Dealing with oppositional defiant disorder at home or in the classroom? We've got 18 ODD discipline tips to help with problem behaviors in a positive way!
What Makes a Parent Love a Teacher ... and it's not what you might think! Read this terrific post by Jennifer Gonzalez to find out what really matters to parents. Be sure to download her free "deep data" chart for organizing your student data!
Download this FREE Help Your Child Learn to Read reading tips brochure for your students' parents to support their child in learning to read.
Use this note to attach to each students Seesaw Parent invitation. This gives them a few tips to help them learn Seesaw! ...
Subscribe to the Teach 4 the Heart Podcast.It was a great day when I discovered 4 magic words that just seem to dissolve tension and eliminate at least half of the arguments in my classroom.And those words are: "You're not in trouble."Students can be so defensive, can't they? (and let's be honest,
As special education teachers, there are a few red flags to avoid during an IEP meeting. Here are 10 things not to say in an IEP meeting.
Nous avons mis en place un cahier d’autonomie en utilisant les chouettes documents des collègues blogueurs! Le tout est assemblé dans une chemise à lamelles, pas chère et réutilisable. On ess…
Strategies, interventions, and techniques that teachers and parents can use to help kids with dyslexia improve their reading skills.
Connecting families to the classroom and giving them the tools to work with students at home is a huge part of our jobs as teachers. Although I use many modes of parent communication (you can read about them in this blog post), I love having a ‘landing’ where families always have access to the information...
One of my favorite projects of the year is our End of the Year Memory Book. It's a special keepsake for students and parents that features photos, drawings, writing samples, and more. It's a project the class works on periodically throughout the year. I love it because it shows how much the kiddos change over the year. It gives parents a memento to remember the year by, rather than trying to save everything the child brings home. #guiltyofthat This is Ellee. She was in my very first class. She just started 10th grade! Her Mom sent me these pictures of her looking back on her Kindergarten Memory Book before school started last month. It made me so happy to know that she was reliving all of the fun we had in Kinder. Crazy to think 10 years has come and gone! You can see in the photos that Word Art was all the rage back in 2007. LOL. I've made some updates to my Kinder Memory Book since 2007, and I've also created a Preschool and 1st grade version. I have some tips for creating these Memory Books that will make them manageable. 1. If you have active parent volunteers, find a parent that will head up this project. My first year in the classroom, I had 26 kids in my morning class and 25 in the afternoon. 51 memory books! Thank goodness I had an amazing aide and some super parents that helped out. 2. Two options for binding the memory books... You can copy all of the pages you need and bind them over the summer/at the beginning of the year. However, I think it's better to wait to bind them until the END of the year. To keep it all organized, I have a file folder for each student. As we complete a memory book page, I file the completed page away in the child's folder. Then at the end of the year, all the pages are in order and ready to be bound. 3. Print extra copies for potential new students or for "Uh Oh" mistakes. 4. If you forget to take a photograph of a student for a certain page, they can draw a picture instead. The combination of photographs and illustrations will make it extra special. 5. You can send a page home for "homework" every now and then if you just don't have time to get to it in class. Be sure to tell your students how important these pages are so they come back in good condition. I would recommend sending them home in an envelope or file folder so they don't get ripped, folded, or destroyed on the way home. :) 6. I've included extra pages at the end for photographs. Students can personalize it, color it, add stickers, get autographs from friends, etc. The teacher can write a special note to the child in the back of the book as well. These Memory Books will work great for Homeschool Kiddos and for the crafty Mamas out there. Just print and use the pages you need. I'm thrilled to be making one with my preschooler.
If you are reading this, you are probably either a school PTO leader, principal or room mom trying to figure out how to get more parents involved! Know this, you are not alone! Schools across the country struggle to get the participation that they want and need everyday! I've been there too. Here's the scenario... My son attended a middle school with approximately 700 kids that was in need of a PTO leader. Sure, why not! I love education, kids and planning so how bad could it be? Right?!?! Wrong! I almost immediately realized that getting people to actually come help with anything was difficult. Honestly, it felt impossible. I had a mini pity party and decided that wasn't going to cut it! These are good people that love their kids. I knew that! Now, I just needed to come up with how to get them involved! That leads me to the topic of this post! How to Increase Parent Engagement at Your School First and foremost, remember that you were willing to step up. Whether that was out of guilt, because there was no one else or you are part of an amazing school that has an active PTO, someone cares about the PTA group! The reality is, while it may not seem like it, everyone wants it to work. They just aren't jumping up and down saying
Download these Free Special Education Planner Inserts to create your own IEP binder. Perfect for parents and teachers handling IEPs.
