This European inspired Engagement Session took place in a church courtyard. The perfect setting for a whimsical romance to be captured

We have prepared the ultimate collection of engagement wishes for son. romantic, cute, funny, clever, simple, quotes, congratulations.

Engagement party is really a rehearsal of the coming wedding yet without too much stress. It’s a great way for people to express the congratulations and it’s a great chance to have fun! It will be a great idea to reflect your wedding in some ways. But you may think how to get unique and […]

It doesn’t get more Seattle than a Pioneer Square engagement session. And you also won’t find a cuter couple than Zach and Stephanie — style and outfits on point, totally adorable together, gorgeous and just awesome people all around! They are a perfect example of why I love what I do. Steph and Zach will […]

In a new interview for Paper Mag, Amanda Bynes reveals how abusing Adderall, an amphetamine drug, helped trigger her meltdown.

Kimber and Crew are high school sweethearts who are getting married this year. They are two beautiful humans with a sweet, playful love.

Have students reflect upon a lesson, activity or assignment. How do the students think they did and why? Emjoi images were found using Google. ...

The Amanda Solitaire Moissanite Engagement Ring is our lowest profile setting, & we’ve customized with a Cass 3mm band for added drama.  It is shown here with a colorless 4.2 carat oval Moissanite center in a 14k (2-tone) white & yellow gold setting. As with all of our engagement rings it is completely customizable.  To change the Moissanite carat size, shape or for alternative metals (18k or Platinum), please fill out the custom quote form below and we will reach out via email to discuss. *Made to order, please allow approximately 8 weeks for delivery DETAILS (as shown): Metal: 14k White & Yellow Gold Center Stone: Moissanite Shape: Oval Cut: Diamond Cut  Size: 4.2ct (11.5x8.25mm) Ratio: 1.39 Color: Colorless (DEF) Clarity: VVS Band Width: 3mm Mohs Scale: 9.25 Refractive Index: 2.65

Leadership isn't what you think it is. First, leadership and authority are two different things. That means that anyone can lead, and leadership starts with you and must engage others. Leadership is mobilizing people to make progress on complex challenges. Helping, motivating and inspiring people to change is what leadership is about. Because when everyone leads, we untap the full potential to solve the toughest challenges. In Your Leadership Edge, Ed O'Malley and Amanda Cebula provide a practical, comprehensive guide designed to help you hone the behaviors, attitudes and mindset necessary to create lasting impact for yourself, your organization and your community. The book describes four competences--Diagnose Situation, Manage Self, Energize Others, and Intervene Skillfully--and dives deeply into each one with a list of skills and tactics that can help you lead anytime, anywhere.

Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!

