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,

Ready to get more sub jobs and keep your income steady? Follow my substitute teacher tips to be a requested substitute teacher and make teachers LOVE you!

Reflecting on over a decade in teaching, I share the 11 invaluable lessons I've learned from a career filled with highs, lows, and endless variety.

10 mistakes I made as a first-year teacher, what I learned my first year of teaching, and how I've grown as a teacher since then.

Teacher assistant tips: Here are 10 tips for working effectively with a teacher's aide in your elementary classroom.

You just found out you are teaching a split grade class next year. For most teachers the idea of teaching a split is overwhelming. You have twice as many

What do you do as a special ed. teacher when a student with autism refuses to work? It depends on the function of the behavior! Learn the 12 Best Strategies!

Teachers have lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Here are our 3 tips for increasing teacher productivity and managing your workload.

These are 8 simple tips for beginning substitute teachers and even those who are seasoned guest teachers. Make your day easier with these tips!

Substitute teacher tips to help with classroom management and learning.

Do you know how many benefits there are from having student jobs in the classroom? Providing your students with leadership roles that your students care about will work wonders for your classroom organization, classroom community, and your teacher sanity! I used to be the teacher with just 2 helpers who did EVERYTHING for me. It […]

Spending your summer going from teacher interview to teacher interview is not ideal, but think about it: It is a perfect opportunity to start brand new, touch new lives, and make new teacher friends. How exciting

Are you a new 2nd grade teacher? Here are the best tips for taking on grade 2 and all the fun that comes with it!

Hey hey, teacher friend!! Oh MY, congratulations on landing a teaching job! I’m so INCREDIBLY stoked for you. I remember that feeling and it’s so SO good. Whether it’s your first classroom or maybe you’re going back after being away for a bit, either way that’s super exciting and I know you’re goi

Effective classroom management strategies are essential for a positive and productive learning environment for middle and high school students.

You just found out you are teaching a split grade class next year. For most teachers the idea of teaching a split is overwhelming. You have twice as many

Welcome to the How-To Guide for First Year Art Teachers where I give you my 10 Steps for Success! Congratulations! You got your own classroom. OH MY GOSH, you have your own classroom. Your mind and stomach start racing, both with extreme excitement and panic because now, it all just got real. You will have a lot of students, a lot of planning, and a lot of classroom to keep organized. Figuring out where to even start is a huge stress and will require a tea (or a beer) and a nap (probably some Netflix too).

I'm still oohing and ahhing over my new blog *sigh* So with a new blog design, her is my big new idea. Well new idea for my blog lol. I'm so excited about my new idea! It's going to be a once a month series, on the first Sunday of each month! The main idea? Substitute preparedness! I will have a new topic each month on how you can be prepared for a sub! And my goal is to have a freebie with each post *fingers crossed* I even made a snazzy blog button for it! Frame: Tracee Orman Top font : A Cupcake For The Teacher Today's topic is about being prepared for any emergency absence. A few of the best things that I've seen as a sub, were super prepared teachers that had emergency lessons and stuff for up to five days, just in case. And in one situation, the teacher who thought she was going to be gone just for one or two days, was gone the whole week, but I had her emergency week stuff. I know it's hard to plan using general lessons, but it can be done! Or choose to have your emergency lessons have a them like an author, artist, or topic. If you can, leaving the outline of your next week's lessons would be a bonus, that way your sub could get the idea of what you are teaching for math, spelling, etc. In the the few instances where I didn't have any lesson plans, there generally was the week's plan and I could at least keep the schedule going and the math unit on target. One teacher had 2-3 worksheets already copied for each subject. She is prepared! Some tips for subject material to leave : Reading: If you Daily 5, then this shouldn't really be a problem for you sub. Or have activities that can be done for any book for guided reading or table work. I just created a pack exactly for that! Math: If you have math centers, then this isn't a problem. Have students work out of their textbook. Some fun ideas (especially if it is a Friday) have them play math games or games on the computer. My friend Denise at Sunny Days has free Bump math games and other games. Spelling: Have a spelling bee. Or rainbow words. Science: Now this can be a bit of a toughie. I know that the classes I sub for know me enough that they let me teach science lessons and do experiments. Maybe you don't want your sub to do that or put them through that stress lol. In these cases, I've seen teachers have their subs do art/science. Draw a tree/flower and label it. Then students write about it. I did find this cute freebie on TpT about classifying! Social Studies: In this case, this might be one of those things you want prepped ahead. I found a free Scoot game for 2-4th grade. You can always add a read aloud, crafts, choice time, etc. And at the end of the school year and you didn't use your emergency stuff, you will have them for the next school year! And now for the freebie! I've combined a few pages into this pack, it's a little bit of this and that to get your sub tub going! For reading I've included a page from my Reading Activities For Any Book pack! For math, it's an answer sheet for any math problem. For social studies, it's an all about me page. Just click the cover pic below for your freebie!

It is important for teachers to fit exercise into their day. Check out these teacher exercise tips from real teachers.

Learn how to be a successful 1st grade teacher with these tried and true tips that will help you become the teacher you always wanted to be.

My favorite grading tips for teachers! Learn how to grade like a boss! Grading papers can be so tedious if you are working inefficiently. These 7 teacher hacks will make you more productive, save you time and ultimately help you get more done! #teachertips #gradingtips #teacherhacks

I never would have thought I would be tracking data digitally, I am really not that savvy when it comes to tech, however, when someone pointed out how easy it was, I had to try it. You guys, its sooo much easier than my typical paper and pencil tracking system. I had data sheets EVERYWHERE!! […]

You landed the job and you're a brand new teacher! Check out these tips for first year special education teachers in this blog post!

Got a talkative class? Check out these 5 ways to quiet the chatter!

When trouble is abound in your Preschool or Kindergarten classroom, Sandi is here to save the day! Sandi is an incredible, seasoned, and passionate Kindergarten teacher here to solve your preschool classroom management woes once and for all! Here are Sandi's 7 tips for making sure your Preschool classroom is running smooth and peaceful. Preschool

So you get assigned a split and you panic.

You got that teaching job, congratulations! But now, whether you are a first-year teacher or a teacher changing positions you start thinking. "What am I going to teach the first weeks of school?" And don't

My editable and complete maternity leave sub plans and units for my twelve week leave from my middle school ELA teaching job.

Plus five questions you should ask during an interview and a free printable of the questions.

Self-reflection is one of the most powerful practices to improve teaching. When you practice self-reflection regularly, it will completely transform your classroom and instruction. Furthermore, self-reflection can take you from being a good teacher to being a great teacher. Are you ready to begin the transformation?

This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click the links and make a purchase I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. I do not recommend any companies that I do not persoanlly use and love. Please read our disclaimer for more info. Teaching inclusion can be overwhelming for someone who is new to the job, or maybe you are just in a new co-teaching relationship. There are so many things to worry about, from the needs of your students, to your co-teaching relationship, to working with parents. Here are some tips for someone who is new to inclusion. Treat all of the students the same It is easy to go into the classroom and focus on only the students on your caseload. It is your job to help these students and ensure that they are receiving all of their necessary accommodations and modifications. But, you need to remember that for optimal co-teaching, you need to remember that as a co-teacher in the classroom, all of those students are yours. Treating all of the students as though they are yours, makes your special education students more comfortable asking you for help and working with you. The older students get, the less likely that they are to want to seem like they’re receiving extra attention. When I am circulating the room, I make sure to help all of the students so that my kids are not embarrassed when I am helping them. Also, treating all of the students as though they are yours makes classroom management easier. When students see you as the special education teacher or the helper teacher, they don’t always show you the same amount of respect as they show the general education teacher. If you and your co-teacher act in a way that demonstrates that you are both in charge, the students are not going to walk all over you. Keep open lines of communication Co-teaching is impossible without a lot of communication. You need to make sure that you’re always on the same page as your co-teacher. Make sure that you agree with them in how you are going to teach a concept. Make sure that you agree with them in how you are going to assess the students. Don’t leave your concerns unheard because you are nervous to upset or offend your co-teacher. You have a valuable perspective that maybe they just need to hear. Communication is also important for parent-teacher relationships. If you are keeping an open line of communication with parents/guardians, the parents are going to feel more apt to trust you when they are questioning something. How often are students running home and telling parents a different side of the story? If the parents have heard your side of the story first, they will be prepared to talk to their kids when they come home from school. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind Your school district hired you for a reason. Although, co-teaching can be difficult when there are disagreements. Sometimes, it can feel like it would be easier to just differ to the content area teacher because they are the expert in that subject. But, your opinion is valuable. You are the specialist in teaching strategies, and modifying the curriculum to meet the needs of your students. If you approach a disagreement from a place of respect, you can hopefully have a calm conversation and maybe agree to a compromise. Don’t go in expecting a fight, because if you do there is a greater chance that is what you are going to get. Don’t let the paperwork get ahead of you When people ask me what I do, sometimes I just answer with, “paperwork.” Sometimes it feels like I am drowning in papers. I am constantly surrounded by testing reports, IEPs, work samples, quizzes or tests I am grading, professional development handouts, you name it! Make sure that you take the time to develop a paperwork organization system, and that you stick with it. I try to carve out time every week where I file away everything that I have sitting around. If you go too long it is just going to get more and more overwhelming and you’ll want to put it off even more. If you have time scheduled into your week that you put paperwork away, it won’t get away from you. Also, check out: Guiding Paraprofessionals When Co-Teaching Gets Tough The Ultimate Guide to Co-Teaching eBook! Check it Out! We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered By ConvertKit FREE co-teaching checklist Subscribe to receive a free co-teaching checklist! Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription and download the checklist. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. First Name Email Address We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. Get the Checklist! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Amazon teacher favorites! If you are looking for some new classroom finds, gere are some to add to your wishlist.

Will you be teaching Kindergarten next year? If you are moving grade levels to Kindergarten, I have some helpful tips and what to expect!

These 15 genius teacher tips are sure to save you valuable time, money and sanity. Gotta’ love that, right?!

Interview prep questions for new special education teachers and teachers who are interviewing this year! Download the list!

Are you one of the many teachers who is struggling to teach summarizing? Summarizing can be a difficult skill for students to master. It requires strong reading comprehension since students need to be able to

Substitutes, I don’t have to tell you that you have a unique and challenging job, especially when it comes to classroom management.I reader recently emailed with a great question: “How do I get students to realize they need to follow instructions even though I am ‘just a sub’?”Great question. One th