This post includes great ideas about grading to give you a helping hand. If you can minimize the amount you grade and maximize the effectiveness of your feedback, you'll be giving yourself the best possible chance to focus your attention on creative teaching and connecting with your students.

Formal teacher observations and informal walk-throughs are an inevitable part of teaching. Tips to handle it all with grace and relaxation.

Student teaching advice written by mentor teachers.

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It’s hard for me to believe it, but I’m about to start up my twelfth year of teaching. A lot of new teachers have messaged me on IG asking for some advice. When I sit down to reflect on my previous years, there is so much that I wish I had known when I first started. 1. ... Read More about First Year Teacher Advice

I have often been asked what advice I have for new piano teachers just starting out. Today I'd like to share four basic suggestions that will help get your studio on its way!1. Be ProfessionalWhen you present yourself and your studio more professionally, people take you more seriously. You are

How to Write The Perfect Psychopath. Psychopaths feel nothing, this makes them able to carry out heinous acts without any bit of feeling of remorse.

First-year teacher advice: How to prepare for your first year of teaching, how to decorate your classroom, what to do on the first day of school, and more!

"Are you a teacher gearing up for a demo lesson? Look no further! Our blog "Demo Do's: How Teachers Can Nail Their Demo Lesson!" provides ten essential tips for impressing an interviewing committee, including bringing a detailed lesson plan and differentiating the content of the lesso

If you are like me, I wanted to be a ROCKSTAR in my first years of teaching but got immediately overwhelmed. I wish I knew half of the teaching tips, advice, and strategies that I do now. I fumbled A LOT, yet learned from every trial and error. Through

In my classroom, I’m always looking for ways to improve. To grow as a teacher, I reflect on my lessons and consider what went well, what could have been better, and different methods to try in the future. In addition to self-reflection, I welcome feedback from others—administrators, mentors, other teachers, and my students. I’ve even participated in Great Teachers, Great Feedback, which is a virtual coaching service. I’ve been observed countless times during my teaching career. My first year teaching I was observed by my mentor multiple times each month and my program director several times a year. A couple of years later when I was a part of Teach for America I had advisers in and out of my room on a regular basis in addition to visits from the principal and vice principals. While I’ve never enjoyed being observed (who does, right?), I looked forward to hearing their thoughts and ideas. Whether the feedback was good or bad, I wanted to hear all about it. I grew into a strong teacher quickly because I was so eager to learn from others. I’ve always been naturally reflective, but the comments from administrators, advisers, mentors, and fellow teachers showed me where to place my concentration. No matter how often you’re observed and receive feedback, you won’t grow as a teacher unless you are willing to listen to advice and try out new ideas. Don’t shut down when an observer shares a criticism. Ask questions about turning things around instead. True, not all of the advice you’ll receive will be helpful. For example, one of my observers always told me to rank my students from highest performers to lowest performers and create an elaborate seating chart based off of that ranking system. It was such a time consuming process with seven classes of around 30 students each. However, I tried it anyway. For several weeks, I used this new seating chart system. When no benefits of the new seating chart showed themselves I went back to my old arrangements. Out of all of the advice I received and tried over the years, this was the only one that stands out as impractical. While the idea didn’t work out, it did get me thinking about other options for seating charts and table arrangements. Not every idea will be beneficial, but most of them are worth considering. I’ve discovered a lot of wonderful teaching methods this way. Self-reflection and routine observations aren’t the only things that shaped me into the teacher I am today. Some of the best feedback came from the people who were in my classroom every day: my students. Simply watching your students can tell you so much about the efficacy of your lessons and teaching methods. I think most teachers can tell when their students are bored. There are many hard to miss signs there—slouching, open mouths, excessive doodling, drooling, sleeping, acting out... You can tell when your students are engaged, eager to learn, and excited. A quick assessment can tell you how much each student understood the content. There are many informal ways to learn from your students. Besides observing students’ behavior and assessing their work, you can do something as simple as asking questions. Ask your students how you’re doing. Ask what they liked and didn’t like about a lesson. Ask them what was clear and what was confusing. Ask them what helps and what doesn’t. Many students will be hesitant to answer, especially at first. Not many teachers ask their students’ opinions on lessons and teaching practices. If you can get them talking, you might be surprised at their insight. One version of my teacher report card Several times a year I have my students give me a more formal assessment. Most students are more candid about their thoughts when they don’t have to express themselves in front of a classroom full of students and their teacher. To give the formal assessment, I have my students grade me at the end of each quarter. Basically, whenever my students get report cards I get one too. Or, in particularly challenging classes, I have students complete a formal assessment ASAP to help identify the problem and get students back on track to learning as much as they can in the short amount of time they have in my class. When my students “Grade the Teacher” they fill out the answers to questions on a piece of paper. It’s fairly quick: between five to ten minutes. You can ask questions about whatever you think would be useful like classroom management, lesson pacing, types of homework, how students feel in your class, clearness of expectations, etc. I often change up the questions each quarter. I always include a portion about what letter grade I deserve and why. I usually include a question about what unit they learned the most from and why. If you’re considering letting your students grade you like this, I recommend you read through the advice below. Explain to the students that you are giving them the feedback form because you want to know how to improve your teaching. Encourage details and examples because those will give you a better idea of how to improve. Tell students to focus on your teaching, the lessons, and the classroom environment. Not your clothing choices or appearance or other irrelevant things! When students first started grading me, I got comments about how I’m stylish and have beautiful eyes. Flattering, yes. A little creepy, also yes. Helpful, no. Clarify that students should be completely honest but not hurtful. Giving examples of what is and isn’t acceptable is helpful. Example: Mr. Dude sometimes seems mad and yells and it makes students feel uncomfortable. Non-example: Mr. Dude is a mean teacher and everyone hates him. If you want, you can have students complete their evaluations anonymously. This might help them be more comfortable being honest. Personally, I like to have students put their names on the evaluations so I can follow up with them if I have any questions or need clarification. Consider having a question about the student’s level of effort in class. I’ve found this helps the students consider their role in how class goes on a daily basis, and this causes them to be more fair and reasonable in their evaluation of me. This part is hard: Try not to take criticisms personally. Not every student will give you glowing reviews. That’s okay! Remember, you gave them this evaluation to improve and their ideas can often help you with that goal. You can use the Grade the Teacher feedback form I created with your students. I use some version of this with my students every quarter. It’s in English and Spanish so all the voices in my classroom are heard. If you’re serious about improving as a teacher you should reflect on your lessons, invite people into your classroom to observe you, try new teaching methods, and get feedback from your students. Want to get feedback from your students? Try my "Grade the Teacher" reflection tool. Get a "Grade the Teacher" form for your own classroom! Are you a middle school science teacher? You might be interested in my newsletter. Sign up for my newsletter here. Just for signing up you'll receive an exclusive freebie that you can't get anywhere else.

We all deal with common misbehaviors in the classroom, right? These 7 brilliant strategies will improve your behavior management.

Bonjour à tous! Vendredi dernier, je suis allée faire une virée au Dollorama (magasin que j'affectionne particulièrement) et je me suis dit que j'allais vous montrer mes trouvailles. J'aime beaucoup lorsque Stéphanie, du blog Les créations de Stéphanie, nous montre ses achats, ça donne toujours plein d'idées, alors je me suis dit que ce pourrait être une bonne idée aussi de vous montrer mes achats. Chaque fois que je passe au Dollorama, je ne peux m'empêcher de faire un tour dans l'allée des livres. Je trouve toujours plein de beaux albums et livres pour ma future classe. Ce ne sont pas les livres avec les meilleurs textes et les plus recherchés, mais je me dis que pour garnir une bibliothèque de classe, ils sont parfaits! Voici donc ce que j'ai trouvé. Une série d'albums pour le 1er cycle nommée Les 4 super! Je les trouvais beaux et colorés et les textes sont dynamiques. J'aurais dû prendre une photo de l'intérieur pour vous monter... Je crois qu'ils étaient 1,50$ chacun. Une série d'albums sur les métiers de la collection Mille et un métier. J'en avais déjà quelqu'uns que j'avais aussi trouvés au Dollorama et je me suis procurée ceux-ci à ma dernière visite. Ils étaient environ 1,25$ chacun. J'ai également trouvé cet encyclopédie imagée. Elle traite de plein de sujets différents. Je trouvais donc que c'était un bel investissement pour 3$. Un jour, j'essayerai de vous montrer toutes les trouvailles littéraires que j'ai faites au Dollorama, j'en ai vraiment beaucoup! :)

Teach students how to break down challenging topics into a single page of notes.

I designed this course to help bridge the gap between what you learn in college and what the first year of teaching is actually like! But, even if you already

Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months where you just feel like you are not the teacher you always dreamed you'd be? Maybe you just had an evaluation and received less than desired scores? Maybe your students just took benchmarks and didn't make the growth you hoped for or expected and feel like its your fault? Maybe there's been a big change in your personal life and you aren't giving as much time or energy to teaching like you used to? Maybe your class is full of wild children, who despite being great one on one and your usually awesome classroom management....are a total hot mess when under the same roof? If any of these situations are ringing some bells, first, I want you to stop and think about these next few words carefully. I have so been there...in EVERY one of those situations at some point in my career. Whether you are a first year teacher struggling to live out your dream job, or a veteran teacher who just can't get into the swing of things one day (or lots of days), know you are not alone. Teachers with all different years of experience and expertise have times when they feel this way. In fact, if you were to poll your staff, I'd bet at least a few hands would go up at every meeting. Maybe there's a team mate you are close with and could confide in? Chances are, they would open up with you too. It's nice having someone to talk to who understands. If you don't feel comfortable talking to someone at school (and your family may just not get it), I have also found that there are some Facebook groups online dedicated to teachers. Try searching your grade level or specialty area to see what shows up and request joining. I promise, it's not creepy to ask to join- that's why they are there! Being able to relate to so many people helps to make the process not feel so lonely and overwhelming. Plus, you may find that you are even able to offer up advice from your own experiences. Okay, so wanting to go home and cry everyday, or feeling so frustrated you want to quit really doesn't feel like a good thing or normal, believe me, I know! But if you can try to get to the root of the feelings, it may be helpful in the end and a good thing overall. The feeling that you can and should do more for your students is one that every teacher feels. The fact that our teacher brains never turn off is often just part of the job. Our love for our students, our hopes for their success, and the pressure put on us is unmeasurable, especially for those not in the classroom trenches with us. The fact that you are brought to tears over how much you want to do better, is often a sign of your commitment to the job and your students. You belong there. This is what you were meant to do. Whenever I have a teaching breakdown I try to learn from it. Sometimes all I need is a little fix like to take better care of myself so I am not so tired/hungry/cranky the next day and life magically feels a whole lot better. Sometimes venting to someone really helps. Other times, I need a much bigger fix. If you are feeling like you just can't get into the routine of things, ask your instructional coach to come spend some time in your classroom or to model a lesson. Ask your administration if you could go observe another teacher who seems to be excelling in a particular area. NOTE, when you do this, try not to get in your own feelings. Asking for help does not mean you CAN'T do it yourself, it just means you might find a different way of trying that could help. I'll be honest, asking for help is not my specialty. I pride myself on being the one people go to, but I ALWAYS get something good out of it when I do "cave" and ask. It's worth a try. Plus, when you request the help it looks better than it being forced on you, in my opinion anyways. (And if it is forced on you, see what you can learn from it and try to have faith that someone in your school sees your potential and wants to help you learn). My usual answer to any problem or question I am having is "Google it!" For real though, google it! Search for tips online, products that may help, or blog posts from teachers who get it. Their advice could set you on the right track and help you make a plan. Maybe you just need to set aside extra time to critically look at your data and reflect on it. Have faith that you have the skills to analyze the situation and make improvements when you dig deep and be honest with yourself. What does it show you? How could you implement a few skill groups or small groups to reach those kids? Is reworking your schedule or routines (even mid year) going to help? Could you partner with another teacher for some lessons? Sometimes, you just get to the point where you know what's happening.... just isn't going to work for you anymore. You have talked to others, you've made changes, you've reflected....and it's still not working. When I got to this point (after a year plus of feeling awful), I decided to leave my school and change counties. My change was a drastic one but I knew it was right for me. It may or may not be right for you, either way you have to remember that your own well being is important and it's ok to follow your heart. All of the feelings of betraying my staff and former students flooded me with teacher guilt, the worst kind, but I had to get over them. Is the grass always greener somewhere else? Nope! But thankfully for me, the change is exactly what I needed. I had learned from my past experiences about what exactly I needed in a new school, specifically an admin that would be in the classrooms and was knowledgeable about curriculum, a supportive team with a family feel throughout the school, and opportunities to grow as an educator. Now, I am NOT saying that when you have a bad day or even a few weeks, you should uproot everything and move. Like I said, teaching certainly isn't going to always be easier or better somewhere else. The job is hard! Even at my new school I still have breakdowns, but at least now I have a supportive administration and incredible team to help me get through the tough times. In fact, last year was my most challenging class yet and I constantly questioned things. However, I vented, reflected, asked for help, and made small changes to help get through the year. So what kind of change could you make? Maybe the small changes to your classroom routines, venting to other teachers who understand, asking for help, and/or getting some Professional Development are exactly what you need to get back on track! Perfect! This is the ideal situation. But if you are looking for a bigger change (and want to stay in the profession), Maybe job sharing is an option if you are just really called to spend more time elsewhere? Maybe try switching grade levels but staying at the same school? Maybe try switching schools? Maybe trying moving somewhere else? Maybe try going back to school to add certifications like Special Ed, Reading Specialist, or something else if that's where you are lead? However you decide to move forward, most importantly, I want you to know that you are not alone! EVERY teacher has felt less than perfect at some point in their career. Hang in there and know your commitment to your students is making a difference. If I can do anything to help, I would love to be here to support you! Leave a comment or email me at [email protected] if you just need a listening ear. Pin for later:

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Behavior Management Tips for New Teachers! Behavior Management is a challenge that every new teacher faces. Unfortunately, teachers cannot be 100% prepared on how to effectively manage an entire classroom in their credential program alone. It is something that we have to put into practice and figure out as we go! It involves

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Here are some things I’ve learned (the hard way), to help you launch into the world of teaching as smoothly as possible. Some of these suggestions are specific to Art teachers, but many could apply to any new teacher. I hope these tips will help you become the best teacher you can be!

I remember a particular year of teaching quite vividly, and not for the right reasons. As teachers, we don't discuss often enough the years we struggle. Or, the years that bring us heartache, and yes,

Explore sharna11's 889 photos on Flickr!