This piano teaching idea share is full of fresh recital ideas, interesting games to play online, and great ways of injecting energy in lessons!
Year long monthly name writing and self portraits for August- July. For this activity students can draw a self portrait of themselves and write their name on the line. These are a simple way to document students growth throughout the school year. Teachers can keep these for the year to show parents and students a progression of their abilities as the year progresses. You may also like: September Writing Prompts October Writing Prompts November Writing Prompts
Family and Community Engagement is essential. It is important to involve the entire school in creating an environment that supports parents. We
Free speech therapy printables - Developmental milestones, hierarchies, and graphics for SLPs and educators!
Kids Lying? If you’re looking for strategies and consequences that don't involve punishment to stop your child from lying, we've got 20 ideas to help!
Are you a teacher who wants to set SMART goals? Here are 20 SMART goals for teacher examples, including professional, personal, and long-term goals.
39 idées de jeux faciles à mettre en place pour amuser les enfants sans matériel ou avec ce qu'on a sous la main. Règles de jeu simples.
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Use this Student Snapshot Google Slide to focus your grades and observations on a student, guide discussion, and present during virtual Parent Teacher Conferences! Organize all of your data, notes, and thinking around student report cards onto 1 slide per student! This also includes a student and teacher "Glow and Grow" goal setting slide. This goal setting slide can be used when conferencing with students OR assign the student slide for student's to complete about themselves while reflecting on their work and growth throughout the reporting period. Check out my other GROOVY resources! > FREE Groovy Door Signs > My Teacher Over Break Writing > GROOVY Binder Covers > GROOVY First and Last Day of School Signs Check out my other DIGITAL and DISTANCE LEARNING resources! > Digital Autobiography Student Project > FREEBIE Digital End of Year Memory Book > Digital Back to School Student Activities > Digital Meet the Teacher Slides > Digital and printable Meet the Author (Back to School writing!) > Digital Monthly Class Calendar and Newsletter > Back to School Digital Bundle (has many of the resources listed below!) > Digital Daily and Weekly Schedule > Digital Class Info Slides (Virtual Open House) > Editable Zoom/Virtual Meeting Rules > Editable Back to School Parent and Student Forms > Digital School Tools (student resources) > Digital Word Wall > Digital Theme and Story arc slides (lesson and student graphic organizer) > Digital Multiplication Flashcards > Digital End of the Year Letter to Future Students Please email me with any questions at all! [email protected] ................................................................................................ How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: * Go to your "My Purchases" page > make sure you are logged in. * Beside each of your purchases you'll see a "Provide Feedback" button. *Click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give easily give a rating and leave a comment for the product. **Here's the best part, each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you can use on your future purchases.** Be the FIRST to know about my freebies, new products, and any discounts: *Find the green star next to my store logo where it says "Follow Me" and click it to become a follower. >> The green star will now say "Following" ................................................................................................
If you read forums for teachers, job satisfaction surveys, or listen to conversation in the teachers’ lounge you will often hear a common theme in the complaints of teachers. Teachers who are unhappy feel unappreciated and unrecognized for their hard work. Although a raise would put a smile on teachers everywhere, this may not be possible with the current state of economics. Have you read Malcom Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point? One of the examples he gives in his book is the NYC subway system. George L. Kelling was hired as a consultant in 1985 to test his broken windows theory. The city cleaned the subway system of graffiti. Graffiti was quickly cleaned any time it appeared. The theory was that small crimes lead to bigger crimes. Purging the subway of graffiti was the tipping point to make the NYC subway system safer. Small crimes lead to bigger crimes. I think a few negative comments can spread quicker than 48-hour flu in a school. Soon it seems like the entire staff is infected with negativ-itis. It is possible to make teachers, staff members, and co-workers of your school feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work. The best thing is the school climate doesn't have to be the responsibility of one person in the school. Do you think your co-workers are feeling a little stressed? Do you hear more snips and snarks than comments of appreciation? Have there been changes on your campus . . . new team members, administrators, curriculum, or expectations? If this sounds familiar, you could be the change agent at your school. Sometimes it is the administrator, team leaders, or Sunshine Committee than plans school climate and community building events. But, one thing I have found through the years. Everyone loves a helping hand. If you step up to the plate, you will have their undying gratitude. After a few community building events, you will have a happier place to work. So, it is a win-win for everyone. For whatever reason, I have always enjoyed planning these type of things. I know it is crazy, right?!! I have been on a social committee for my neighborhood homeowner association, a school's Sunshine Committee, and planned monthly luncheons for my daughter's middle school. Through all of these experiences, I have picked up a few tips and tricks that make putting on a luncheon for a large group a little easier. Food brings