Without this decision, you cannot have a stress-free life. The key is to choose to have fun at work. No matter what industry you work in, if you love your job, you will be more productive. In education, our products are educated people. The more we love teaching, the more of our children will be successful. That love will translate into their development of greater passion for learning. It's an upward spiral. Conversely, when we hate our job -- or when we just show up to collect the paycheck -- it also shows. The students laboriously come to
Less Stress: Don’t Take Work Home Stress Reduction by Joel Wagner - November 1, 2007July 5, 20104 I wrote a couple of days ago about a plan to reduce the amount of papers that you take home. Preferably, that number will approach zero as your systems get refined. That is NOT the focus of this entry. The goal here is to truly liberate you from your job. The story goes: A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her. The senior monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her