Today, I have been reflecting on my early years of teaching and a particular encounter that has stayed with me. During that time, I had a child who sat with me during recess due to behavior issues. He looked up at me and with a mischievous smile he said, “You’re scared of me, Ms. Erean.” I wasn’t scared of him at all; in fact, I found his comment intriguing. So, I asked him, “Why do you think I’m scared of you?”
With a smile he proclaimed: “I’m bad. I’m always bad. I got kicked out of my last school, and I’m going to be bad at this school too.” In that moment, my heart ached for him. It was clear he had been labeled and had internalized those negative messages about himself.
I realized that this child didn’t just need discipline; he needed understanding and support. I responded gently, “You know, everyone makes mistakes, and that doesn’t mean you’re bad. It just means you’re still learning.”
From that day on, I made it my mission to help him see his potential. We worked together to set small goals, focusing on positive behaviors rather than the negatives. I encouraged him to express his feelings and celebrated his successes, no matter how small. Slowly, he began to change, and so did my perspective.
His journey taught me a valuable lesson: the power of belief and support can transform a child’s self-image. As educators, we have the unique opportunity to redefine what a child believes about themselves. Instead of seeing a “bad” kid, I learned to see a child filled with potential, just waiting for someone to believe in him.
As the saying goes, “A child will burn down the village to feel the warmth among the ash.” This speaks to the lengths children may go to seek attention or affirmation.
What are some ways you’ve helped students reframe their self-perception and discover their strengths?
Do you host spring parent-teacher conferences? If so, what do you include and how do you prepare?
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What do you do when you have a student who can’t get their assignments completed?
Break assignment into smaller segments
Allow extra time to complete
Break the work time into shorter times with small breaks in between
Provide their assignment in written form (as well as verbal) with examples of what is expected
Use a timer with small intervals. Have the student get up to walk around and check for completion and accuracy.
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I am looking for some ways to enrich our high math students (NWEA MAP scores of 200+). What are some ways you enrich high students without completely teaching outside of their grade band? Any go to resources?
My best advice to any educator is to SAVE YOUR YES! You will be asked to do all the things. It is important to practice saying no. I’m doing this right now ask me again later. Save your yes for what you are passionate about and it will never feel like work. I love literacy, equity & inclusion, and growing our profession. I save my YES for those areas and even when I am doing a lot, I am doing what I love! Write it on a sticky note in all your spaces to SAVE YOUR YES! Let me know how it goes. 🫶🏽
Do you send any work home with students during school breaks? If so, what kinds of work do you send home?
What are some ways that you build relationships between students throughout the year in elementary school? I think the teachers at our school are great at doing it in the first few weeks but then don’t continue throughout the school year once standards are started. I would love to share some ideas at our next PLC!
How often does your Multi-Disciplinary team meet? In our building our team the Reading Specialist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, School Psychologist, Principal, Speech and Language Pathologist, Nurse... and select teacher meet on a bi-weekly basis to review students in the SST/RTI process, students in the special education process (reevals, referrals, etc), attendance concerns, teacher concerns/problem solving etc.
What are your favorite back to school read alouds or picture books for elementary students?
What professional development opportunities have you found most valuable in your teaching career?
What are some of your favorite places to find warm-up questions or problems of the day for math? I had a friend just recommend this site to me and it's awesome! https://www.wouldyourathermath.com I'm looking for more great ideas!
For all of my fellow ELA gurus: what are some ways I can help elementary teachers (for both reading and math) by teaching the parts of words in my math intervention block? I talk about vocabulary all the time (because chances are that is the reason why my students did poorly on an assessment; lack of vocabulary knowledge) but what is a more intentional way to help? I'm thinking like 'geo-' in geometry and explaining what that means--but make it fun!
How do you reduce test anxiety for state testing?
This year, we are having our younger grades who do not test "adopt" a class and make cards that will be put on our testing students desks each morning.
Where can I print inexpensive 18x24 or larger sized posters for professional training presentations etc? Or do you have any recommendations for a home printer that could do this?
How do you make the last day of school fun for your students? Are there any special activities or events that you hold?
What advice do you have for the job search for new teachers? How can you stand out in a sea of potential candidates to help land an interview and what are there hidden "rules" to remember while applying for jobs?
How do you deal with the “Sunday Scaries”? Are there any routines or things that you do to help you relax before beginning a new week?
Our 2nd grade teachers shared that place value was the hardest unit this year for a majority of students. We began Eureka Squared this year but they needed to find additional practice options. Do you have any go to sources for place value?