people together, it bonds them, it is just that simple. If at all possible it is best to plan the date of your luncheon on a day when everyone can eat lunch at the same time. Do not forget to include everyone in your school family like the custodial staff and secretaries. If you do plan the luncheon on a day when you have multiple lunch periods, set out fresh food each lunch period. I just added a new School Climate packet that includes what you see above. Each luncheon has a PDF that is "PRINT & GO" prefilled for your luncheon. There is also a blank signup in the EDITABLE file so you can personalize it to fit your needs. The sign is EDITABLE, too so you can add the date, time, and place. There are also notes (6 per page) so you can write little notes of support, encouragement, thank you, and give treats. There is room that you can write a note or attach a treat. Who doesn't love to get a little note in your mailbox? Some of these are colorful and some are black & white. Look for the Positive is a system where staff members recognize other staff members. This system could also be used with students. Staff members fill out a nomination about another staff member who is: ALL HEART: A person who is kind and helpful to others. ALL STAR: A person who shines at his or her job and goes beyond what is required. ALL SMILES: A person who has a positive attitude and a joy to be around. OUR TREASURE: A person who is worth his or her weight in gold. Prizes can be whatever you want. I made these signs to hang outside classrooms to recognize teachers. I bought the supplies at Hobby Lobby. At one of my schools, the prize was a front row parking spot. That was a very popular prize! If a luncheon seems like a bigger job than you want to tackle this year, I included monthly events that are still fun, but on a smaller scale. The signs are editable so you can add the date and time. Click HERE find out more plus get a FREEBIE in the preview file. Click HERE to check out the preview file. Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.
The ultimate list of classroom management strategies, organized into verbal and non-verbal strategies, parent communication tips,rewards and prizes, games, brain breaks, and visual strategies.
If you're a parent or teacher looing for pathological demand avoidance (PDA) strategies for kids, this post is a great place to start.
Dealing with oppositional defiant disorder at home or in the classroom? We've got 18 ODD discipline tips to help with problem behaviors in a positive way!
Teachers, you must send this letter home to parents on the first day of school. It will set the tone with parents for the rest of the year!
Here's how I sell educational printables to teachers, homeschool parents, and party planners. How to sell teaching resources online and make money selling teaching resources.
These Editable PDF Parent Conference Forms are just what you need to foster positive parent support in your students' education this year! Keep things simple by using the Parent Conference Forms as they are, or, personalize the forms to fit your personal teaching style and classroom needs! The Editable PDF Parent Conference Forms come in three designs that are perfect for any classroom! Choose from a simple Clipart Free Design, a Modern Arrows Clipart Design, and a Cute Kids Clipart Design. Because the files are editable, they will align with any grade or subject area! Simply open the Editable PDF Parent Conference Forms file in Adobe Reader (available as a free download online), print the forms as they are, or, choose to personalize the file to your own classroom needs by typing in the blue highlighted text boxes. The fonts are embedded into the document, so your edits will look polished and professional! Please download the Free Preview file for a sneak peek at the three styles included and to receive a free sample of an Editable Student Self Evaluation! You could use this form for conferences or even for a content-related reflection depending on how you choose to edit it! Please Note: If you are using a Mac, you must open the file in Adobe Reader for the fonts to appear correctly. If you open in the Preview, the fonts will not appear correctly.
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Download these free picture mats to build vocabulary in preschool and kindergarten. These are great for English language learners, too! #vocabulary
Tutorial on how to effectively use Classdojo in your elementary classroom
Teachers, you must send this letter home to parents on the first day of school. It will set the tone with parents for the rest of the year!
This resource lists a sample bank of 504 accommodations for ADD/ADHD and provides an overview of the manifestations of this disability.Do you ever find yourself in a 504 meeting and the committee members either do not understand the disability itself, or do not understand the appropriate accommodati...
If you are reading this, you are probably either a school PTO leader, principal or room mom trying to figure out how to get more parents involved! Know this, you are not alone! Schools across the country struggle to get the participation that they want and need everyday! I've been there too. Here's the scenario... My son attended a middle school with approximately 700 kids that was in need of a PTO leader. Sure, why not! I love education, kids and planning so how bad could it be? Right?!?! Wrong! I almost immediately realized that getting people to actually come help with anything was difficult. Honestly, it felt impossible. I had a mini pity party and decided that wasn't going to cut it! These are good people that love their kids. I knew that! Now, I just needed to come up with how to get them involved! That leads me to the topic of this post! How to Increase Parent Engagement at Your School First and foremost, remember that you were willing to step up. Whether that was out of guilt, because there was no one else or you are part of an amazing school that has an active PTO, someone cares about the PTA group! The reality is, while it may not seem like it, everyone wants it to work. They just aren't jumping up and down saying