Guest Blog Post By Sam Bradford Let’s talk about “Classroom Rules.” Are they something you keep in your syllabus and mention the first day of class and never return to? Do you find that printing--and, if necessary, even laminating--a list of rules and tacking them on your wall safeguards you from problems with student conduct? We’ve all had the experience where a student comes to us and says “Gee, teacher, I sure was on a bad path, but when I saw that little sign that said ‘Respect Yourself and Others,’ it turned my life around. It was like, all of a sudden, I realized that I needed to respect myself. And others. I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for that sign!” Oh, you haven’t had that experience? You see where I’m going with this. I’ve been teaching for twelve years, with four of those years as a department chair, and two as Dean of Academic Affairs. I’ve had the opportunity to observe lots of classes across all disciplines in high school, and one of the most prominent trends I’ve noticed is that we could be a lot more intentional about building classroom culture. One other connection I’ve noticed is that the teachers who say “Some years you get good kids. Some years you get bad kids. At the end of the day, there’s not really much you can do about it” are often the same teachers with that posted list of classroom rules--rules that are not even readable from the back of the class and go as unnoticed as whatever paintings are in the same room as the Mona Lisa. I was one of those teachers until I learned about norms from the School Reform Initiative (SRI). I think that norms are one of the best tools for improving a healthy classroom culture. Norms are not rules. Rules can’t change. Norms change with the different chapters of the year. Rules are created by teachers. Norms are thoughtfully crafted by both teachers and students. Rules tell us what to do and what not to do. Norms remind us of what we need to be resilient and take risks. Step Up. Make Room. We’re All Trying. Stay Open, Stay Cool. Adopt, Adapt, Adept. One Second At a Time. Shake and Bake. What are norms? They are bumper-sticker-length phrases, usually in the imperative tense, crafted, agreed upon, and revised by the class. Norms can give us a boost when we’re feeling complacent. They can help us breathe when we feel paralyzed (especially for classes with overachieving students). They are things we tell ourselves and remind each other. Norms can mean slightly different things to different people. Step Up can translate to “I’m going to try to speak more often in discussion” or “I’m going to get ahead in the reading.” They can also be really creative. One of my all-time favorites: VolSTAYved. Get it? Stay involved. Rhetorically, they give you buy-in from your students and allow you to avoid the role of disciplinarian. Instead of “because it’s on my laminated page of Classroom Rules,” the stance is one of “I’m reminding us of our own language we agreed to. Is that language not helpful for us anymore? What would help?” How To Create Norms With Your Students At the start of the year, I use a discussion protocol to remember that learning comes when we take risks. SRI’s “Zones of Risk, Comfort, and Danger” is crucial for me. Then, we do a different protocol to establish norms, framing them with the idea that these are things that keep the maximum number of people in the risk zone for the maximum amount of time--either SRI’s “Attritubtes of a Learning Community” or “Norms Construction” works really well. I aim for no more than three norms per class so that it’s easy to remember. Once norms are established and unanimously agreed upon, I do make a sign with our norms, which are separate for each class. Yes, I sometimes laminate them. At the start of each class, I remind the students of our norms. Some days, it takes ten seconds. Occasionally, I’ll turn it into a warm-up activity. For example, “journal on which norm you most need help with today and why” or “take a post-it note and write the norm you most need today on that note and stick it on your desk as a reminder” or “find a meme that best captures our norm.” Similarly, you can use them as a conclusion activity: “Who in here deserves the VolSTAYved award for today’s work?” If I start to notice patterns in classroom conduct that impede learning, I’ll ask the class if any norms need to be revised or replaced. They can take ownership and build self-awareness. Things are very different when it’s the start of the year and no one knows anyone else as opposed to when it’s mid-semester and we’re comfortable. Or if it’s one week before a much-deserved Spring Break. Those chapters all feel different and require different reminders in order to do good work. By the end of the year, I’ve usually revised norms half a dozen times. The Result Of Using Norms The result? Better class cohesion than I’ve ever had. Constant positive feedback on student surveys. The student who, a month ago, told me “I adopted ‘We’re All Trying’ as a norm for our Diversity Alliance.” More than once, I’ve heard some variant of “even outside of class, I tell this norm to myself--it helps me.” Can your list of Classroom Rules do that? Related Articles: High School English Teachers: I Planned Your Frist Week Back To School (abetterwaytoteach.com) Want An Outstanding First Day of School Activity for Your High School (abetterwaytoteach.com) For more information on School Reform Initiative and how to bring this to your classroom or school, check out: School Reform Initiative – A Community of Learners SRI Theory of Action – School Reform Initiative Protocols – School Reform Initiative

When it comes to teaching the whole child, parent engagement is of the utmost importance. When parents have up to date information on their child’s progress in school, they are more likely to respond and to get involved. The best way to view parent engagement is to think of it as a partnership. Teachers and parents have one goal: to ensure that the child succeeds in all areas. We may have different approaches and different styles or views, but our end goal (for the most part) is the same. Share this post with others by pinning the image below! Watch the video below to see how I have implemented weekly progress reports to ensure that I always have a connection with parents. My favorite part about using these reports is that come conference time, I have built up data and reports to show. Parents are never shocked about what I have to tell them during a conference because they’ve already been in the loop for weeks. This allows for us to take advantage of the conference time and use it as planning time. What can we do together to support the student/child in the areas that they need to improve […]

They're actually fun, we promise.

