Supplies Every New Teacher Needs

This year, I felt for some reason like I was drawing a blank when it was back to school time and I was trying to think of what I needed to make sure I had. I also was mentoring a new teacher so I was trying to be organized. After

Read More »

How to get Organized with Parent Communication

Parent communication can be complicated, can’t it? When I started teaching in 1997, these were the methods of parent communication: handwritten notes/memos, phone calls, and one or both of those were needed to arrange the third type of communication: in person meetings! Now it’s a whole new, complicated, ball game!

Read More »

Reasons Why You are So Tired After School

We all know that teachers go home exhausted every day and it is probably is just “the way it is” for all of us. At the end of last year, I was more exhausted than I had ever been and it took me a long time to decompress during the

Read More »

Ways to Help a Classroom after a Disaster

It’s been an extremely difficult few weeks for the millions of folks who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. The storms also coincided with back to school so many teachers have been wondering – how do I help? Or what can my school/classroom do to help? Since

Read More »

25 More Pop Songs to Use with Students

I love music – I love listening to it, singing along, and I play a bunch of instruments too… and I love to share music and incorporate music with my second grade students. Plus, many of my friends have young kids and I know parents are always trying to find

Read More »

Tip: What to do with Incomplete Work

 I have a quick and easy tip for you! With my student desks, the students would have folders where they were supposed to keep their incomplete work in there. Of course some students did and  some just shoved their papers in their desks. I found this idea somewhere on the internet

Read More »

15 Halloween Costume Ideas for Teachers

I know some of you have already gone back to school, and you know what that means? Halloween will be approaching fast! If you’re looking for some Halloween costume ideas, I have rounded up a couple of my own ideas and many terrific Halloween costume ideas for teachers from around

Read More »

Revamping A Classroom Library and More

It’s that time of year, teachers! It’s time to get back into school and set up your classroom again! As for me, I had to pack almost everything away in boxes because our floor was getting redone, so there will be a ton of set up! When we get back

Read More »

FAQs: Using Google Drive in the Classroom

Using Google Drive and other digital resources in the classroom is an amazing way to approach teaching, but at times questions can come up and you might be looking for answers!  I know that before I even began using Google Slides, Docs, etc. with my second graders that I had

Read More »

Flexible Seating: What I’m Keeping; What I Ditched

Let’s talk flexible seating! Some of you know I  changed my classroom into a flexible seating set up during the last school year. It was really exciting and so beneficial to my class. Once thing to think about if you are switching to  flexible seating for the first time, is

Read More »