As the bustle of the after-school and after-work hours wound down for the night, I found my eight-year-old daughter in tears in her bedroom. She was hunched over her sketch pad. Colored pencils and multiple versions of self-portraits were spread all over the desk. When I asked her what was going on, she replied, “I’m Read More »
Continue Reading
MAR
22
2018
It’s Time to Reconnect
Helping students build relationships with each other is a key to creating an optimal learning environment. Stronger bonds mean students will be less likely to be unkind, to exclude others, to call…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
08
2018
Teaching Students to Speak Confidently
“As their teachers, we hold in our hearts our own hopes and dreams for [our students]. We want them to engage in academic rigor and to be ideamongers who contribute to classroom…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
09
2018
Know Your Students: Developmentally Responsive Planning
Knowing the students in your class happens in different ways for different teachers. A middle school teacher who sees 150 adolescents for one subject, 45 minutes a day will likely develop different…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
DEC
21
2017
The Natural Learning Cycle
It’s the perfect time of year to pause and reflect on your personal teaching and learning goals—the hopes and dreams you set when school began. First, let’s take a step back and…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
NOV
14
2017
What is Responsive Advisory Meeting?
Responsive Advisory Meeting serves as an anchor for adolescents, a predictable routine that students need more than ever as they undergo rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual changes. Just as Morning Meeting helps…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
OCT
24
2017
What is Quiet Time?
Consider the energy and intensity that often accompany the middle of the day. Lunch and recess provide students with opportunities to run, play, eat, and socialize, and teachers often see this energy…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
OCT
12
2017
Stop Bullying Before It Starts
National Bullying Prevention Month is an opportunity to reflect on a serious problem that not only deprives students of a joyful learning environment, but can have toxic effects on the recipient that…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
20
2017
Teachers, Specializing in… Everything!
You’re a master of flexibility, an expert gear-switcher, and you know and teach every student at your school. You’re a Special Area Teacher. And you’re amazing! Being a Special Area Teacher means…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
AUG
17
2017
Starting the Year Off with Joy
Each of these practices promotes active teaching over direct teaching: Rather than education being a one-way street in which a teacher lectures, learning becomes a collaboration between teacher and students. And if…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
20
2017
Getting Started with Responsive Classroom
No matter where in the year you are, when you’re feeling ready to start using the Responsive Classroom approach, that’s the right time to begin! But where do you start? “It’s all…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUN
21
2017
Bring Social Studies Into Morning Meeting
Morning Meeting is a chance for teachers to introduce and reinforce critical academic and social-emotional skills for students of any age. Bringing social studies into Morning Meeting can give students extra opportunities…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAY
18
2017
Time-Out: Early, Often, and for Everyone
At least once a year, one colleague or another comes to me and says, “Gina, something is not right. Can you observe my class and see if you can figure out what’s…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
12
2017
Academic Engagement in the Home Stretch
You’ve made it to the last few months of the academic year! From spring fever to state testing, there are lots of reasons why students might need a nudge to stay engaged…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
07
2017
Spring Rejuvenation
No matter what the weather is like where you are, it can be challenging for both students and teachers to maintain enthusiasm at this point in the school year. The beginning-of-school energy…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
15
2017
Helping Students Give Effective Compliments
Telling students what they’re doing right is one of the most powerful tools we have for helping them solidify and build on their positive behaviors and skills—and teachers aren’t the only ones…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
17
2017
Revisiting Classroom Rules
How often do you revisit classroom rules? Most teachers establish rules at the beginning of the year, and many devote time to modeling and practicing rules with students in the first weeks…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
DEC
06
2016
Engaging Middle Schoolers During the Holiday Season
With interrupted classroom schedules, school vacations, and increased disruptive student behaviors, managing the classroom can feel like a daunting task during the winter holiday season. With a little strategizing, you can help…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
NOV
07
2016
Responding to Defiance in the Moment
Children who defy us often get to the core of our fears as teachers. They make us question our abilities and provoke feelings of insignificance. But when we rise above our own…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
OCT
05
2016
Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Go Hand in Hand
When built into daily schoolwork, goal-focused self-assessment fosters academic achievement by helping students develop lifelong skills.
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
08
2016
Peanut Butter, Grape Jelly
As seen in The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd Edition! Students get a kick out of this song.
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
06
2016
Time for a Brain Break!
Middle schoolers are at an age when they need frequent opportunities to pause, move, and interact with each other to recharge themselves and refocus their energies for more productive learning. Teachers can…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
AUG
09
2016
Setting a Positive Tone in Special Area Classrooms
What happens in the first few minutes of each class period can have a huge impact on students’ focus and productivity throughout the rest of the period. A calm and orderly opening…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
20
2016
Naming Students in Positive Ways
From your “Good morning” greeting to your “Good-bye” at the last bell, every school day gives you many opportunities to address students with words that give them an image of themselves as…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading