As we continue to build relationships with the parents, here is an example of an email I sent to everyone because, well, I made a mistake.
Good Tuesday afternoon everyone-
Remember that time you thought it was a Tuesday because the teacher said it was a Tuesday and you were expecting a Tuesday folder to come home on Tuesday because Tuesday is when the Tuesday folder comes home?
Well, the teacher knew it was a Tuesday and did not send the Tuesday folder home on Tuesday because there was a FAST test on Tuesday and the teacher who even sent an email home saying it was a Tuesday in the subject now has to apologize on a Tuesday for not sending the Tuesday folder home today which is a Tuesday because he forgot it was a Tuesday.
Tuesday word count: 18
Being able to joke during your mistakes helps ease the tension with the parents. It also opens up a closeness when there is effort to be vulnerable with your mistakes. In the grand scheme of things, it is not that big of a deal but it brings people together.
What are some things you do at the start of the school year to build relationships with students?
What is a math manipulative that you use multiple ways in the classroom throughout the year?
In my role as a math interventionist (although looking back I did it as a homeroom teacher, but I don't think as intentionally as I do it now), I have found that many of my students can do the math, they just don't believe they can. As educators, we wear so many hats and one of them is helping students see their potential. I now ask students when they answer a question for me: "Are you asking me or are you telling me?" This questions prompts students to be more convicted in their answer to me. Or if they aren't sure about their answer, it prompts them to go back and recheck it. I have the conversation with students that if they aren't sure of their answer then they need to take a second look at it. They should always answer confidently if they did the work. If it's wrong, we will figure out what happened. It has been so rewarding to hear teachers say that their students are more confident in their answers when sharing in class.
Absenteeism: At what point do you involve administration if a child has been frequently absent?
There are a couple of parts to this. I have worked in schools where I have been asked by admin to let them know when students have missed more than 2 days in a row. Usually after the first day, I will reach out, just saying that I missed the student and hope everything is okay. I will offer assistance if they need it. Usually parents will get back to me quickly if it's just a minor illness or a family emergency. I would say anything past 3 days in a row should go to admin, especially if you haven't heard from the family once you've reached out. I would also say that if it gets to a point that it is impacting their grades or their performance in your class, that it's time to sit down with admin and discuss next steps. They may need to be put on an attendance plan.
April is poetry month, what are your favorite poets to share with elementary aged children and how do you encourage students to write their own poems?
Ways to Quickly Check for Understanding
Edutopia, an online source that highlights best practices for educators, recently polled
teachers and asked them how they do quick checks for understanding. The attached file contains numerous ways that teachers have used in their classroom.
Do you have anything that you can add to the list? Have you tried any of these quick checks with your students?
Struggles in reading can impact a student's performance across multiple areas. Poor reading skills make it harder to grasp content in subjects like math, science, and social studies, where comprehension of text is crucial. This can also slow vocabulary growth and language development, affecting communication skills. Additionally, students who struggle with reading may experience lower confidence and motivation, making it harder to engage in learning. Since reading is tied to critical thinking, difficulties can limit the ability to analyze information, and even affect social skills by reducing exposure to texts that help develop empathy and social understanding. How do you consider other content area development when a student is known to be struggling with/in reading?
Hi Everyone! I work with students with disabilities in an accelerated college and career program. Do you have any ideas about the best way to choose prefixes weekly for students in a high school dental science class?
Big win for the Thanksgiving celebration! All the families were represented and we had a great time! I highly recommend these events!
Resilience - The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
Teaching requires more emotional resilience than most other professions. Lacking resilience is a common thread that creates burnout and leaving the profession. Resilience is not something we are taught in school, but there are things that we can do to strengthen our resilience.
Don’t isolate yourself in your classroom. Get to know other teachers in your building and your students’ parents. Building relationships with your co-workers and parents can strengthen your resilience. Take care of yourself. If you’re worn out and not feeling well, you are more likely to isolate and avoid others.
What is your resilience level?
We have our second progress monitoring next week. There are some strategies that I use to help the students prepare for the test. For example:
1. Arrange the seating beforehand so the students are not asking, "Why are the desks moved"
2. Give out 2 pencils everyday and collect them.
3. Have timed assignments. This helps pacing and focus.
4. Since we take the test on line, I email the students the link to the practice test so they can get used to navigating the program.
5. Lengthen a reading block so the students can build academic endurance of sustained reading.
6. Conference with the students to show them their first score and show a reasonable goal for the next test.
7. Use the dividers for the students during the weeks prior to the test.
8. Give test taking strategies for the students on how to "flag" and questions and go back to answer.
9. Email the parents with suggestions of foods, study habits and other tidbits to help them prepare their student.
10. Since my favorite animal is an elephant, I give the students a little elephant figuring to keep at their desk because they are part of my herd and they are special.
What are some strategies for adjusting my pacing when students need more time to grasp key concepts?
In intervention groups we have students do 1-2 mins each session of either vision tracking, vision memory/or sequencing, or RAN activities. How do you help your students work on visual skills to support decoding and other reading skills?
Michigan Department of Education shares several resources for family literacy and home to school connections. It is entitled: Family Engagement for Literacy. Here are a few of the documents included:
Supporting Families in the Essential Practice of Read Alouds; Sharing Why the Read Aloud Is an Essential Practice With Families
Does your state department of education share valuable resources you can use to collaborate and build understanding with families?
https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/academic-standards/literacy/family-engagement-for-literacy