Each of these tools can make your teaching more efficient and effective, and your students' learning deeper and more engaging. Come take a look.

Want to build more contemporary poetry into your ELA classroom? Find out how with #teachlivingpoets founder Mel Alter Smith.

Explore the elegance of natural bridal makeup to enhance your beauty. Learn tips for a timeless bridal look that feels as good as it looks.

Il n'y a pas de meilleur moment pour parler aux enfants de notre interdépendance et de notre environnement que lors de la Journée de la Terre. C'est la journée où nous célébrons cette Terre bien vivante qui nous permet à chacun de respirer. Sans les arbres, les plantes, l'eau et le sol, nous ne...

Want to build more contemporary poetry into your ELA classroom? Find out how with #teachlivingpoets founder Mel Alter Smith.

Whether it's something small paired with a sweet note, or a basket full of personalized items, check out these 8 great engagement gift ideas!

There are more ways to demonstrate understanding than just taking a test! This amazing list has 72 ideas for a project that are...

Let them know how special they are with a Names Stories® art print. There’s a world of meaning and inspiration hidden in our names and Name Stories® artwork is a gift of affirmation to those who matter most. A person's name can shape how they perceive themselves; names also contribute to the formation of a person's identity. Amanda’s narrative is a unique story full of hidden treasures that can instill a sense of pride in the past, belonging in the present, and purpose for the future. Names Stories® is not only a timeless keepsake of Amanda’s name, but a thoughtful reminder of who Amanda is: today, tomorrow, and always. Made-to-order in California, Florida and Oregon.

Fun and Engaging! Use this simple tool to review self-regulation feelings and coping skills. Students can create and play with their own "Review Catcher" independently or with a group. -Includes colored & black and white copies. -Folding instructions included If you enjoy this product, plea...

Often our students don't get to go outside for recess as much during the winter. This can cause restlessness in the classroom. I like to keep my students moving as much as possible during lessons to combat this, and one of my favorite ways to do this during winter is through Snowball Fight Learning! They eat it up! Here's how it works. Have each student write a two- or three-digit number on a blank page. Then, wad it up into a snowball. Divide the class with half of the students standing on each side of the classroom. Have them thrown their snowballs on your signal. After throwing, they race to pick up a snowball and head back to their seat. I partner students up with the person sitting next to them. They straighten out their snowballs and solve the problem with their numbers. Compare. If their answers match (both got it correct), they wad the snowballs back up and head back out. If not, they work through them together to find their mistakes. Once all students are armed and ready, we repeat! Sounds super easy right? It is. But, I found that students would ALWAYS write 99 or 999. If I told them not to use that number, they would write 98. Haha! So, to ensure that students all had a variety of numbers (and that they were legible....that would sometimes be a problem, too) I created these super easy number printables that work perfect for this. There's one set that will ensure students are practicing addition without regrouping and another with regrouping. I hope you find them useful! An InLinkz Link-up

This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. Read my full disclosure statement. Learning to add money, make change, and compare money amounts are skills that are coming up in our money unit. I've been working on putting together lots of fun games and engaging opportunities to practice. Here are some money activities for second grade

I’m not sure why I’ve never filled our sensory bin with cereal before, but it made the perfect taste safe bin for my girls. They loved measuring, mixing, dumping, scooping, and snacking every time I took our bin out to play. Check out all 10 ways we played with this week’s Sensory Summer bin! If […]

This "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" music lesson incorporates songs, xylophones, circle games and more. It's a perfect music lesson for the Fall.

Transforming an ordinary classroom into an inspiring and engaging learning environment can significantly impact students' motivation and enthusiasm for ...